Meagan Good describes her WNWN photo shoot as one of her best ever, but after the cameras stopped clicking, we talked about what’s behind her glamorous image. Her aspirations to “be a part of the kind of films that shape the way a child sees the world”, her surprisingly fresh, loving and self-described “goofy” disposition, her journey to Africa to promote black beauty and be an instrument for change, her vision for a non profit to improve the self-esteem of young black women, and her unyielding faith in God prove that as good as she looks in these photos, there’s much more Good inside.
At the start of our interview, I asked Meagan how she felt in designer Andy J’s clothing. Yet first she made it a point to tell me how appreciative she was of the entire crew - The crew that helped her to pull together such a successful photo shoot despite the fact that she was exhausted, cranky, and late having just arrived in LA from New York. After complimenting everyone, she answered my question, saying that she loved Andy’s black and white dress and the bathing suit shot. Unlike some of the sassier roles she’s played on TV and in films, that’s just how Meagan is – humble and sweet. We spoke at length about her intimidating exterior and “hot girl” image, which differ from her real self. She was quick to remind me that she has “insecurities, just like anybody else”, and claimed to be the silly friend who tells bad jokes that nobody else laughs at. She told me that it wasn’t her goal in life to be famous but rather to do God’s will with the tools that he’d given her. It’s standard practice for us at WNWN to ask the simple question, “What’s next?” when it comes to life and career, but I found that there’s no simple or standard answer for Meagan Good.
Much of Meagan’s sense of purpose is rooted in her identity as a black woman. It’s serendipitous then that literally, “what’s next”, for her is a trip to Africa where she’s doing an ad campaign. This will be her first trip to Africa, and it’s obvious that visiting the place has deep personal meaning for her: “We’re all from Africa; it’s just that we don’t know what tribe we’re from”. Meagan believes that the work she’ll be doing there is positive – showing images of black beauty to the world, but she will be looking for other ways to inspire change too: “I want my eyes to really be opened to not just knowing about what’s going on there, but to really see it for myself and see how I can be instrumental and helpful.”
As beautiful as she is, Meagan understands the dangerous link between self-esteem and the media’s images of beauty, and she explained that a dream of hers is to have a non-profit that addresses some of these issues here at home too, in a society where black beauty hasn’t always been celebrated it. With concern Meagan said, “when it comes to black women, I don’t know if some of us know how beautiful we really are.”
On the career front, Meagan also has big plans. I listened while she talked extensively about taking on production roles in film. It is not just personal but comes from a desire to create more opportunities for artists: “As a black woman in the industry, the opportunity to do great films that have a lot of substance are few and far between. I want to be at the forefront of a movement of black cinema that’s not necessarily about being black but about creating opportunities for every minority. I’d like to see all of the faces of the rainbow playing leading roles.” But behind the scenes work won’t stop her from being in front of the camera. Meagan’s description of her acting goals serves as a beautiful summary of her attitude towards life: “People always ask me what type of role I want to do. I want to do everything. I want to be a superhero. I want to be a crackhead. A mother. I want to be an adult that was molested when they were a kid. I want to be a hero. I want to do everything that there is to do. But you just have to be patient and wait for God’s timing.”
By Ashley Ellis
