Niki Cruz
Renée Elise Goldsberry is a Tony award-winning actress who’s appeared on Broadway in legendary shows, including Rent and Hamilton. She cut her teeth early on in the soap world on One Life to Live as Evangeline Williamson and went on to take roles in popular television shows like The Good Wife, Altered Carbon, and so much more.
For three seasons, Goldsberry has been playing arguably one of the most iconically unapologetic characters in comedy as of late in the Netflix show Girls5Eva. It’s a comedy created by Meredith Scardino about a fictional girl group of the same name. The girls shot to TRL fame in the late 90s/early 00s and had a media blitz—think guest appearances on late night shows and MTV’s Cribs—and then they faded into obscurity until decades later when they got another chance at success thanks to a rapper sampling their old song. Renée Elise Goldsberry shines with her comedic timing as she brings the fabulous Wickie to life.
At first glance, Wickie is the original diva of her Y2K pop group. She doesn’t suffer fools or mince her words and is exceptionally over the top in the best of ways. She knows how to find the best lighting in any situation, pulls the best outfits together, and commands the stage—even if the stage is an abandoned mall. She’s driven by fame and will do anything to get to the status of her early aughts heyday, but she’s also a character who has her friends’ back. In season 3, viewers saw her shed some of those layers and reveal some vulnerability.
We got to go home with Wickie, revealing that she had completely fabricated her low-income upbringing to her girl group members. It turns out Wickie grew up in the upper middle class bracket. It’s a comedic moment that’s so absurd it’s brilliant, and Renée Elise Goldsberry nails the episode. “It peels another layer of this seemingly superficial but complex character. I love that she’s been exploiting a trope that doesn’t exist in her own life, and she’s justified every lie she’s ever told, so she doesn’t feel like she’s lied,” said Goldsberry.
One of the most exciting developments in season 3 is Wickie’s love interest, the Lunch Lord (Chad Coleman). He’s a normal man who plays against Wickie’s MO of loving the finer things in life, but somehow, it works, as he’s the person who can bring her back down to earth. Goldsberry doesn’t take these delightful character discoveries for granted.
“To get a love interest or a back story, I’ve always felt like I’ve made it through a glass ceiling. I was very excited to go home and to meet all these tremendous actors who were cast to play my mother and father. I was very excited to get a love interest last season.”
Renée Elise Goldsberry spoke to Awards Radar about her career, new surprises on Girls5Eva, and the current comedy landscape.
Niki Cruz: A week ago, I watched The Hollywood Reporter’s Comedy Actress Roundtable interview, and I have to say how refreshing it was to hear women say, we don’t have to stick to comedy; we can do everything. Also, the accolades in titles don’t make a person; what they’ve survived makes them who they are. To have everyone hold space for that to be said was poignant.
Renée Elise Goldsberry: I loved it so much. I didn’t even leave right away afterward. I sat there in gratitude for the experience of doing it. Just the experience of sitting at that table with those women was a gift to me. I love that it’s a group of women who are currently known for comedy that found such poignancy in our conversation, specifically out of a need to support each other.
NC: Girls5Eva was on Netflix this season after being on Peacock. I’ve been watching and following this show each season and just love it. It’s very specific.
REG: There are so many different kinds of comedy, and what we’re doing is so signature. Ours is very specific, and it’s a very dense-joke ratio. It crosses so many lines in terms of what we’re trying to do because it’s about a girl group. We have the opportunity to explore the world we’ve created in terms of the flashbacks and where we are today. I see that in so many different shows right now, and it makes me feel a part of a renaissance.
NC: It is dense in terms of the jokes. I find myself rewinding because it’s often three jokes in one, and it’s easy to miss a joke.
REG: Yeah, and I love that. I love the abundance of it. We have so much material. It’s designed for you to watch again because if you laugh, you’ll miss two jokes.
NC: Your comedic timing as Wickie is amazing. There were so many moments that I’ve laughed out loud. When they’re all questioning Wickie about her fabricated childhood, and she has a justifiable answer for every lie, and says, “I can do this alllll day.”
