La La Anthony dishes on holiday plans, uplifting women: ‘I’m such a girl’s girl’
The 'Power' alum is opening up about her socially distanced plans for Thanksgiving and why she feels it's important to build confidence
La La Anthony is ready to celebrate the holiday season virtually.
Like many other Americans during this time, Anthony has had to adjust to the country’s new normal amid the surging coronavirus pandemic. On Thursday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a strong warning to Americans to stay home for Thanksgiving—and Anthony plans to do just that.
The Power actress, 39, told theGrio exclusively that she will adapt her traditional Thanksgiving plans for a socially distanced celebration that utilizes technology, if needed.
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“During this time, you just realize how important it is to stay connected to family and friends. You know, that’s the most important thing,” she said while discussing her partnership with SIMPLE Mobile to help families stay connected with their smartphones. “It’s obvious that this is a different type of year, we have to find creative ways to still feel connected to the people that you we love. I’m kind of just playing it by ear.”
She continued, “I’m such a family person and would love to just be with my family, but I want to use the proper precautions and be safe. So if it’s, you know, staying connected virtually, then that’s what it’s going to be.”
Thanksgiving won’t be Anthony’s first virtual celebration. She also recently celebrated an online birthday party and has had to work with her 13-year-old son, Kiyan, on his virtual studies.
“I just recently had a ’70s themed birthday party for my niece, which was on FaceTime, and all of us dressed up and played music,” Anthony explained. “I was like, ‘Oh, how is this going to work?’ and [it] ended up being so much fun, and so creative and so different. But, you know, you have to find creative ways to stay connected.”
The pandemic has also impacted the filming of her hit Facebook Watch show, La La Anthony: Reclaim Your Life, which debuted in April. The filming of the second season is currently on pause, but Anthony is eager to get back to a cause she feels passionately about: uplifting other women.
“I think so many of us, at certain times in our life, kind of lose our way. We start not feeling good about ourselves, you know, not wanting to tackle the day for whatever reason, just feeling low,” the TV personality said. “I saw that with a lot of women and I wanted to create a series that kind of made women reclaim their lives and feel good about themselves again. To understand what their power is and how beautiful they are.
She added, “It’s so inspirational to see. I’m such a girl’s girl. I’m all about women’s empowerment and supporting women. So to create a series like this was really cool and something that that I’m really proud of”
Anthony knows a thing or two about building confidence. The New York native has to combat rejection throughout her career, first as a radio personality and former MTV VJ and now as an actress. Through the years, she’s built a strong foundation that protects her from the negativity and reminds her to focus on love, light and self-confidence.
“I would be lying if I said we don’t all have our moments where you don’t feel beautiful or you don’t feel confident, especially being in the public eye. Because people are constantly telling you something different or saying things about you and they don’t even know you, but you have to just remember who you are.”
She continued, “[You have to] remember that the people that love you and care about you know who you are and that’s most important. But to say every day I wake up, like, ‘I feel great today,’ especially in the current state of the world—it’s just not being honest. This is a struggle for all of us, so you want to make sure you’re doing those check ins and making sure that people are doing okay.”
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Next up, fans can catch Anthony in the fourth season of The Chi and in an upcoming film she is co-producing with fellow actress Issa Rae.
“We’re working on a feature film together that we’re producing, which is something that I’m super excited about. I’m obsessed with Insecure. In the pandemic, I became even more obsessed with it,” she said. “It was like the one show I was like, ‘Oh, one more minute, 30 seconds. It’s about to come on,’ and just locked in. So to be able to partner with her on a project and produce something together is something I’m excited about. It’s still in the early phases, but I think we’re gonna bring something really cool and exciting to you guys.”
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