Starz is releasing an exciting new drama called P-Valley and it will premiere on July 12th. Brandee Evans stars in the series as Mercedes – the queen of the pole dancers. The talented actress and dancer sat down with us recently to discuss her exciting new role, how she got into entertainment, and even reveals her beauty must-have.
Tell us about your role in Starz’s upcoming series, P-Valley.
I portray Mercedes – the OG of the strip club. Mercedes has a lot of layers to her. She is a dance coach, the preacher’s daughter, and the friend that you wish you had. She has a toxic relationship with her mom, and she has other dreams that she is aspiring to accomplish outside of the club. She is full of layers! There are some other things that I can tell you, but it would ruin it. You have to watch the show when it releases on July 12th.
photo courtesy of Starz
You are a dancer, choreographer, and former English teacher. How did you end up in the entertainment industry?
I was a former high school English teacher and I was Department Chair actually. I was on vacation one summer (laughs), things were just going really crazy in my life. I needed a vacation, so I put a title loan on my car and went to California, thinking I was just going to go on vacation and take dance classes. To me, life just always felt so good when I was able to dance and forget about all that was happening in the world and in my own life. I took out this title loan on my car, came to California, and within that trip, I ended up getting an agency to sign me, I ended up on tour (laughs), all within a week. Someone had a dance class while I was going to a rehearsal, I was dancing and at the end of dancing for hours, the teacher said “Okay, you’re booked.” I asked, “What do you mean booked?” She goes, “You leave for tour at the end of the week with Lil Wayne. You’re the opening act.” I’m thinking, ‘What?!’ (laughs). I wrote my resignation letter to the school board on a tour bus with Lil Wayne.
How has quarantine life been for you?
Quarantine life has been up and down. I am also a caregiver for my mom, so I’ve been a full-time nurse. While a lot of people are getting sleep during this time, I am not. I just hired someone to help me out maybe four days ago. From the time that I moved back from Atlanta, I have been a full-time nurse while trying to be as positive as I can be with everything that is going on in our world outside of quarantine and Black Lives Matter. I’m just trying to stay positive and count my blessings.
Do you mind sharing your must-have beauty product?
Yes! I must have everything that Tracy Hudson makes. She is my favorite when it comes to skincare. She has an amazing Vitamin C Brightening Complex that keeps my skin clear. She also has these pads called Correcting Pads. They get rid of dark circles and scars. I also love her cleanser too. Anything that Tracy Hudson releases, I must have. For moisturizer, I fell in love with our makeup artist (from P-Valley). She has a product called Symart Butter. Those are the products I love.
What can viewers expect to see from you in the future?
I pray that you will all see me in a lot more movies. First, let’s pray that there is a season two of P-Valley. Make sure to tune in. I want to do some more acting in film – specifically action and comedy. It was fun doing all of my stunts for P-Valley, I did about 90% of my stunts so I realized that I am a daredevil. I’m interested into getting into action for sure.
For more on Brandee Evans, follow her on Facebook & Instagram.
Featured Image courtesy of Brandee Evans
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