New Erica Hubbard Interview

After showcasing her dramatic chops on the hit ABC Family Drama, “Lincoln Heights”, Erica Hubbard flips the script and tickles our funny bones each week as the lovely Kita Whitmore on BET’s new scripted show “Let’s Stay Together”. RoJay spoke with the star about her latest project and what it really means to have support from your own community.

RoJay: Hey Erica. How are you doing?

Erica Hubbard: I’m good. I don’t have any complaints.

RoJay: Well you shouldn’t! You have a new hit TV series on your plate. It’s actually doing pretty well on BET. Tell me how you were approached to do this project.

Erica Hubbard: I had just finished “Lincoln Heights” and we had just won NAACP’s Award for Best Drama Series and I went to Chicago. They called me on the phone and told me they had another pilot for me for another series. So I was like “Ahhh what is it? What is it?” and they told me it was “Let’s Stay Together” for BET. It would be their first original scripted show. I was like “WHAT?! BET is doing scripted shows?” So I read the script and I got on the plane.

RoJay: Wasted no time, huh?

Erica Hubbard: The reason I’m attracted to stuff like that is because it’s never been done. When you start picking projects that have never been done I feel people are drawn to it because they never see it on TV. “Lincoln Heights” was the first African American Series on that network… on ABC Family. That’s groundbreaking. So here’s another project that’s groundbreaking.

RoJay: I hear ya.

Erica Hubbard: So I flew in and auditoned. First time… second time… third time. (laughs) They flew me out to Atlanta to shoot the project.

RoJay: Okay. Well I did watch “Lincoln Heights”. I watched that series and then it was just randomly snatched off the air. Can you explain what happened to the fans?

Erica Hubbard: Yes. After four years… we were shocked. We had the NAACP trophy in our hands and knew we were going to get a season five, but then we got the news and were taken back, but I feel good right now because literally when I left that show maybe three to six months later I went into “Let’s Stay Together”.

RoJay: So what’s the biggest adjustment for you going from a Drama to a Comedy?



Erica Hubbard: Man… the biggest adjustment would be the hours. With “Lincoln Heights” we lived together. Like literally we were on set for like 15-16 hours and it was an eight week schedule. Meaning it takes a whole eight days to film one show, where on “Let’s Stay Together” the most we are on set is 12-13 hours and it takes maybe three days to do an episode.

RoJay: Wow.

Erica Hubbard: When you get the drama you have 60 pages in your hand. When you get the comedy you it’s like half of that. Maybe 30 pages. And the big thing too is we’re not dealing with a whole bunch of violence. With a drama series somebody got shot… somebody got killed… somebody got raped… somebody got murdered…somebody got their tires slashed. Every episode there was some kind of turmoil and it was like AHHH! And you gotta work up some tears or you gotta be distraught and you have to think of something crazy that happened in your life to help you get through this hurtful scene.

RoJay: I can imagine.

Erica Hubbard: Yea. And in “Let’s Stay Together” we laugh. We joke. We crack more jokes. We make fun of each other. So it’s lighter. It’s happier. We have fun and I think in times like these especially in this economy we have too much bad stuff going. We can turn on the news and somebody has lost their job or somebody has lost their home so you want to turn on something where you can get rid of all of that drama and all of that messy stuff and just laugh and relax.

RoJay: Well what we do know are two things. One is the lack of shows with a majority black cast and two is the show being on BET. So it’s like most people are waiting on it to fail and some don’t even want to give it a chance simply because of that. So how do you handle those type critics? Even with the negativity, the ratings are there but what are your thoughts on that?

Erica Hubbard: My thoughts on people who don’t do well with community involvement… (laughs) It saddens me when you can’t stick together and support one other because those be the same people when something good happens to them they want the whole community to jump for joy for them. So my thing is pay it forward. If you want someone to be your cheerleader you’ve got to be somebody else’s cheerleader.

RoJay: I understand that. Now tell me about the cast and the relationships you all have built. Was it awkward as first or did you all fall in line automatically?

Erica Hubbard: It was instant that we gelled with each other because when you come into a comedy you have to be free and be willing to crack jokes and be free spirited. So instantly we were like “your shoes are red, but your top is purple and gray. You are wearing stripes and polka dots and that just don’t go…” (laughs) So we are lighthearted and we crack jokes and we’re honest with each other and I think that has to be the potion for success. You have to gel and that is not just for a comedy, you have to gel with each other for a drama too. Any time you’re working with somebody because you’re with these people for such a long time and you want to make it believable. You want that chemistry to show.

RoJay: Now let’s talk about Kita because Kita cracks me up every week. I love Kita

Erica Hubbard: (laughs) Kita is an outspoken, sassy girl…

RoJay: I love it. What do you hope people take away or learn from your character as Kita?

