Watching Genesis Hale grow up as Maisha on Showtime’s The Chi has been an incredible experience. The young actress continues live up to her potential, stealing hearts and scenes along the way.
How did you get into acting and how did you land your role on “The Chi”?
My mother is an actress and my father does poetry so he raps and he’s a mentor and teacher. Because I get both of my traits from them, the first person I got my experience from was my mother. She took me on the road with her for about five years and it was great. I learned so many things. I found this love for being in a show space but I guess theater wasn’t my thing. The first audition I booked was for the show and I didnt know the first thing about TV. So when they gave me the script I just took lessons from my mom. She showed me how to be big. We worked on eyes, we worked on facial expressions and when I went in that audition I used everything she gave me. Now we are here.
Being that “The Chi” was your first role, what was your experience like when you first walked on set?
Oh man, it was very surreal only because it felt like this was a space that I belonged in. At first I went through a whole period of feeling out of place in my mom’s shows because everyone was older than me and all the kids were held to a different standard. When I went on this set it was like “Oh! I belong here” This is exactly what I’m supposed to do. This standard is something I can fit. To find out that Lena Waithe, Jacob Latimore, Jason Mitchell, Common and all these great people are supporting this and making this story beautiful is something that I don’t think I have ever experienced before. I felt like I had a place to be and a job to do that I can do really well and that made me excited.
I feel like Maisha’s zodiac sign is Cancer. She’s hard on the outside but soft and sweet on the inside. How much of your character is you and were you able to have any input on molding who Maisha is?
I would say probably a good 60%-70% is me. Which is crazy because I’m an Aquarius, but I do have many Cancer friends so that would make a lot of sense [laugh]l. I learned a lot from working with this character just over the season and I think it was solely because I missed so much of school, I missed so much of life that I learned life through the show. Certain things as to having a crush on a boy at school but you don’t know how to express these feelings so you know shorty just reverts to slapping the kid everywhere. When I got here and they gave me the script It was like “okay these are real life situations that may go on in places that I wouldn’t normally be in so let’s see how Genesis would react”. I started saying certain lines in a way that I think I would say them then I would read the storyline and that’s how I would find my point.
You were twelve when you booked the show so it makes sense that experiences that you would be experiencing in real life would be reflected on the show. With that being said, let’s talk about boys! Are you at the age in your personal life where you are interested in young gentlemen and how do you take those experiences from the show and translate that to your personal relationships?
Yes, I’m definitely at that age where there comes a time where I have to explore these things on my own and I do so. Because the majority of my life has been put towards the show, when it comes to boys I have the worst luck ever. I’m coming from being on the road with my mom where its secluded. I go to a private school and they bully me because of the way that I look. These things kind of made it hard for me to be confident enough to go out and talk to a person. I had a hard time trying to explore that especially because I was already painted as a bully. Everybody was afraid I would go to school after shooting and they would be like “Girl I thought you were mean!” Really? I’m actually pretty nice! As time went on I became me, which is more of an emotional person. Very intuitive, very smart, very unapologetic when it comes to things she cares about and that in turn attracted a lot more boys. So my experience has been bittersweet but I try my best to apply it to everything I know.
I love that you used the word “Unapologetic” because I feel like your character Maisha and your presence on “The Chi” is very unapologetic. How do you feel being a young role model that girls can look up to that come from where you come from?
I can say truthfully and honestly that it is pressure. It is a lot of pressure. To be honest I don’t think that highly of myself a lot of the time but this is a journey and its something beautiful because everytime I step on set I can become somebody that is confident. I can become somebody who really doesn’t care what people think of her because she knows herself. She has a good idea of what she can do and how she can move around in life. The downside to that is that I am stepping on set and when I step off and take the make-up and wigs off, I am still this person who is still trying to figure out who she is and people expect me to vibe with them the same as Maisha will vibe with them and it’s like I’m trying. I post motivational videos for people because I care and I know that we’re going to figure this out together. It’s great and I love being somebody these girls can look at and say “Hey, I can be me and still be in these situations where people of a smaller size would be more prone to stepping into.” I love that but it’s a lot of pressure.
How has your character grown from Season 3 going into Season 4?
Season 3 Maisha was going back and forth between being hurt and trying to find out again how she was going to live life because Kevin had treated her wrong. So she took a little recovery time. She stepped back for a little bit but for Season 4 she definitely came back with a new persona. She was a lot more aggressive in Season 3. In Season 4 she is being shown as more loving and you will see what happens when you give a girl something she has been longing for deeply for a long time. It’s a beautiful thing.
In the trailer for Season 4, we see a scene with you behind the mic. Tell us about this other talent that you have.
My father is a rapper and mentor and I learned that from him. He would take me to his shows, I’d read some of his raps and perform them on stage. So I started rapping everywhere and when I got the show I started making videos because people were looking at me. I guess somebody from management of the show heard about it and it got back to me at a party. One of the crew members was like “You know we’ve seen you. We see that you are a creative person and we would love to showcase that.” So this season you are going to see a lot more creativity come from Maisha and a little more Genesis which is exciting.
Where do you want to go in the next five to ten years?
I would like to see myself in a feature film that I don’t recognize myself in. I want to be able to go to a movie theatre and watch a movie and the only thing that reminds myself that I was in it is my name in the credits. That shows that I have grown as an artist exponentially and I’ve reached near the peak of my abilities. Of course red carpets, the cameras, being in covers and magazines and all of that but that is a huge goal. That is really where I want to be.
I lived in Chicago and I wanted to play a little game of this or that with a few Chicago staples. So first question, are you Harold’s Chicken or Uncle Remus?
It depends on what Harold’s you go to.
That’s true! So the Harold’s on 87th off the Dan Ryan or the Harold’s in the West Loop?
Dan Ryan is me! Do not bring me no chicken from anywhere else [laughing].
Next up is Pizza. Italian Fiesta or Giordano’s?
If I could get Giordano’s as a tattoo, I would do so. Although Italian Fiesta does know my mother’s number by heart, it’s just something about the deep dish that does something for me. It’s the deep dish for me! [laughing].
Last one, Portillo’s or Maxwell’s?
I would say Portillo’s because I don’t know Maxwell’s that well and there’s only certain things you can get from Portillo’s. The shakes are good though!
It was a pleasure speaking with you! Any last words for our readers?
I would say that if you master the art of self before you master the art of circle, you will never be alone. In other words, be confident shorty because once people start coming around with their own ideas, their own personality and their own energy, its going to mess you up. I know that because I’ve been on The Chi for 4 years. I came in totally unaware of life because I was so stuck in a box and when I met people and friends that cared I had to learn how to deal with other people’s emotions. So master that art of self.
Keena Renée
