Acting Up

Cortney Wills is joined by ‘Queen Sugar’ star Omar Dorsey to discuss how the hit OWN series handled the pandemic as well as what it took to transform into the iconic James Cleveland for his role in ‘Genius: Aretha’.

Cortney Wills reflects on the impact of Black Panther and is joined by ‘Batwoman’ star Javicia Leslie to discuss how far Hollywood has come in the world of Black superheroes as well as the effect representation in that space has on the LGBTQ+ and Black communities.

Cortney Wills sits down with Devon Franklin, Governor at large for the Academy of motion pictures arts and sciences to discuss this years Oscar noms, how the Academy Is working toward more equity for Black Hollywood and how far they have come since #oscarssowhite.

Cortney Wills sits down with Little Marvin, creator of horror anthology series THEM to take a deep dive into the controversial Amazon Prime show that highlights redlining, white terror, and Black trauma.

Cortney Wills takes a deep dive into the SEAspiracy documentary from Netflix joined by meteorologist Liana Brackett who helps break down why Black folks need to care about climate change.

Cortney Wills examines the effect Hollywood has on Black children and how stories about Black families are represented onscreen with guests Debra Martin Chase, Denene Millner, and Lexi Underwood.

April Ryan joins Cortney Wills to discuss the 2021 NAACP image awards and Aunjanue Ellis and Dr. Holly Carter weigh in on pay inequity for black women in Hollywood.

Cortney Wills offers her take on the 2021 Oscar nominations and reveals the year’s biggest snubs and surprises. She’ll invite listeners to examine what happens when Hollywood highlights musical icons like Billie Holiday and Aretha Franklin. She’ll take a deep dive into Nat Geo’s upcoming series ‘Genius: Aretha’ featuring candid conversations with Pulitzer Prize- winning writer and show runner, Suzan-Lori Parks and actor Courtney B. Vance, who portrays Aretha’s father, Reverend CL Franklin in the limited series due out March 21.

The first episode of Acting Up features an intimate conversation with Kelly Rowland, who has added executive producer to her long list of talents. The longtime friends will discuss how the superstar managed to birth a new baby, a new movie, and a new album during such a tumultuous time and fans will hear how the women in Kelly's life continue to inspire her journey.

Acting Up takes a close look at what Hollywood looks like with TheGrio’s Entertainment Director Cortney Wills. Covering music, TV and film since 2005, pop culture junkie, Cortney Wills guides listeners through a primary source experience with icons, celebrities, actors, producers, directors, and more— all people who are helping to shape how our community is represented on and off the screen. Acting up is smart, relevant and dedicated to Black Excellence in Entertainment.