Erica Hubbard: You know Kita is so honest and I really believe honesty is the best policy. I have people twittering me and tell me things like “Girl, I love when you said this line and you told them that just does not work…”. I mean let’s just say it, who wants to be around someone that’s fake and phony. You want someone that’s going to tell you the truth.

RoJay: Right.

Erica Hubbard: So when you look at Kita and she is so down to earth and genuine, I believe people feels that she is approachable and they like her. As a matter of fact someone twittered me and she said “Kita would be my friend. Kita is someone I would be friends with.” When you’re around someone that’s genuine you KNOW they got your back and I think that is so important for relationships. You don’t want anyone talking behind your back… that’s not Kita. Kita is like “Okay, you want the honest to goodness truth… here it is” and she’ll let you have it. (laughs) They respect her.

RoJay: Well like I said. I love that character and I have watched every episode so I can’t wait to see how each character grows. It’s going to be a fun ride. I know you have a few movies in post production. Can you tell me a little about those?

Erica Hubbard: One that I have coming up February 26th or 27th. It’s called “The Ideal Husband” so check your local listings for that. It’s going to be the movie of the week. It’s with Darrin Dewitt Henson from “Soul Food” and Jackee’… you know Jackee’ Harry was on “Let’s Stay Together” so it was good working with her again. You know she’s from “Sister Sister” and “227″…icon! And Clifton Powell. I play this character named Michelle who has two love interests… See playing Kita I don’t have anybody because she’s on a “man-cation”, so I go from not having any love interests to having two of them. Ahhh… one of them is Ginuwine. The other one is this talented actor coming out and his name is Richard Gallion.

RoJay: Sounds like fun.

Erica Hubbard: She goes back and forth on who she should and should not date. It was fun working on that.

RoJay: Dope. Well thank you for your time and this interview. I am a fan so I will continue to watch you and your projects. Now are you on the social networking sites where your fans can connect with you?

Erica Hubbard: I am on twitter and Facebook. Hit me up on the social network sites and say hello and I will speak back.

RoJay: Sounds good! Thanks again Erica. Have a good one.

Erica Hubbard: Thank you. You too.

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[Interview] Erica Hubbard
Tuesday, February 22, 2011



After showcasing her dramatic chops on the hit ABC Family Drama, “Lincoln Heights”, Erica Hubbard flips the script and tickles our funny bones each week as the lovely Kita Whitmore on BET’s new scripted show “Let’s Stay Together”. RoJay spoke with the star about her latest project and what it really means to have support from your own community.

RoJay: Hey Erica. How are you doing?

Erica Hubbard: I’m good. I don’t have any complaints.

RoJay: Well you shouldn’t! You have a new hit TV series on your plate. It’s actually doing pretty well on BET. Tell me how you were approached to do this project.

Erica Hubbard: I had just finished “Lincoln Heights” and we had just won NAACP’s Award for Best Drama Series and I went to Chicago. They called me on the phone and told me they had another pilot for me for another series. So I was like “Ahhh what is it? What is it?” and they told me it was “Let’s Stay Together” for BET. It would be their first original scripted show. I was like “WHAT?! BET is doing scripted shows?” So I read the script and I got on the plane.

RoJay: Wasted no time, huh?

Erica Hubbard: The reason I’m attracted to stuff like that is because it’s never been done. When you start picking projects that have never been done I feel people are drawn to it because they never see it on TV. “Lincoln Heights” was the first African American Series on that network… on ABC Family. That’s groundbreaking. So here’s another project that’s groundbreaking.

RoJay: I hear ya.

Erica Hubbard: So I flew in and auditoned. First time… second time… third time. (laughs) They flew me out to Atlanta to shoot the project.

RoJay: Okay. Well I did watch “Lincoln Heights”. I watched that series and then it was just randomly snatched off the air. Can you explain what happened to the fans?

Erica Hubbard: Yes. After four years… we were shocked. We had the NAACP trophy in our hands and knew we were going to get a season five, but then we got the news and were taken back, but I feel good right now because literally when I left that show maybe three to six months later I went into “Let’s Stay Together”.

RoJay: So what’s the biggest adjustment for you going from a Drama to a Comedy?

Erica Hubbard: Man… the biggest adjustment would be the hours. With “Lincoln Heights” we lived together. Like literally we were on set for like 15-16 hours and it was an eight week schedule. Meaning it takes a whole eight days to film one show, where on “Let’s Stay Together” the most we are on set is 12-13 hours and it takes maybe three days to do an episode.

RoJay: Wow.

