2022 WOMAN OF THE YEAR: THE ICON HEROINE: MS. MEAGAN GOOD

COVER CONVERSATION WITH: COREY GUEVARRA, EDITOR IN CHIEF

PHOTOGRAPHER: IRMA LOMIDAZE

HAIR: JASMINE ASHLEY

MAKEUP: JORGE MONROY

STYLING: BROOKELYN STYLES

MEAGAN MONIQUE GOOD IS AN ICON!

There, I said it! For the better part of 30+ years, she’s unapologetically loaned us her light, inspiring an ocean of black & brown girls to dream extra big & color outside of every barriered line! She’s the epitome of poise, grace & heroism, balancing faithfulness & freedom, pairing elegance & edge in a way that honestly, only she can. Acting since age 4, she’s quite literally spent her entire life cultivating & curating in front of the camera. She’s been an activist, a superhero, detective & even a news station manager, all flawlessly delivering believability, authenticity & a quiet confidence only complimented by her undeniably stunning beauty. At this point in the story whether she is comfortable acknowledging it or not, for many intents & purposes -not limited to the literal HUNDREDS of film/tv credits she holds, as stated, Meagan Good, is in fact an icon. Though it’s no secret that she’s publicly (& privately) had one of the most evolutionarily years of her life, quietly it would appear that she’s also had the most triumphant!

As I prepared for her interview, I can admit that for the first time in almost 16 years of journalism that I was equal parts [unusually] nervous yet excited. In a time when we’ve forgotten that the headline is in fact a real experience of another soul’s life, I wanted nothing more than to approach our chat with the sensitivity & grace, I too would appreciate if my life were to play out in the public gaze. In fact I made it a point to not at all draft any questions directly mentioning the one very personal experience from her year that everyone else was discussing. You see, 26 isn’t your usual click bait publication, our covers are celebrations, our stories are selected, pointed, specific & exclusively INclusive. I think as a society we’d always do well to remember that this is someone’s daughter, someone’s sister, someone’s self, navigating the life journey in the same way we all are -albeit echoed into 8 billion variations. At the core, we’re all waking, journeying, sleeping, loving, living, laughing (sometimes crying) but continuing with each new gifted day. It’s wildly important to remind the people who light up our world of how they’ve always been great & will always be great by that proxy. How we SEE them & unopinionatedly celebrate them with love, dipped in thoughtful space.

The day that our interview arrived however, I learned that my imagined caution was immediately invalid! Instead, I was greeted by one of the kindest, sweetest, MOST transparent & engagingly impeccable conversationalists I’d encountered in many moons. We chatted for the better part of over an hour, dancing in celebratory conversation of her past, present & future. As we exchanged introductory greetings something happened. In response to her “how are you?” I accidentally replied in kind with an answer & question I generally only use in my personal interaction with friends & family. “I’m great, how’s your heart?” [super #facepalm] ….As I heard the words escape my lips a preliminary panic set in as the greeting is usually just my soul connection version of how are you. But I was instantly aware of it’s prying possibilities in this particular contextual moment. Her answer however, would begin our conversation of unexpected transparency, in the name of celebration!

“My heart today is… Good? …Good!” she began. “You know, idk this past year has been a really interesting journey. It’s been rough but it’s also been really really beautiful & I’ve learned a lot, grown a lot & I’ve randomly accomplished a lot -which has been amazing. I’ve had a lot of time to myself to just pray & meditate & reflect & just decide what this next act of my life is going to be & there’s something kind of exciting about that. It’s like alright Lord, you know I’m 41, I’ve lived a lot, I’ve done a lot, seen a lot of places

–We done had some experiences now, so what’s next”? In the beginning of [this transition] I said that I felt like it was a new chapter & one day someone said to me, ‘no I think this is a new act’! So yeah, we’re leaning into the new act. It’s been challenging & painful at times, but also really really wonderful & beautiful & empowering & illuminating & undeniably exciting”!

WHOA. I WAS STUNNED TO SAY THE LEAST. LIKE MOST HEROES, MOST PROTAGONISTS, MOST OF THE STRONGEST PEOPLE, MEAGAN GOOD, HAD NO PROBLEM GIVING HERSELF THE GRACE TO BE VULNERABLE. NOW, I WAS WILDLY READY TO START HER STORY FROM THE BEGINNING. I COULDN’T WAIT TO DISCOVER HOW THE CALIFORNIA BORN SUPERSTAR (WITH HINTS OF BAJAN & JEWISH ANCESTRY?) STARTED THIS MOST MONUMENTAL LIFE JOURNEY.

CAN WE START FROM THE BEGINNING? WHAT WAS BABY MEAGAN LIKE?

Oh man, she was imaginative. –I’d be acting out scenes in the mirror & throwing myself down the staircase pretending I was being chased by Michael Myers. I’d run up into the woods & reenact scary movies; we lived in the mountains so we had everything, ALL the [creepy crawly] wildlife up there. Baby Meagan was a lot like myself today, quite stubborn at times, I still hate the word ‘no’, I only like ‘how’ &/or ‘How do we figure it out’? -I still believe that any & everything is possible & I feel like that’s how people change history; via their nerve to THINK that they can! I’ve also always been sort of overly confident, I have no idea why. I’ve just always been very sure about “me”. I’ve always had a lot of self-love, but I’ve also [at times] felt inadequate? We grew up in a very racist neighborhood, I’d been called the N word more times that I could count as a kid, but that contrasting idea of inadequacy was never because of how I felt about myself! -It was more about how I maybe felt others perceived me? I was always extremely, extremely sensitive to other people, had a lot of empathy, a lot of sympathy. I was also very giving as a child, to the point where my mom had to tell me to stop giving all of my toys away! -& you know, I was also a little bad too, didn’t follow rules well honestly, I wanted to do things my way & didn’t understand why I was being taught to do things in one, specific, predetermined procedure. For example, I hated math, I would do the work, but I never followed the formats the teachers would give. For whatever reason, my brain just wanted to do it another way. I would get the answers right, but of course my exploration was seen as deviance. Still, baby Meagan was extremely caring, extremely loving oh, & a little OCD. She always knew she was going to live authentically in every season & that no one was going to stop her from doing that. -Except for God… but unless HE says no, the answer is yes!

