Brown Sista Online Magazine

The Cycle is a 7 question interview with a Beautiful Brown Sista in the Entertainment industry. Today’s Cycle will be with Erica Hubbard from the hit ABC Family series Lincoln Heights.

By: LJ Knight

1. LJ Knight: How did you get involved in acting and at what point did you decide to make it your career?

Erica Hubbard: I started acting in Chicago. I’m from Chicago. I started acting when I was about 8 or 9. I did some voice overs in Chicago. My Dad was told that if you wanted to take this serious you need to go to L.A. He said no she needs to go to college first. I went to Columbia college in Chicago and then I started taking it serious. At Columbia you can major in Theater. I minored in Theater. At that point I had been in “Save The Last Dance”, “Akeelah And The Bee”, then I moved out here.

2. LJ Knight: What is it about acting that made you gravitate towards it?

Erica Hubbard: You get to breathe and live a character and bring life to someone to point that people believe its you. I love playing a role so well that people believe that it you. I have people in my family calling me “Cassie”. They will slip up and say “Cassie, I mean Erica”. (laughs)

3. LJ Knight: Tell me about your role on Lincoln Heights. Describe Cassie.

Erica Hubbard: Cassie is an artist. She is a lover. She is madly in love with Charles. She turned 18 so she is going to college. They are trying to see what they are going to do with their love since she is going to college. She is looking at colleges at New York and L.A. She is facing the challenges of a lot of teenagers. She had a pregnancy scare, she is sexually active, she is growing.

4. LJ Knight: Of all your roles, which one do you feel the most connected to?

Erica Hubbard: LJ! You want me to pick? (laughs) I like portraying Cassie, but the role I also enjoyed was Keanu on “Akeelah And The Bee”. I could relate to her character alot, being that I was raised in that environment. I grew up in Chicago on the south side so…

5. LJ Knight: Other Black actresses say they have experienced type casting and the lack of quality roles for African American women. Have you encountered that yet?

Erica Hubbard: It is hard pursuing the entertainment industry. I think that what we have to do is when we go out for these roles we have to knock it out the box so that they forget and do not focus on race. I have done that. When I did the “Cinderella Story” with Hillary Duff, they were looking for a Caucasian girl. They liked what I brought to the role so well, that they hired me. You have to go into the room and change their minds.

6. LJ Knight: What upcoming projects do you have?

Erica Hubbard: I have one project in development with Tatyanna Ali. It is called “The Misguided Adventures Of Dating In Hollywood”. I also have “School Of Hard Knocks”. My role in School Of Hard Knocks is much different from Cassie. She is in college, her name is Trina, she is a around the way girl. She is not from the suburbs. She is more street smart.

7. LJ Knight: How different is your life now versus ten years ago?

Erica Hubbard: Ten years ago, I was on unemployment. (laughs) People don’t understand I was living off block cheese and powdered milk. Now, I can go get soy milk. (laughs) It is a blessing. What I had in me to keep going is that I did not want to go back to the way I was living. I was living with an addict. So, when I came out here, I knew I did not want to go back. I did what I had to do. I did background work on “Velicity” and “Spin City”. I worked as what they call an “extra” but I prefer to call it a background artist. Extra’s can be so degraded sometimes. I got called that so many times and I knew that I only wanted to be a series regular. It is like if I meet someone and they say they are a Janitor then they are a Custodian to me.

Lincoln Heights airs on Mondays on ABC Family

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