NEW YORK STATE OF MIND

WORDS BY ABI SLONE

When I became a journalist and editor over 20 years, I learned to never centre myself, as a writer, in the story… but I’ll be honest, I was thrilled to interview actor/producer Danielle Moné Truitt. Not only was Truitt hand-picked by director John Singleton to star in Rebel and producer of the short film It Burns Going Down, but she is currently portraying a black, female, married lesbian Sergeant in the newest addition to the Law & Order franchise (big fan over here). Truitt graciously agreed to talk to THE CRONING about her work, her inspiration, the act of adulting, and where she hopes to take herself in her career. dun dun

THE CRONING: Congratulations on your move. I hope it's a good thing.

DANIELLE MONÉ TRUITT: Oh, yeah.

TC: Do you live on the West Coast?

DMT: Well, I feel like I live in New York now because of our shooting schedule [for Law & Order: Organized Crime]. But yeah, I'm from the West Coast and that's where my kids are and that's where I bought my home.

TC: How is the bi-coastal living?

DMT: Interesting. I mean, because I have two young kids, it's a lot. I travel back to L.A. every other weekend to spend time with them. So I feel like I live on airplanes now.

TC: Okay, I have to tell you, I have been a huge fan of the Law & Order franchise for decades — an obsessive Law & Order watcher, which I feel slightly embarrassed about sharing — and I love the new series. Are you loving it?

DMT: I love it. I think we have a really awesome show. And really, I love the way it's written, how it's one long case that spans over multiple episodes and seasons. I think it's really cool and I think our show’s really fresh. I’m very proud of it.

TC: The complexity of the characters is always great. Your character Sergeant Ayanna Bell is nice and rich — they've had a past, they have a present, and they're part of building a family that has a future. That's interesting in terms of matching that with where you are in your life and career. How much do you think your life experience impacts your performance? Like, could you have played this role as well 10 years ago?

DMT: Oh, that's such a good question. You know, I am truly a believer that your life experience guides you to whatever you're supposed to be doing. And when you're ready, things and opportunities will present themselves. That's how it's been in my life.

I’ve played a lot of law enforcement… the first series that I was a lead on was called Rebel and I played a private eye, but with Ayanna being a Sergeant, there's a level of maturity. She was a detective and moved up the ranks. And it’s been a difficult journey for her because she's black, because she's a woman, and then on top of that, her being a lesbian — there's a lot of things she has to deal with to get to where she is. In my personal life, I have expanded over the last two years. There was a lot of growing up that I had to do. You know, there are certain things that you don't realize until circumstances happen, and then you’re like, ‘Oh, I'm very immature.’ Or you don't know how to navigate relationships or don't really know how to be honest with yourself

About a year and a half, two years, before I got this part I was going through a personal and spiritual reckoning — understanding myself more and forgiving myself — just coming more into who I am as a person. I feel like once I did that, accepted who I was, owned my faults, this opportunity came into my life.

I didn't even have to audition for this part. I was offered this part.

TC: That's amazing.

DMT: It was great, and out of the blue. They said, ‘Let's do a Zoom just so the producing director can get a feel for how you work.’ But from my previous work, they knew I was right for the part. So I truly do believe that it all lines up. The impact you make lines up with where you are, the amount of vulnerability that you're able to allow yourself to experience.

TC: In terms of vulnerability, I feel like The Croning is a bit about laying it on the line — honest and present when it comes to work and creating at a certain stage of our lives. It's not about age, per se, but really about how we continue to be women who create and have a cultural impact. And as we mature, we're still the same people. We don't go away.

TikTok user Emily Johnson posted a photo of the gang from Golden Girls and the gang from And Just Like That (the Sex and the City reboot) and pointed out that the characters were the same ages. Amazing right? It's kind of unbelievable when we think about how the image of women is shifting. The Croning was created to make a space to allow those conversations and to talk about the real reality of what it is to arrive in your late 30s, 40s, 50s and be like ‘Oh, hold up a second. I need to get this in check so that I can move forward.’ It's really about our strength as creators.

Are there things that you tackled differently now from a work and career or life perspective that you didn't five or 10 years ago?

DMT: My life in general right now is more different than it's ever been. I'm recently divorced, living bi-coastal, on a stable show that’s going to go for a while. I’m back to a boyfriend/girlfriend dynamic, which is sometimes weird when you were married for over a decade. My sons are getting older and I’m trying to navigate co-parenting. It feels like I’m dealing with almost everything possible at one time.

I think now that I'm older and I'm more experienced in life in general, I've learned how to let go of things that are going to weigh on me, or cause me unnecessary stress or anxiety. That's been something I've worked on.

When I first started in television, I had come from theatre which has a real family-oriented vibe because you're rehearsing with people for months or weeks, and then you're performing together for months after that.

Television and film are different. There are people on your show that you never meet… As I was getting into television and film I was looking to make connections with people and feel like part of the television world or community,… but then I realized that this is the third show that I've been on a series regular and because I have so many other things going on in my life I am content with the television industry dynamic.

And I do believe that I deserve to be where I'm at. You know, I deserve this part. I deserve to be in the room with Mariska and Chris Maloney.

