ERica's WOW Magazine Interview

Written by Candie Price





[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]Erica
Hubbard is a beautiful young lady who is proving to be a rising star in
Hollywood. The best thing about Erica is not her recent success on ABC
Family’s Lincoln Heights, nor her upcoming sitcom on BET, but rather
the fact that she is in love with Jesus! I had a wonderful time talking
with Erica and was refreshed by her contagious spirit, her desire to
help others, and her commitment to her faith in spite of her fame.

Candie A. Price: Erica, we are so glad to be able to talk to you today! How are you doing?
Erica Hubbard: I’m good! This is very exciting for me today! I had to
do ADR* for Cold Case, I’m on the season finale of Cold Case and I’m on
my way to an audition, but besides all that this is the most important
thing to me today, this interview with WOW! And I’m not exaggerating
because I’m a woman of the Word! I was like, this is more important
than all this auditioning and stuff! This opportunity to me means so
much!

CAP: Well, thanks Erica, you had a chance to look at the magazine and our website?
EH: Yes, I looked at it a couple of times and I thank you for this opportunity.

CAP: It’s our pleasure! Well, first we’d like to know a little about
your background. Where were you raised and what was your upbringing
like?
EH: I was raised on the southside of Chicago with my mom and then I
moved to the west suburbs with my dad, then I moved back to downtown
Chicago to go to Columbia College where I graduated from. But my
upbringing was –whew, my mom was like sanctified, Pentecostal,
non-denominational so we would go to all these churches, even COGIC,
but my grandmother was a devout Catholic – so growing up I went to so
many different types of churches – anywhere where family members were
like, “Jesus is there,” that’s where were at!

CAP: How many brothers and sisters do you have?
EH: There are five of us – I have two biological sisters, a foster
brother – well I shouldn’t say foster because we adopted him a while
ago –adopted brother and a stepsister.

CAP: Are any of them in the business?
EH: No, my stepsister tried to get in the business – she did a couple
of modeling jobs and a commercial and then she just stopped, so I’m the
only one.

CAP: Why did you want to become an actress? What was your motivation?
EH: Well, my dad used to work for Sears and he had a good friend that
handled the clothes that went to the models, so back when I was nine
years old he talked to his friend and his friend said ‘let her do some
modeling.’ So I started off modeling and then I started doing
commercials and then voice-overs, and then slowly but surely they said
‘she needs to sign with an agency.’ So once I signed with an agency
back in Chicago, I started doing more commercials, more industrials,
and then television and film. Then by the time I turned 18 I started
taking it seriously and said, okay this is not a hobby anymore so this
is something I can pursue as a life-long occupation
... ““...you have to know everybody can’t go with you where you are
trying to go – you have to have a spirit of discernment..-Erica”
CAP: We are so proud of you and your success as Cassie Sutton on ABC
Family’s Lincoln Heights, my daughter and I have watched it since it
debuted – she’s 15 - but this is not your breakout role since you’ve
had these other things, but would you consider it your breakout role?
EH: As far as television I would say it’s my breakout role but as far
as film, to me my break out role was really saying, “Ok, this is a huge
gig,” was booking The Cinderella Story with Hillary Duff. That right
there changed a lot for me just working beside her and then also after
I did that I ended up booking Akeelah and the Bee working with Angela
Bassett and Keke Palmer. That was another opportunity for me. I was
kind of in the film world.

CAP: Well, I heard a rumor that Lincoln Heights has been canceled. Is that true?
EH: Yeah, we went into syndication on TV One – the reruns - and once we
got picked up on TV One we knew that this was it, but we did four great
years and everybody was happy that it lasted that long.

CAP: Well, it was a good family show, though, and I just felt like
there were more stories for the Suttons to tell. Did they give a
reason as to why they canceled it, especially since it won awards and
everything and was doing well.
EH: Yeah, we won an Image Award for Best Family Drama, but after that
happened we were hoping that TV One would pick it up since they were
doing the reruns, kind of like what BET did with The Game – how The
Game used to be on CW and BET picked it up for a season – we were
hoping that TV One picked us up.

