Stacy Osei-Kuffour [Interview]

Hello Folks! Every now and again, a new series will come out that is absolutely mind-blowing to me for several different reasons. Right about now, it’s the Hulu Original Series PEN15 that is currently completing the blowing of the mind. I haven’t burned through a series so damn quickly in such a short amount of time. There is simply so much to love. With that being said, there was one particular episode of PEN15 which took the proverbial cake for me. In fact, it was actually one moment of one particular episode. And it was a moment that featured, and would later learn was written by, the very funny and extremely talented performer Stacey Osei-Kuffour. I know there is a lot of TV out there to watch these days, and it’s barely been a few months since it aired, so I won’t spoil Stacey’s incredible performance, but suffice to say it may be one of the funniest moments involving Harriet Tubman I have ever witnessed.

And wouldn’t you know it, when I decided that I would love to know more about Stacey Osei-Kuffour, and was fortunate enough to steal some time from this brilliant performer, Stacey turned out to be a very cool person and has so much other damn fine work that you should all know and love. Whether on the stage, small screen, or film, Osei-Kuffour is absolutely crushing it both in front of audiences and behind the scenes as a playwright, screenwriter, and more. And please pay attention to a little brilliant something called Cocktails and Conversations via Instagram, which will be brought up in the conversation below. I took a moment to indulge in this brilliance, and I simply cannot recommend it enough. Especially the episode about Us, which left me only even more intrigued to see the Jordan Peele film.

So Folks, you are in for a real damn treat today! Please enjoy some words from the absolutely brilliant Stacey Osei-Kuffour!

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What inspired you to get into the world of performance? Was it something you have always wanted to do? Or did you just sort of find yourself in this world one day?

Ever since I was a kid I wanted to perform and be a part of the arts. I was actually struggling in school until my parents put me in an acting class. Everyone says this, I know but it was true for me. I took an acting class and a dance class at ETA in Chicago and it changed my life. I never looked back.

What was your very first paid gig as a performer? And were there any sort of lessons learned from this project that have stuck with you I your work to this day?

My first paid gig as a performer was a understudy acting job I had at the Pearl Theatre in New York. This was a few days after I had graduated from NYU and Austin Pendleton was directing. It was a surreal moment because the actress I was understudying got so nervous on opening night that she couldn’t go on and I had to do it. The main thing I learned from that job was practice makes it possible. I had been practicing the character over and over privately but thinking I would never go on. So when I actually had to go on, I was so grateful that I had done all that hard work. Ever since I’ve tried to do as much work on a character I’m playing as possible because you never know what’s going to happen!

You made an incredible appearance in the Hulu Original Series PEN15, that had me literally LOLing all over the place. It was actually the reason I reached out to you! So with that in mind, how was your experience working on this show and in the role you had? Was it as fun of a world to play around in as it has been for viewers like me to watch?

PEN15 is an incredible show! I was lucky enough to take part. I went to NYU with both Maya and Anna and co-wrote the episode with them. I came up with the character I played on PEN15 but it was originally supposed to be a man. Anna and Maya decided I should play it instead. It was so much fun and when I filmed my scene I was so impressed with all the kids who were improving and outacting me! I even broke character multiple times because everyone on set was so funny. Amazing experience. I hope I have the opportunity to take part again.

I am very intrigued by what I found whilst doing some research on your career, which would be a play you wrote entitled Hang Man. I obviously have not been fortunate enough to check it out, but would you mind telling our readers a bit about this play?

It’s a play I wrote loosely based on a real life story of a black man that was found dead in the woods hanging from a tree in Mississippi. In my play, a white woman finds his dead body and becomes obsessed with it. This of course forces the people around her to come to terms with this obsession but also the history of what we’ve done to black bodies in America.

If you were handed the opportunity to portray any famous figure in American history, who would you want to portray?

Nina Simone. Period.

What does the future hold for you? Anything you would like to plug to our readers?

I am doing an Instagram show, Cocktails and Conversations, with my very good friend of mine Corey Clifford. We review TV shows, movies, and discuss current events all while drunk! So as you know, we aren’t able to hold back.  You can find us @stacyamma, @coreyclifford, and @cocktailsnconversations

What was the last thing that made you smile?

I was watching Escape to Dannemora and Benicio Del Toro’s performance towards the end is the most genius, hilarious thing I’ve ever seen. You won’t know what I’m saying until you watch it. He’s a genius.