Marisha Wallace: 'Black women are more than just the funny friend'
"It's important and seismic!"
Marisha Wallace has been grafting in the theatre world for a decade and in the West End for seven years, which has seen her become a leading lady in the likes of Dreamgirls, Hairspray and, more recently, Guys and Dolls - which led to an Olivier Award nomination.
Over the course of her career, Wallace has portrayed a number of different characters, all with different personalities and minds of their own - something Wallace has made an effort to do in moulding her career as an established West End star.
In an exclusive chat with RadioTimes.com, Wallace explained her reasoning for her different roles, admitting: "I think that my goal is to show, especially Black women, that we have so many different sides to us."
Instead of just being the typecast "funny friend", Wallace wants to show that Black women can be "funny, sexy, sassy or modest".
She continued: "I just love bringing so many different dimensions to what they think that we can do. So that's why I challenge myself to try new roles, and Adelaide pushed me out of my comfort zone in the best way - but also incorporated the things I knew.
More like this
"I really love doing that and just breaking down those barriers and those walls. That's my goal in life."
Wallace's portrayal of Miss Adelaide in Guys and Dolls saw her receive her second Olivier nomination. In a previous interview with Metro, Wallace explained she was given the chance to "change" how Adelaide can be viewed in theatre.
By entering your details, you are agreeing to our terms and conditions and privacy policy. You can unsubscribe at any time.
She added: "I've never seen a major production that's had a Black Adelaide. So when this opportunity came around, I was like, 'Oh my gosh, I have the chance to change the type [of person] this role is usually done by.'"
Fans recently saw Wallace living it up in the Celebrity Big Brother house, during which she found out she had been nominated for the Oliviers.
Speaking of that moment, Wallace told RadioTimes.com: "I think that was what I was really most proud of, to bring some light to our theatre community and show that we're here.
"It's important and seismic!"
The Olivier Awards took place on Sunday 14th April 2024 at the Royal Albert Hall.
Visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