TC: Was there a moment where you realized that you had actually stepped into that? Where you realized you felt solid?

DMT: You know, to be honest, I don't think it was until we wrapped season one. I had been in shock the entire season. I got this job at the end of January 2021, but in October of 2020, I was wondering how I was going to continue to pay my rent and how I was gonna take care of my boys because their dad and I had split up and were headed for divorce.

So I was starting over, figuring out how to get a cheaper apartment or house, and survive. And then, two and a half months later, they're like, ‘Oh, you're going to be a lead on the new Law & Order. Pack your bag for New York.’

I was in shock the first season. I would get up and go to work and think, when are they going to come to tell me, ‘Oh, sorry, this didn't work out. You know, we made a mistake.’ And then, once we wrapped because we only had eight episodes in our first season, and I had my hiatus, we found out we were coming back for season two. So, I think when I got back for season two, that's when I had actually accepted the fact that this is my new life. This is my opportunity. And I belong here.

I think I even see it when I watch myself on Thursday nights. I see how much more grounded in myself and my character I am. People watching it won't be able to tell, but I know.

TC: Do you watch every week?

DMT: I try to. It's exciting for me to watch it because you read the script, but it's cool to see how it comes to life. I enjoy watching the episode.

TC: I really like the format. It’s different than the others in the franchise because it’s one long story arch… or so far anyway. Are there other actors who you’ve seen throughout their life in the Law & Order family that have gone on to do other things that you admire?

DMT: There’s so many… Mahershala Ali. I love him. One day I’d like to work with him. He’s from Northern California like me.

TC: So you are from Northern California. Where?

DMT: Sacramento.

TC: I am in Oakland at the moment. I have never spent any time here and it’s so beautiful and great.

DMT: I love Oakland. So much culture there.

TC: And an incredible history. How do you find the difference in vibe between Northern California and New York?

DMT: That's a good question. Sacramento is a little slower pace. And the funny part is there's a distinct difference between people from Northern California and people from Southern California. We are very different than L.A. and so being in New York is nice for me. Right now I'm living in an apartment in Manhattan, in Hell's Kitchen, right in the centre of the city. I wanted the experience of living in a place that’s more fast-paced, where I can get out of my apartment and walk down the street to a nice restaurant, walk to the movies, where I don't have to get in my car and drive 25 minutes to get my nails done. There's something that makes me feel very independent being in New York, makes me feel grown.

TC: I lived in New York just south of Columbus Circle. The city is always running, always humming, never silent, always active.

DMT: I like the word active. I remember when I graduated from high school and I was a part of a group that travelled to New York to compete in all these different categories like singing, dance, poetry, science — for black kids or whatever. So I came to New York for the actual competition. And I didn't like New York when I came the first time. We stayed on Broadway in a hotel.

When I got older I dated a guy that was from Brooklyn, and I came back when I was like 22 or 23. That’s when I thought, ‘I love it here.’

I'm happy that I get to be here as an adult, making a good living. I feel very blessed and lucky — it’s so hard to live here unless you make a decent living. Another thing, I think in coming from Northern California, it feels like the people in New York are just more real. I think people in Northern California and New York are kind, but they're not nice. Like they'll push you out of the way of an oncoming car. Whereas nice people don’t want to bother you by saying anything, but then you get run over.

TC: Totally. That makes perfect sense to me… So, besides, which is a huge besides, Law & Order: Organized Crime and your whole life happening, are there any other creative projects that you have on the go?

DMT: Oh, yeah. I actually just executive produced a short film called It Burns Going Down.

TC: Congratulations.

DMT: Thank you. It's my first time producing which is something I definitely want to do more of, and I want to direct as well. It Burns Going Down was written and directed by Jeremy Earl. He’s a great writer, a great upcoming director and writer, and he wrote this short film that I thought was very simple and beautiful. It takes a day in the life of urban kids and illustrates that the choices we make determine where we end up, especially if we don't make the good choice.

We like got people together in New York, I'm not even from here, and we were able to shoot this short film in like three and a half days. It just all came together. We just submitted it to the Tribeca Festival and plan to submit it to others as well.

And I have a one-woman play called 3: Black Girl Blues that I will be performing in Sacramento in June at the B Street Theater. I cannot wait to get back on stage. I miss it so much. And I made a promise to myself that while I'm on this show or any TV show, that during my hiatus I'm going to do something creative.

I want to continue to grow as an artist and do other things. And I don't want to get stuck in a certain way of acting so but I'm on hiatus I don't want to do short films or or regular film or a play or something you know, just so I can stay sharp in my one woman show is very dear to my heart. And I love it so much. I can't wait to do that. I wrote a short called Mona that is based on my childhood. I want to develop it into a TV show.

I'm trying to make sure I stay true to who I was before [the Law & Order] opportunity. And actually before any of the real opportunities I got in the industry, I was always someone who created and produced my own stuff. I didn't wait for people to give me opportunities. I never did. And that's why my one woman show is so dear to my heart because I did that right after I had my first child with no money in a little warehouse and invited my friends. From there, I ended up getting an agent like this. This play like really helped my career, you know, continue to go because I, you know, I took the chance on myself and I didn't wait for other people. So, I want to make sure I stay true to that girl… woman now.

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