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  • MAKERS Lena Waithe, Writer & Actor
  • TV Episode | Biography

MAKERS

Lena Waithe, Writer & Actor
TV Episode | Biography
MAKERS sits down with Lena Waithe, one of a new generation of Hollywood creators bringing more diverse perspectives to our screens and surfacing the stories of people left too long on the entertainment sidelines. As a writer and actor her ...See moreMAKERS sits down with Lena Waithe, one of a new generation of Hollywood creators bringing more diverse perspectives to our screens and surfacing the stories of people left too long on the entertainment sidelines. As a writer and actor her focus is on what's human and humorous. After graduating from a writing program, Waithe's first jobs in L.A. were with heavy-hitters Mara Brock Akil, Gina Prince-Bythewood and Ava DuVernay. In 2015, Waithe joined Master of None as a writer and actor, and co-wrote the "Thanksgiving" episode based on her own coming out story. It made her the first African American woman to win an Emmy for Outstanding Comedy writing. "I do think the things that make me different are my superpowers, because there is no 'Thanksgiving' episode if I wasn't born black, gay, and female." Waithe grew up on Chicago's South Side in a house full of women-her mother, grandmother, sister. "There was a similar thing they all had: which was a lot of strength, a lot of pride, a lot of integrity, and a nice amount of sass and swag." Her new Showtime series, The Chi, celebrates growing up in her old neighborhood. "I think there's a lot of storytellers who don't look like the storytellers of yesteryear. A lot of young, black, queer, different people that have never been a part of the culture in a mainstream way. That's the way I want to change the business, by helping to usher in new voices. Until everyone's in the room, we still have a lot of work to do." Written by MAKERS See less
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Editor
Austin Peck
See all filmmakers & crew (8)
Status
Edit Released
Updated Jan 23, 2018
Release date
Jan 23, 2018 (United States)

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