Dominican beauty and Harvard University graduate Tatyana Ali is featured once again in King magazine. In her featurette the 29-year-old actress-turned-singer discussed everything from her new film Hotel California (which co-stars Tyson Beckford), her sophomore album The Light (read more about that here on Real Gossip 101 by clicking here) as well as the the surrogate work she and sister Anastasia willingly participate in for Barack Obama’s presidential campaign. Don't let the Nick-at-Nite reruns fool you. Believe it or not, 'Ashley Banks' Fresh Prince of Bel Air is now a grown-ass woman. “Look, that show changed my life,” Tatyana says of her experience. “It used to freak me out watching the show, but I look at it now and say, ‘That shit was funny.’”
TATYANA ON HER ROLE IN 'HOTEL CALIFORNIA': [Laughs] "I do get jacked up. I’m known more for lighter stuff, obviously for comedy, but this is really very dramatic. And my character experiences a lot of violence and gets caught up in a situation where she has to fight for her life."
TATYANA ON HER NEW ALBUM 'THE LIGHT': "I found my voice with this album, The Light. I can never stop singing. Remember, I recorded my first album [1998’s Kiss the Sky, MJJ Music] when I was 16, and other people wrote most of the songs. I really wanted the next album that I did to express who I am. And the only way I can do that is to write it myself. So in that sense, I found my voice. I finally paired up with a producer named Johnny J, who has sold 100 million albums worldwide and is responsible for a lot of 2Pac’s music."
TATYANA ON HER WORK IN BARACK OBAMA'S PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN: "I’ve been working as a surrogate for his campaign. Surrogates can be politicians, actors, musicians or private citizens—anyone who volunteers in the campaign. Since the Iowa caucuses, I’ve been going to colleges and speaking to students, not just about Obama but about the importance of participating in the process. The notion that one vote doesn’t matter really is a lie. Just because people have done us wrong doesn’t mean we should give up. One of the reasons I did volunteer was because I was pissed at what happened in 2000 and in 2004. It made me cry. I needed to be hands-on and help, so I signed up to volunteer. You can’t let the past dictate the future. This is a fight worth fighting. I actually studied political studies and Afro-American studies in school, which was my major. I’m very interested in politics privately, but I think that each individual should be politically active. It’s really important because politics affects your everyday life; it affects how much we pay for gas. Hello? Those are the things you’re voting for in the booth, and I think people forget that. The next big fight is to get people to come out in the general election against McCain."
AFTER THE JUMP READ ABOUT TATYANA'S YEARS AT HARVARD UNIVERSITY AND IF SHE BELIEVES FOLKS WILL EVER FORGET ABOUT 'ASHLEY BANKS.'
TATYANA ON IF SHE THINKS FOLKS WILL EVER FORGET ABOUT 'ASHLEY BANKS': "Sure, maybe. It’s not my goal. But it certainly stretched me as an actor. That’s why there’s something about the art itself, and performing, that I truly love. That still drives me. I’ve been in this business for 24 years, so there are a lot of things that I know intuitively. If I’m in the position to bring up an incredible writer, director or producer, I’ll do it in some way."
TATYANA ON HER HARVARD EDUCATION (F.Y.I. SHE GRADUATED WITH HONORS): "In Harvard, everybody was extraordinary in the town that they came from. When you get there, nobody is more extraordinary than anyone else. College was my opportunity to be around my peers, which you don’t get to do when you’re a child actor. And I wanted to be normal and see what else was out there, see what else I was good at. And there are some other things that I’m good at. I’m good at the sciences, I love learning about plants. You know, I’m a dork…it’s cool. I’ve come to terms with that and I dig it a little."
TATYANA ON HER HARVARD EDUCATION (F.Y.I. SHE GRADUATED WITH HONORS): "In Harvard, everybody was extraordinary in the town that they came from. When you get there, nobody is more extraordinary than anyone else. College was my opportunity to be around my peers, which you don’t get to do when you’re a child actor. And I wanted to be normal and see what else was out there, see what else I was good at. And there are some other things that I’m good at. I’m good at the sciences, I love learning about plants. You know, I’m a dork…it’s cool. I’ve come to terms with that and I dig it a little."
