From Disney kid to Hollywood star: Zolee Griggs talks about her life story
Photography: The Riker Brothers / rikerbrothers
Words: Erna Džaferović / ernadzaferovic
Sometimes, child actors can end up typecast in Hollywood, but this is not Zolee’s case, who took everyone by surprise. Zolee Griggs / zoleeg stepped into the industry at just two years of age with a recurring role in “Cory in the House”. She is also grew to fame as a well-known social media influencer, fashion icon and Vlogger with a self-titled YouTube channel.
The 23-year-old actress from LA stars on Hulu’s Wu-Tang: An American Saga series set in the 90’s, playing RZA’s sister Shurrie Diggs. This experience is her official passage into adult acting and on December 11, 2020 we will see her in a lead role in RLJE Films’ action movie Archenemy. In the meantime, she is also growing her GRL:WMN organization, empowering young women and striving to be a role model for many ladies across the world.
The movie ‘Archenemy’ is scheduled to be released on December11, 2020 and we would love to know more about your character.
Indigo is the bigger sister to Hamster, she is the glue that holds the two of them together. She’s super eccentric and ethereal in her head but has to be another person when it comes to situations outside of the house, which makes her dynamic. She’s a strong woman but can sometimes let her pride get the best of her.
Was it difficult for you to act in an action movie?
Not at all because I love challenges and it was a first time for me. I love first times. I was intrigued by how we’d do the stunts, working with my stunt coordinator, and weapons and choreography (basically!) It was my first time working on a harness as well and it was nerve wracking in a good way!
What is the hardest part about acting in general?
Believing in yourself at times. The statement we are our own worst enemies is true! The acting is fun once you get a feel for the character, the set, the wardrobe, and bonding with your cast mates, but you have to do so many other steps before you can get there and be comfortable in it. The best thing to do is not let fear get in your way.
In “Wu-Tang: An American Saga” you played Shurrie Diggs, Ashton Sanders sister. What was it like working with him?
Ashton is great. It was our first time meeting and working together on set so we bonded a lot over both being from LA, having mutual friends, and then of course being “related.” It made the bonding easier because we have a lot in common coming from the same city. He’s really like a brother to me in real life.
Your style in the show is very ‘90s. How would you describe your own fashion style?
I’d say it’s unique because it’s however I’m feeling for that day. I love to look at fashion from so many different eras because I feel like I can recreate them or put my own spin on them. The fun thing about being alive in the 21st century is you can wear outfits that were 70s inspired, 80s inspired, even early 00’s inspired or whenever and no one cares it’s just however you want to express yourself.
We are all waiting for Season 2. Can you give us a spoiler?
Haha! the only spoiler I have is there will be a new member to the family.
What is your most favorite character you've ever played?
I don’t have a favorite because I love each character a lot, they each taught me something different. I see each character as a different stage in my life so it’s just nice to look back on all the different people I’ve played and who I was at the time.
A couple of years ago you founded the mentorship program GRL:WMN to empower females in the world. Can you tell us something about this project?
GRL2WMN is a womxns mentorship I created to give young ladies a chance to get a head start on what it means to be womxn in the real world. In high school I was fortunate enough to participate in a mentorship program called “Sister Circle” that inspired to me start GRL2WMN, which was the high school girls mentoring the middle school girls. In the next program, I’m hoping for it to be more interactive and informative by doing workshops. I would love to give details but I’m going to wait until we’re closer to that time (whenever that may be sadly).
Thanks to this program but also to your social media platforms, you are a role model for a lot of young women. How do you feel about it?
It feels nice to know I could be helping girls find themselves or figuring out more about themselves because when I was that age, all I wanted was a big sister or someone besides an adult that I could confide in. I hope any girl who has that same want can have it fulfilled.
‘West coast till I die’ is the caption we all see on your Instagram bio. We are curious to know more about it.
Born and raised on the west coast! LA gets a bad rep because a lot of people move here and think because it’s Hollywood you have to act a certain way but that’s not true if you’re from LA. I get it, it’s a hungry city and it can eat you alive if you’re not on your toes but you just have to know how to navigate it because it’s beautiful and has a lot to offer.
Can you tell us a funny story about yourself?
The funniest thing that comes to mind is when I was probably 10 years old I bought this new skirt I was dying to wear, I thought it was the cutest thing ever but it was way too big for me. My mom had to get all my clothes taken in because they never fit but I begged her to let me wear this skirt to school because I would be fine, I’m really hardheaded in that way, not sure why I fought her so hard. We were practicing for a school performance on the yard so we’re dancing and I’m moving around in this skirt and it fell to my ankles, of course in front of the whole school because I wasn’t supposed to be wearing it. I still think about it often but I can chuckle about it now.
Last but not least, what are you going to do next?
Next is Season 2 of Wu-Tang and we’ll see once the pandemic slows down, so stay safe!