During the 2022 ESSENCE Festival of Culture on the stage of our inaugural In His Zone Men’s Experience, television and radio personality Big Tigger and actors Lamman Rucker, Kofi Siriboe, and Michael Ealy sat down to discuss the state of Hollywood and what keeps them energized and excited to keep going in a world that often tries to keep them in a narrowly-defined box.

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Check out the ways these men are keeping joy and excitement at the center of their lives.

Kofi Siriboe
“The possibilities are what keep this ‘Queen Sugar’ star excited, specifically branching out on his own. “To keep it simple, I really want to see what this independent thing is about,” he said. “You could play the game and go the easy route but, then it’s like, how do you develop your own system outside of the system?”

Michael Ealy
“My son’s first superhero was Black Panther. I didn’t have that growing up. So what’s exciting to me is that if we’re gonna look up to superheroes, at least let them be Black or people of color,” he said. “And at the same time, let’s start redefining what a superhero looks like because there’s superheroes at home every day, so I’m excited about the future of where we’re going.”

Lamman Rucker
“Right here,” he said, gesturing to the attentive audience. “Us. Ya’ll. My people. Listen, I didn’t ask to be Black; I just got lucky. So this is what it’s all about. This is why ESSENCE is such an incredible tradition for us. This s a family reunion. It’s all of that. It’s a celebration and an acknowledgment of us. I love the fact that it is a celebration of culture, because it’s really all about the different layers that make up who and what we are. So this is what excites me. Being able to do this with you, for you, and the best is yet to come.”

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