CAP: But it hasn’t happened yet?
EH: It hasn’t happened yet, but I just got picked up on another tv series

CAP: Oh, you did?
EH: Yeah, I’m happy! I am so happy about that! It is such a blessing to go from one tv series to another

CAP: So what’s that project?
EH: It’s a comedy and it’s called Let’s Stay Together

CAP: And what station picked it up?
EH: Actually, BET

CAP: Ok, great! Well let me ask you about your role on Lincoln Heights.
One thing I liked about Cassie was she was flawed, well all of us are,
but she was growing up under some difficult circumstances, she had a
great family support system, but she was beginning to know who she was,
she was trying to finding herself, I thought, and she was becoming more
mature and independent. How does your life as Erica reflect that at
all, or does it?
EH: Oh, my gosh, I want to say thank you so much, Candie, for saying
that because that is exactly what I wanted to do with Cassie Sutton. My
life reflects Cassie Sutton down to the “t” because when I first
started out with this character, back in – we did the pilot back in
’05, but we started working in ’06-’07, but I said I want to take this
young girl and make her kind of like an introvert – shy, quiet, trying
to fit in, doesn’t really know her place, and that’s how I was in high
school. I was not the popular girl at all in high school and I wanted
to have a sense of belonging with a group, but I never did really fit
in. So, I looked for love in my relationships, when I started dating
like Cassie Sutton. When I played Cassie Sutton and Charles – I was
like don’t worry about the outside circumstances and you’re new in this
school – and that happened to me I went from one high school to the
other high school. Eddie Sutton, her dad, transferred them from the
suburbs to the inner city, well actually the opposite happened to me in
life – I went from the inner city to the suburbs. Where do I fit in,
where do I belong so I took all of those elements of how I felt when I
was in high school and I played that when I portrayed Cassie Sutton.
And I dated outside my race too, with an Italian guy, so the same thing
happened, basically, except that I didn’t draw I was in theatre.

CAP: Do you have other projects that you’ve picked up?
EH: Besides Let’s Stay Together which is going to debut in 2011, oh,
let me say this Queen Latifah is producing the project and we are happy
about that!

CAP: That’s awesome!
EH: Oh, I’ve met her and I am so excited and it should do really well
with her producing it and I’ve just done an episode of Cold Case which
aired in May – the season finale –actually I just finished doing the
ADR* for that –which was kind of sad because I died in that episode –
yeah, it was weird – that whole thing -seeing yourself die is really
eerie, ..ughh and then beside that I think I’m going to really jump
full force into the comedy.

CAP: Who else is playing in the comedy?
EH: Bert Belasco, Joyful Drake, RonReaco Lee, and he did a lot of stuff
-over 20 something episodes of Sister Sister – and I have to give a
shout out to him because he’s from Illinois too. I have to shout out to
all my people like Akeelah and the Bee -Keke Palmer – another
Chicagoan!

CAP: Well, one of the things I like to ask – we are always interested
in how others, especially celebrities and people who have high-powered
jobs, come to the knowledge of God’s saving grace. Could you briefly
tell us your salvation testimony?
EH: Ooh, my salvation testimony happened when I was 13 – you know I was
reading the magazine and my story is a little different than others
meaning that– okay, when I got saved I got saved in a church where
people were speaking in tongues, they were laying hands, catching the
Holy Ghost and they were casting out demons and I still hold true to
that fast forward several years later – when I got saved I actually got
hands laid on me and I passed out – and that feeling – I didn’t know
what that feeling was – I didn’t know it was the Holy Spirit but I knew
that I didn’t want to ever give up that feeling ever, ever, ever. With
the churches that I’ve been going to I like for the Holy Spirit to be
flowing – the Holy Spirit to be present and you can feel that sometimes
when you walk into certain churches. But there’s a book that I read –
that I’ve read from cover to cover, Candie, it’s called Pigs in the
Parlor – and that book has helped me stay in Hollywood and do the
things that I do here because, it’s hard, you know - the spirit of
rejection, the spirit of abandonment, all of that hits you hard when
you don’t get an opportunity or a job and you have to know what
stronghold this is and how to break the stronghold, break the chains so
it won’t manifest itself or transform into another spirit. You see so
many people out here doing drugs and alcohol and it’s just like, Whoaa,
what happened? And to me what it is is that they don’t know – the
spirit of rejection can harm you if you don’t know how to handle it
properly…. I’m rambling, stop me Candie!

CAP: No, because that was part of my next question how do you balance
being a Christian with the life of an actress? I know it has to be hard
maintaining your principles in Hollywood, so keep talking!
EH: Yes, also [the book] Breaking Unhealthy Soul Ties because sometimes
you get people around you and they are like, ‘Oh, you’re on Lincoln
Heights and I’m going to be your friend” and they don’t mean you any
good! So you have to know everybody can’t go with you where you are
trying to go – you have to have a spirit of discernment – so I’m always
tapping into that and then also my weapon which is speaking in tongues
and that helps me to maneuver through – because you have egos and all
kinds of people out here that are trying to destroy and want to see you
fall – so if I let my life shine and they try to break me down, I start
speaking in tongues – and of course you can’t do it out loud because
people will start looking at you like you’re crazy, and not everyone
knows what it is, but it helps the situation and when I get attacked, I
just have to call on God right then and there and I’ll know that
certain demonic forces were trying to attack me and then I bind them.
And that has helped me with my longevity in Hollywood, I’ve been here
for 10 years and so far, so good! With those principles in mind it’s so
good…you have to put your armor on.