REG: [Laughs] She’s so surprising. There are elements in her that we have seen before, and there are things that are just new to me. I’m here for the surprises.
NC: This season is significant for Wickie. For so long her identity was in what she was presenting to the world as a pop star and how she uses her talent like a mask. There’s a bit of a diva-edge to her. What was it like to get into who she is on the inside? Breaking new ground in season 3 seems rare.
REG: I did a soap opera many years ago, and when the producers say, “You’re getting a sister” or “We’re taking you home,” especially as a Black actress, that feels like winning something. Often, we’re on shows as supporting the characters; we’re always going to someone else’s family. No one really follows us home.
NC: When you first took on the role of Wickie, did you have an insight into who she would be? I know Meredith has said that she’s Beyonce if Beyonce hadn’t become Beyonce. [Laughs]
REG: [Laughs] Oh God, I love Meredith [Scardino]. Wickie continues to reveal herself to me. When I first started playing her Meredith had mentioned status—Wickie’s status. I do love her insistence on the highest status at all times. I think she has more of an allegiance to that than actually making it, and that’s pretty fascinating. It’s a wonderful thing to see on a Black woman character. I love that she insists on a level of status and is trying to earn it, trying.
NC: I think it’s great that someone like Wickie could be with a totally normal guy when she’s really worked so hard to keep her Hollywood status. I just love the dynamic they have because he kind of is her equal. No one cracks her like he does.
REG: Yes. The writers were so brilliant in that they created this Achilles heel in her mind with this ugly foot that she has, and I didn’t see it coming, but what I think really defines her love of the Lunch Lord is her feeling safe enough to show him her foot and his reaction to it. He sees her. He’s the voice of the people that she needs to understand because she wants their love. She really does want to be loved by the masses because she wants to be famous.
NC: When you heard you were getting a love interest did you get to have conversations with the writers about that?
REG: In this instance, there was a conversation about casting that character. We were all throwing pictures and names of people, but what was so delightful was that with Chad [Coleman] we had worked together before. So he was perfectly cast, but we also had this history from a million years ago when we worked on One Life to Live. There’s something really full circle about getting to work at this level together in a comedy that we find so smart.
NC: That has to be going back at least 20 years or so, right?
REG: Girl, at least! I haven’t done the math. I’m a proud member of the soap opera family of actors. I’ve learned so much from being in that world. It serves me. People talk a lot about how working in theater serves us in the work we get to do on film and TV, and that’s undeniable, but the work you get to do on soap operas [prepares you], especially because the speed in which you have to ingest so much material and make it work and the chemistry you have to develop with other actors. One of the most important things is your ability to engender love for an audience, even if you’re doing bad things. That’s the greatest thing you can learn as a soap opera actor.
No matter what your character is doing, you have to figure out how to do it in a way that makes sure people still root for you, even if they do not want you to get your way. Somehow, they understand your motivation, and they root for you. It serves me everywhere. It served me in Hamilton when I was scheming on my sister’s man; it serves me with some of the bad behavior I get to do as Wickie.The “why” has to be there.
NC: And those soap fans will let you know what they think of your character, even in pre-social media days.
REG: That’s what’s been amazing about all the mediums I’ve had the privilege to work in. The fans know the most, and they know best. Even before social media had the reach it has today, the fans led the way. Before social media, I did Rent, and there were the Rent Heads. Before you can say, I’ve accomplished anything, they need to believe you and accept you, and if they don’t you have to go back to the drawing board and start over. We have Hamilton die hard fans, The Good Wife die hard fans. The fans are definitely saving the day with Girls5Eva with the cheerleading they do for us.
NC: What would you like to see for Wickie next season?
REG: My dream is for more of the same. I have a dream that maybe it has something to do with getting what we thought we’ve always wanted, getting what we had before but weren’t able to hold on to, and learning how far we’ve actually come by how we handle it differently this time. Whatever we get to do, I know I’m going to be crying trying to get the lines out and loving the styling.
[This interview was edited and condensed for clarity.]
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