Cynthia Bailey is a true icon of elegance, resilience, and empowerment. From the catwalks of the fashion world to the stages of life’s greatest challenges, Cynthia has consistently demonstrated a spirit that radiates strength and grace. Join us as we delve into the depths of her inspiring journey, exploring how she transformed obstacles into stepping stones and carved a path to success that not only dazzles the eyes but also warms the hearts of all those who are fortunate enough to witness her brilliance.
Tell us more about your partnership with Seagram’s escapes.
My partnership with Seagram Escapes started a few years ago, a lot of people got to see the launch of my first signature cocktail Peach Bellini on The Real Housewives of Atlanta. There was a little drama involved, but it was successful. The Peach Bellini flavor has gone on to be super popular and highly successful. My partnership has been amazing. I love working with the women at Seagram; they’re incredibly supportive of all my initiatives. We do a Black-owned business marketplace initiative together that has been successful as well. We do a lot of women empowerment, which is something that I have done for years. I love how Seagram’s Escapes supports me with that as well. I have a health and wellness retreat that is coming up and they will be involved in it as well. What I love is that everything that I am organically all about, we have been able to collaborate and support each other.
How are you incorporating your support of Black-owned businesses?
We started a Black-owned business marketplace, and we give grants out to four businesses that competed for those grants which are $10,000 each. That is one of the things we do. Also, the marketplace can be used to find black-owned businesses. That is something that I am looking forward to doing again. As a black business owner myself, I understand how important it is to have financial support and even exposure.
What is your favorite recipe for your day of relaxation?
Currently, seagramsescapes.com has several amazingly easy-to-make recipes that are super customizable. We can use them for pretty any season. Since it is summer, my favorite is the Peach Bellini Ombre Punch, my signature cocktail. It takes at least five minutes to make, and it includes Bourbon, lemon juice, grenadine, and any kind of garnish you want. I made a drink earlier today, and I included peaches, lemons, and basil as my garnishes. What I love about our recipes is that if you do not like peaches, you can do so many different things with the choice of fruit and implement the suggestions with the Seagram’s escape drink that we include. It is just a fun summer drink; I believe life should be celebrating and since I am back outside so this is definitely my ‘go-to’ drink.
If you could add or swap out any ingredients, what would be?
Well, I love peaches. The whole peach bellini came from me being on Real Housewives of Atlanta for eleven years. I also love watermelon as well, so if I would switch the peaches, it would be with watermelon.
How does it feel to be off the show? You were on it for 11 seasons. Do you feel a sense of relief?
Honestly, at first, it was a relief. I was on the show consistently for eleven years and really didn’t get much of a break. It felt amazing getting a break, but I must be honest, sometimes I do miss the ladies, definitely not the drama. I have organic friendships with most of the ladies on the show and I do get to hang out with them outside of the show. This season I do pop up a little bit, I haven’t seen me pop up yet, but I did film some stuff with them. I better be popping up or else I am going to stop saying that. I do anticipate the fans seeing me hang out with the ladies in the upcoming episodes.
How would you compare reality television to your acting career?
My acting career has been going on for about a year and a half, it is going really well. I am really excited about the pace that it’s going because acting is hard. If it was easy, everyone would be acting. For me, I wanted to be taken seriously, which is why I have never done acting before. I had to stop everything else and make it my number one priority, which it is now. From this point on, I don’t think there is going to be another chapter. This will be my last chapter for me. I am being challenged all the time and working with incredible directors, producers, and actors. So of course, I am still growing and learning, but it is so much fun to be able to play someone other than myself. The thing about reality television is, to answer your question, I think it is harder to play yourself because you’re just you and at the end of the day this is your reality. But with acting, I can escape me and take on this new persona.
When you are training to be a character, what are some of your methods to practice?
I love all of these questions; I have an acting coach, and she is amazing, and I am taking acting classes as well. One of the things that I am learning to do more of is to trust myself when I break down the character. That’s one of the first things that I do is to break down the character and decide who the character is and how I want to portray the character. If there is something in the script that I feel isn’t right for the character at that point, I might call the director and relay how I feel, such as having a long ponytail and swapping it out for an afro. Visualizing the character during the breakdown for me is important. So, I can embrace the character and feel authentic in my role.
What is one of your favorite characters you have portrayed?
Oh, my goodness, I played a conspiracy theorist kind of crazy woman on Games People Play on BET. The character’s name was Ndasia, and it was fun because I got to look kind of like a cool Erica Badu vibe and dress boldly like the funky clothes. I got to just really have a lot of fun with the character, just because she was a little crazy, but you know, but out there, but definitely onto some stuff. I know that I did an excellent job with that one because initially I was only supposed to do one scene and they kept bringing me back for a couple more episodes. So that was not only my favorite character to play but also the character that made me really kind of validate the fact that I am on the right road and that I can, that I can be an actress, and I can go on to be remarkably successful.
I hear that you have recently finished a project with your daughter Noelle. What was the experience like working with her?
Wow, it was really cool. We worked on a movie together. It’s called Different with Me. It should be coming out this year or early next year. We were in the movie together, but we did not work together. So, it would have been cool if we had some scenes together, but we had separate roles. I did manage to go to work with her on one of her days. It completely blew me away because this was really the first movie that she had worked on. I have always known that acting was in her blood because of her father, and he’s been acting for years. I am new to it, but I’ve done some small things throughout my career. She is my go-to person when I do my audition tapes and I would notice how good she is at this. I felt like she killed it, and I cannot wait for it to come out and promote with her.
Deanahi