CAP: I have a daughter who’s an aspiring actress, what advice would you
like to give to other Christians seeking these types of careers
especially with all that they may have to encounter?
EH: Find a mentor, someone that goes to church or prays regularly and
is spirit-filled – call them and ask for advice and what you should do
and what you shouldn’t do because it’s hard, I’ve had a lot of
characters I played and I would say, “uh, oh, should I play this?”
Certain things I even doubt and you need a mentor to kind of help guide
you a long – you need a support team.

CAP: Is there something in place, maybe underground or not, I don’t
know, for Christians in Hollywood? I’ve always wondered how they get
through unless they have a support system.
EH: Well, one of my mentors, his name is Cy Richardson and he’s a
Christian actor and I would call him and talk to him and he would help
me and guide me through this industry. So just finding someone that is
faith based, but still pursuing what you want to pursue guiding you
through the entertainment industry.

CAP: I would think that one of the hardest things to do is deciding what roles to play and what roles not to play
EH: I just played a role in a film and I was like Lord what do I do? I
had to wear lingerie and curse, and it was the hardest role that I ever
had to play and this was just offered to me last week but you know what
though I think that if you are centered and aligned with God there
should be no condemnation but if you are too convicted don’t do it –
it’s going to weigh heavy on you, but it’s hard, but I think that when
I’m challenged with nudity roles, I can’t go there, I just can’t go
there, personally!

CAP: What is your favorite scripture and why?
EH: Psalm 23 – when I say that scripture it gives me a spiritual
fulfillment to know that God has my back and that everything and
anything I need he already knows before I know so all my decisions that
I call myself making, uh, uh, I need to go to God first.

CAP: What biblical character do you think most mirrors your life, if any and why?
EH: I don’t know that I have a biblical character that mirrors my life
but I do pray Abraham’s inheritance over my life! I believe that it is
such a blessing to have prosperity on your life and if I can pray
Abraham’s inheritance I can take this financial gift that God has given
me and I can put it back to the community. So with that being said I
created the Erica Hubbard Foundation for at-risk youth and deals with
poverty. I believe poverty is a spirit that hinders us but if you know
that God’s will is for us to have and that it comes from God and it’s
not about you, how talented you are or what you’ve done, and you pray
for Abraham’s inheritance over your life, then you should take that
money and put it back into the community. So I began to go into the
schools and talk to kids that were looking at me like I was crazy. I
went to Detroit and talked to a group of pregnant teenagers and they
were saying ‘Why are you here?’ but then I knew that it was my ministry
when after I finished speaking to them they saw that I cared.

CAP: What other things would you like to accomplish? What’s next for
Erica Hubbard? I’m sure I’m going to see you in a whole lot of other
things and your career will blossom but what other things would you
like to do?
EH: Right now, my foundation – I just travel from school to school,
community centers and youth groups to speak, but ultimately I want to
have a community center on the south side of Chicago.

CAP: Erica, again, I want to thank you for spending a little time
letting us get to know you. We wish you wonderful things in your
career and we will be praying for your success! God bless!
EH: I feel so fortunate talking to WOW! This was a huge opportunity and I have a heart of gratitude!

For more information on Erica her website is
ericahubbard.com and her foundation can be found at ericahubbardfoundation.org

*ADR is the process of re-recording the original dialogue after filming
for the purpose of obtaining a cleaner, more intelligible dialogue
track (also known as looping or a looping session)

Wow!!! This is a great interview with Erica and I am so glad that she is rooted and grounded in her relationship with God! That really blessed me! Thanks Diva. [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

That was a great interview.Erica with her beliefs she will go far.

thanks for posting this interview, divalicious. i really enjoyed reading it. it was quite an eye opener. i didn't know eh was
as deep as she is.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

you know what, it all makes sense now. her gratitude toward fans, her cheerful enlightened demeanor. The roles that she plays. It all adds up now. and yes very deep. very deep side. This was an amazing interview. having read a little about her personal nature, I can see why it was easy for her to play a shy, subdued character like Cassie.

Thanks for the article Diva!!! It was really good. I always learn something new about Erica. I've got to buy that magazine.

you can download the entire magazine online or just purchase erica's cover/story/article for $2.00.

Thanks for the info Diva!!!!

Hey I finally got the WOW magazine it's really awesome.