YOU STARTED ACTING @ AGE 4 CORRECT?

Yes I started doing extra & background work & that eventually became being a character in a scene & having 1 line. 1 line became 3, 3 lines became 8, 8 lines became 4 or 5 scenes & so on. So you know, when Drake said ‘started from the bottom’? We REALLY started from the BOTTOM! LOL

BUT NOW YOU’RE HERE!

Thankfully yes & we’ve got so much more left to go!

WE’VE LITERALLY GROWN UP TOGETHER WITH YOU; EVE’S BAYOU, COUSIN SKEETER, DELIVER US FROM EVA & WE CAN GO ON & ON…..HOW DID ACTING SHOW UP FOR YOU? DID ACTING FIND YOU? OR DID YOU FIND ACTING?

When I was 4 my mom’s best friend’s daughter started acting. They’re basically family so it was more like aunt Debra & cousin Kiana who was 5 at the time. -& you know, parents exchanging notes about activities for their children, my mom was like ‘oh I should see if the girls would enjoy acting too’. My sister & I were 4 & 6 & my mom made arrangements to have us meet with Kiana’s manager. At first they didn’t even want me, they only wanted La’Myia but I really wanted to do it, so eventually my mom convinced them to tape me as well. By the time that I was 10, I was certain that I REALLY wanted to do this! By the time I was 12 I knew that this was going to be my career path. At 13 the first speaking role that I got in a movie was ‘Friday’ & after that I was determined to do something dramatic to show my range as an actress & the next thing I booked was Eve’s Bayou at 14. Cousin Skeeter came after that, I shot that pilot at 15, it got picked up when I was 16 & I did that for another 3 years, that was basically my beginning.

HOW DID YOU KNOW (EVEN AT THE YOUNG AGE YOU STARTED) THAT THIS WAS YOUR PURPOSE?

Well I didn’t know that this was a part of my purpose until I was about 19. But I knew at like 10 growing up in our neighborhood, that I didn’t fully fit in anywhere. The racism was blatant, I’d have girls picking through my hair & asking why it was this texture & when I would wear braids they’d ask if it was washable & all those types of micro-macro aggressions. The silver lining that I found in those experiences was that it taught me to become a chameleon. But I also realized okay, I’m not gonna make the cheerleading squad, I’m not gonna make the track team, I’m not gonna make the dance team. Acting however felt like a safe space for me, It was where I could express myself & not have to focus on the neighborhood, or the treatment I might be encountering at certain times. I was comfortable with it & didn’t feel embarrassed trying to new things in it. I started taking acting classes with Carnetta Jones my God-Mother who became my acting coach from about 11-26 years old. Then around 19, was when I was going through that really awkward stage of looking 14 but legally being an adult. I couldn’t necessarily get the kid roles, but I definitely couldn’t get the grown up roles either. I was seeing my peers starting to blossom & get more work, but I was struggling & it was like ‘what is going on’?! -THAT was the first time I realized that I HADN’T asked God! –I never directly asked if this what I should be doing with my life! -I remember I sat down & said ‘Alright Lord, I want what you want for me, more than what I THINK I want for myself’. ‘I trust you more than I trust me & I need you to tell me if this is what you have for me. I’m laying it all on the alter & if you take it & tell me to do something else, I’ll do it.’ ‘But if you tell me this IS in fact IT, then it’s game time & I’m sincerely expecting you to deliver’ …After that I got confirmation in my Spirit that I was indeed on the right path, but the MAIN thing I heard was: ‘this is not about you’! …I remembered thinking ‘oh that’s interesting’…I didn’t understand what He meant, but I just kept hearing ‘this is not about you’. As I went along in my career, in the industry, I was thankful for that [word] because I was able to keep a certain amount of balance & humility & it definitely gave me perspective as I journeyed. Especially during the times in the ebb & flow in my career when I’d have a movie out & all the doors were open, but then the next year when there’s no movie & those same gatekeepers acted like they didn’t even know me. That word helped me keep my perspective to never take any of the experiences personally & to trust that there had to be more, something divine even behind those moments. What I also discovered was that having this career allowed me a platform to hopefully help other people. My personal good & [perceived] bad experiences, were both vehicles that could pour into someone else’s life. Even if it’s just showing them that they’re not alone in the things that they’re experiencing. I began to understand that the responsibility of the platform was a part of my purpose!

WHAT DO YOU THINK IS THE MOST IMPORTANT LESSON THAT HOLLYWOOD HAS TAUGHT YOU? ESPECIALLY AS A WOMAN & AS A BLACK WOMAN IN THIS INDUSTRY? -& WHAT DO YOU THINK IS THE SECRET TO LONGEVITY?

One thing that I think God has taught me, that Hollywood has reiterated is to ‘take the chip off your shoulder’. Yes you’re a woman it’s hard, yes you’re a black woman it’s hard, yes you’re an actress especially when you try to expand, it’s hard. But, everybody has something hard for some reason & I may look at other actresses who are not of color, getting more opportunities, some who started after me, appearing to surpass me, but I also have no idea the issues & traumas & whatev