HBW 105: April Parker-Jones, Following Your Dreams for Personal Evolution

The Happy Black Woman Podcast

On this episode of Happy Black Woman, Rosetta interviews award-winning actress April Parker-Jones. Currently starring on Tyler Perry’s television drama If Loving You is Wrong on OWN, April discusses her rise to success and the importance of having big dreams in order to personally evolve into a better version of yourself. Be sure to catch the full audio to hear this great conversation!

April’s fascinating journey into theatre

From a young age, April has always been drawn to the stage. After participating in theatre throughout elementary and secondary school, she eventually changed her major to theatre in college after the prompting of a caring professor. A move to New York was quickly followed with a cross-country journey to Los Angeles and she never lost sight of the ultimate end goal. Her willingness to evolve and grow resulted in many positions of her dreams. You don’t want to miss the rest of her compelling story on this episode of Happy Black Woman.

The importance of taking a leap of faith into the unknown

Without a willingness to adapt, April never would have attained the level of success that she now has. Her fears weren’t enough to stop her from pursuing her dreams and she exclaims that “I’m so glad I was that crazy 19-year-old.” Rosetta and April talk about the critical need to evolve out of your past self and more engaging topics on this fantastic episode of Happy Black Woman. If you need encouragement on how to pursue your own aspirations, be sure to listen to the full episode.

April’s thoughts on her life now as an actor, wife, and mother

When Rosetta asks April about her thoughts on her life today, April is adamant about the importance of taking even bigger steps towards personal evolution. She explains that acting can be a fickle career and how she is learning about financing, real estate, and more to ensure she is cultivating other ways to bring in revenue for her family. To hear more about opening up your field of exploration and to discover the importance of enjoying the present moments, be sure to give this episode your full attention.

Advice on staying true to yourself in the midst of distraction

There are countless ways industries and careers will try to hijack your path to personal growth. April simply made a decision to embrace the person that she truly is and never deviate from that path. She is dedicated to surrounding herself with people who actually matter and using those positive influences to combat any negative feedback she may receive. You can hear more about April’s key words of wisdom, what continually inspires her, and her latest projects by listening to this stellar episode of Happy Black Woman with Rosetta Thurman.

Outline of this great episode

• [0:29] Introduction of this episode’s guest, April Parker-Jones
• [3:15] April’s journey into theatre
• [7:55] Importance of taking a leap of faith into the unknown
• [9:45] Rosetta asks about April’s life now as an actor, wife, and mother
• [15:00] April offers her insights, tips, and advice for staying true to yourself
• [20:27] Growing and evolving into new life paths
• [24:06] April’s exciting new projects

Resources & Links mentioned in this episode

• Connect with April on Twitter
• Connect with April on Facebook
• If Loving You is Wrong - OWN network Tuesdays at 9/8c.
• The Last Ship on TNT - April’s new role coming soon in 2018

About APRIL PARKER-JONES

April Parker-Jones currently stars as ‘Natalie,’ a single mother and fast-food restaurant manager on Tyler Perry’s television drama If Loving You is Wrong on OWN.

A native of Durham, North Carolina, April Parker-Jones began acting at the young age of five. She knew instantly with her first performance of The Tortoise and The Hare that the stage is where she belonged.

The thrill she received from being able to lose herself in a character was a freedom that she longed to live as often as she could. Parker-Jones studied theatre at N.C. Central University before moving to New York City in pursuit of a professional acting career.

While in New York, she was cast in many productions at The Billie Holiday Theatre such as Spirit North, Fool’s Gold starring award-winning actress Yaa Asantewa and Mercedes starring Karen Pittman.

Additionally, April Parker-Jones originated the role of Christina in the Off-Broadway World Premiere of Plenty of Time at Primary Stages in New York. For her portrayal, she earned two Audelco Award Theatre nominations for Best Actress starring alongside Jay Jones, her now husband of nine years.

Plenty of Time was directed by Jackie Alexander and told the story of a teenage love affair that spanned for 35 years. Upon her arrival to Los Angeles, she was cast in stage productions of A New Beginning at Chosen Ministries written and directed by A.J. Golden and A Yankee Trader written by Kato McNickle, directed by Ian Vogt and produced by the Virtual Theatre Project and tells of a family divided during the Great Hurricane of 1938.

In 2016, April was nominated for a NAACP Theatre Award for her portrayal of Genie Ann Parker in the stage production of Love Soul Deep written and directed by Patricia Cuffie-Jones.

Her theatre work has paved her way to numerous and exciting recurring roles on ABC’s How to Get Away with Murder, Lifetime’s Devious Maids, Freeform’s The Fosters and the CBS series Jericho. Other television credits include guest star roles on CSI: Miami, ER, LOST, NCIS, Lie to Me, NCIS: Los Angeles, Prime Suspect, The Chicago Code, Scandal, and several others. Film credits include Spider-Man 3, Have a Little Faith, and Heaven.