Q: Tell me a little about your character on "Dead Like Me," and how did you get the role?
A: Well, the premise of the show is that we are all dead and I think the meaningful part of the show is that we are learning how to live life on life’s terms, even though we are not living anymore. And the fact that we have the freedom of being dead causes other complications in our lives and the unresolved issues that my character has, Roxy is probably that she hasn’t learned how to relate; how to let people into her life. And I think that is the biggest challenge she faces on the show.

Q: What attracted you to the role?
A: She was different. First of all I loved the script and I wanted to be apart of it and I thought it was innovative, funny and dark but so well written. I was hungry for that. I was hungry for a role that I didn’t have to go in and think about anything I said, just say it. If it’s well written you can go for it. And then secondly, she was different than what I had been playing before. A role that was kind of desexualized in a way that I could just be comfortable on the set and hang out and kind of do some grimy work. She’s a parking meter maid which is a thankless job. And how do you find joy in your life when you don’t have joy in your work?

Q: Did you have to do any type of research for the role?
A: No I knew enough about meter maids from my personal experience in L.A., being ticketed every two weeks. So I watched them and I noticed the ones that were upbeat and the ones that weren’t and I just kind of incorporated that into her demeanor. The days that Roxy let get to her and the days she’s cool with everything. But she’s got an edge to her and she’s not somebody that you readily like and I think the challenge is still always in making

Q: And this is your second season?
A: Yes!

Q: I also understand you just recently did a book with Afeni Shakur?
A: Afeni Shakur, who is Tupac Shakur’s mother. This project started about 10 years ago when I was interviewing her for a possible movie idea about her life as a Black Panther. I was fascinated with the female perspective of being a revolutionary in the 60's. And it grew to a bigger project because she wanted to talk about her life beyond the panthers. It was very important to her that she talk about her recovery from crack addiction. So the book really covers her whole life and how she has evolved in the last 40 years, how our history has changed her, how she was so angry in the beginning and so victimized by her circumstances of being impoverished and not having a father, having an environment of abuse. (She has) evolved into a woman who is not angry and who believes in God. Her spiritual life has really saved her even through the death of her son. And I think it’s a very uplifting story. I told it in a way where people get to know Afeni as I have. It’s about our friendship as much as it is about her life. I think it speaks to a lot of people who sometimes find family outside of their blood.

Q: Who else did you interview for the book?
A: Her family because it’s a very intimate account. Her daughter was very crucial part of the book because she was a young teen when Afeni started using crack. And she was affected the most by her usage.

Q: Are you planning a book tour when it’s released?
A: I’ve done the L.A. area because I film in Vancouver and it’s hard for me to pin down a travel date. I’m going to Chicago also. I hope to do Atlanta in the future.

Q: So the book is already released?
A: Yes, it came out in February (2004) and it’s called Evolution of a Revolutionary.

Q: You talked a little about Afeni’s spirituality. How important is spirituality to you?
A: It’s very important. My spiritual life is as important as my physical or mental state. The more connected I can stay with my past, what I am suppose to be doing here, and helping other people, the better I feel. I think as a mother it’s kind of a built-in thing that you’re going to be helping somebody else all the time. It even goes beyond that to community and also having a child has gotten me more involved with my community. I think those two things help keep me out of the business head and constantly thinking about what my next gig is going to be, and more about who I am as a person, outside of what I do.

Q: Is there any particular way you practice your spirituality?
A: I pray regularly. I read a lot of inspirational books. I pay attention to how other people make it in their lives. I go to a church that encompasses different faiths and incorporate them in one true belief in God and God living in us and His purpose for us. And I just stay open. I stay open to other knowledge that’s out there. People to me are messengers sometimes for God and so I try to listen when those messengers come my way.

A: Going out of town has been very disruptive to me because I like having a routine and making sure there is some kind of stability at home. But I find that when I bring my daughter with me, I feel better, she feels better, she’s more connected and understands what mommy is doing and there is not that sense of temporary abandonment every time I have to leave. So I bring her up here a lot. And it’s a great set to bring her to because they are so loving and open to her and she has her friends. She goes from trailer to trailer and does her visits. So it’s worked out well with this particular job. I think I just have to take it job to job and not get overwhelmed. I think that’s my biggest challenge is not to be overwhelmed in general with the daunting task of having another human being to take care of, not just their physical well being but also her emotional state as well.

Q: How old is Imani now?
A: Five

Q: Do you see yourself having any more kids?
A: I think so. I m just here. If it happens great! I m not really pushing it right now because I m in a good place. I m enjoying what I have. It s such a blessing that I had her. And I got married kind of late. We ll see. I would like to but we ll see if that s going to happen.

Q: So what life lessons have you learned from being in the industry now that you are a mother and a wife, or in general?
A: I think resilience is very important. You’re gonna get knocked down but being able to get back up and get back and brush it off. Have scars but not let them be open wounds that you carry from job to job or relationship to relationship. That’s been a crucial lesson for me. And one that I also learned a lot in being Afeni’s friend and writing the book is that she is a very resilient person and she doesn’t dwell. She accepts where her past is but she doesn’t stay stuck in it. I think that has been an important lesson.

Q: After Different World, even now Different World is on Oxygen TV now so you have a whole new audience watching you daily, did you find yourself being typecast a little when you went out for roles?
A: I think in general light-skinned black actresses are typecast and it was something I was aware of before I took the Whitley role. For myself I would just pass on things that were too reminiscent of her. Like "Dead Like Me", it’s more interesting to me to go in another direction than to stay where I had been for 6 years with that role. And sometimes I feel like I did the most that I could do with that kind of character. Over the period I had opportunity after opportunity in a six year run to really explore her and flush her out and see her in different situations. I kind of just done with that kind of character.

Q: Do you see any of the old cast mates from the show?
A: I do. Some of them have kids. Some of their kids are grown now who were little when we did the show. We keep in touch and it’s just great because they are like family to me that I first had when I first got to L.A. we all got here together.

Q: So what’s next? You are doing the Showtime series, you have the book deal. Any upcoming theater projects? We loved seeing you in "Chicago."
A: I’m up for a couple of theater projects. I’m not sure if I’ll be able to do them if it will conflict with "Dead Like Me" or not. We’ll see. I know they are doing a musical version of " The Color Purple", and I haven’t heard whether or not I’m going to be able to do that or not. I’m still open to doing that. But we’ll just see, I’m playing it by ear right now until August.

Q: One more question. How do you pamper yourself?
A: Spas. I love spas. I love soaking, steaming, facials, massages, all of that stuff. I save up my duckets and go to a nice spa. That my indulgence.