Erica Hubbard: When you get the drama you have 60 pages in your hand. When you get the comedy you it’s like half of that. Maybe 30 pages. And the big thing too is we’re not dealing with a whole bunch of violence. With a drama series somebody got shot… somebody got killed… somebody got raped… somebody got murdered…somebody got their tires slashed. Every episode there was some kind of turmoil and it was like AHHH! And you gotta work up some tears or you gotta be distraught and you have to think of something crazy that happened in your life to help you get through this hurtful scene.

RoJay: I can imagine.

Erica Hubbard: Yea. And in “Let’s Stay Together” we laugh. We joke. We crack more jokes. We make fun of each other. So it’s lighter. It’s happier. We have fun and I think in times like these especially in this economy we have too much bad stuff going. We can turn on the news and somebody has lost their job or somebody has lost their home so you want to turn on something where you can get rid of all of that drama and all of that messy stuff and just laugh and relax.

RoJay: Well what we do know are two things. One is the lack of shows with a majority black cast and two is the show being on BET. So it’s like most people are waiting on it to fail and some don’t even want to give it a chance simply because of that. So how do you handle those type critics? Even with the negativity, the ratings are there but what are your thoughts on that?

Erica Hubbard: My thoughts on people who don’t do well with community involvement… (laughs) It saddens me when you can’t stick together and support one other because those be the same people when something good happens to them they want the whole community to jump for joy for them. So my thing is pay it forward. If you want someone to be your cheerleader you’ve got to be somebody else’s cheerleader.

RoJay: I understand that. Now tell me about the cast and the relationships you all have built. Was it awkward as first or did you all fall in line automatically?

Erica Hubbard: It was instant that we gelled with each other because when you come into a comedy you have to be free and be willing to crack jokes and be free spirited. So instantly we were like “your shoes are red, but your top is purple and gray. You are wearing stripes and polka dots and that just don’t go…” (laughs) So we are lighthearted and we crack jokes and we’re honest with each other and I think that has to be the potion for success. You have to gel and that is not just for a comedy, you have to gel with each other for a drama too. Any time you’re working with somebody because you’re with these people for such a long time and you want to make it believable. You want that chemistry to show.

RoJay: Now let’s talk about Kita because Kita cracks me up every week. I love Kita.

Erica Hubbard: (laughs) Kita is an outspoken, sassy girl…

RoJay: I love it. What do you hope people take away or learn from your character as Kita?

Erica Hubbard: You know Kita is so honest and I really believe honesty is the best policy. I have people twittering me and tell me things like “Girl, I love when you said this line and you told them that just does not work…”. I mean let’s just say it, who wants to be around someone that’s fake and phony. You want someone that’s going to tell you the truth.

RoJay: Right.

Erica Hubbard: So when you look at Kita and she is so down to earth and genuine, I believe people feels that she is approachable and they like her. As a matter of fact someone twittered me and she said “Kita would be my friend. Kita is someone I would be friends with.” When you’re around someone that’s genuine you KNOW they got your back and I think that is so important for relationships. You don’t want anyone talking behind your back… that’s not Kita. Kita is like “Okay, you want the honest to goodness truth… here it is” and she’ll let you have it. (laughs) They respect her.

RoJay: Well like I said. I love that character and I have watched every episode so I can’t wait to see how each character grows. It’s going to be a fun ride. I know you have a few movies in post production. Can you tell me a little about those?

Erica Hubbard: One that I have coming up February 26th or 27th. It’s called “The Ideal Husband” so check your local listings for that. It’s going to be the movie of the week. It’s with Darrin Dewitt Henson from “Soul Food” and Jackee’… you know Jackee’ Harry was on “Let’s Stay Together” so it was good working with her again. You know she’s from “Sister Sister” and “227″…icon! And Clifton Powell. I play this character named Michelle who has two love interests… See playing Kita I don’t have anybody because she’s on a “man-cation”, so I go from not having any love interests to having two of them. Ahhh… one of them is Ginuwine. The other one is this talented actor coming out and his name is Richard Gallion.

RoJay: Sounds like fun.

Erica Hubbard: She goes back and forth on who she should and should not date. It was fun working on that.

RoJay: Dope. Well thank you for your time and this interview. I am a fan so I will continue to watch you and your projects. Now are you on the social networking sites where your fans can connect with you?

Erica Hubbard: I am on twitter and Facebook. Hit me up on the social network sites and say hello and I will speak back.

RoJay: Sounds good! Thanks again Erica. Have a good one.

Erica Hubbard: Thank you. You too.




Catch Erica Hubbard as Kita Whitmore every Tuesday night on BET at 10:30pm ET!

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Thanks Batman,read it on last night.erica had had post interview site on facebook.
think erica really becoming notice alot from ppl.having interview after interview.