Phylicia Rashad revealed that the flow of wisdom in her mother-daughter relationship flows both ways. The Tony Award–winning actress told ESSENCE during a Facebook Live chat that she often seeks professional advice from her daughter, Billions star Condola Rashad.
“If I’m offered a certain project and I’m on the fence about it, I’ll talk it through with her,” says Phylicia. “Because I know that she’s open, but she’s not at all a fuddy-duddy. And she’s very honest. She will give me a great and honest opinion, and I trust her instincts.”
“You know what that reminds me of?” Condola says in response to her mom’s compliment. “I’m so glad she trusts my instincts. I’ma tell you this story about two years ago.”
“Wait wait wait, no no no,” Phylicia warns. “Be careful.”
Condola revealed that it was her instincts that persuaded her mother to make a cameo appearance in Drake’s 2018 “In My Feelings” music video, where she played the protective mother of KiKi.
“It’s a great story. It’s a great story,” continues Condola. “My mother called me up and she says to me, ‘You know I’ve got an offer to do this Drake music video and it’s very exciting. I just—I don’t know. I don’t know whether I’m able to. I don’t know whether I have the time. I have to figure this out. I’m just not so sure. I don’t know how I’m going to do it.’ ”
For Condola, the answer was clear: “I was like, ‘Mother, you are doing the Drake video. You will make time. You will figure it out. You have to do the Drake video.’ ”
At her daughter’s instance, Phylicia joined the music video’s other celebrity cameos, including La La Anthony, Big Freedia, Yung Miami and others.
“You did do that,” replies Phylicia while laughing. “I had so much fun. She said, ‘Oh, no no no no no! You have to do this video. You’re doing this video.’ ”
“I was like, ‘I don’t want to hear nothing else about it. You’re gonna do the video. That’s it,’ ” says Condola.
Sometimes daughter knows best.