Ariana DeBose is having a moment. The proud Afro-Latina and unapologetically queer actress has carved a path for herself worth paying attention to, and not just for the powerful representation she brings by always staying true to her authentic self. DeBose’s career is a testament to resilience in an industry obsessed with the next big thing. From her days as a theater actress on Broadway to gaining widespread recognition for her role as Anita in Steven Spielberg’s musical reboot of the classic “West Side Story” – which landed her an Academy Award for best supporting actress, making her the first queer woman of color to receive an Oscar in an acting category – to hosting the Tony Awards not once but three times in a row to becoming the face of Optase’s Sensitive Eye Makeup Remover, Debose has proven she is more than just a star. She’s a trailblazer redefining the industry with every role and appearance.
In her latest role in Amazon Prime’s “House of Spoils,” the 33-year-old actress plays a chef pursuing her dream of running a high-end restaurant, all while navigating the challenges that come with it. But, in true DeBose fashion, this isn’t just another burned-out-chef story – it’s a supernatural horror that delves into self-discovery, spirituality, and the power of embracing the divine feminine, with a playful touch of witchery.
Horror was a whole new world for DeBose, who hadn’t necessarily planned on tackling the genre but brought her own brilliance to it. Then again, what hasn’t DeBose managed to master? In just the past few years, we’ve seen her take on a range of roles with exceptional skill and craftsmanship. But she’ll be the first to admit that none of it has come easily – and she’s not just talking about the demands of a lead role like “House of Spoils.” In a candid interview with PS, she opens up about everything from the price of fame to spirituality and self-care to her passion for the upcoming presidential election.
PS: I love that you’re so proud of being Puerto Rican, so proud of being Black, and so proud of being queer. And I have to say that seeing you as the lead of “House of Spoils” brought me so much joy as someone who also identifies as Afro-Latina. We don’t see women who look like you often in leading roles, especially within the horror genre. And it’s ironic because Latinas represent 26 percent of horror moviegoers. We’re really big horror movie fans, and I really haven’t seen a lot of Latina actresses get those opportunities outside of Melissa Barrera, who’s recently been dipping her toe a little bit more in horror. How does it feel to have been the protagonist of a horror film when typically, we don’t see Latinas, especially Black Latinas, queer Latinas, taking on these kind of roles?
Ariana DeBose: I’ve been outspoken about the importance of representation, and I think that’s exactly what we should be doing is infiltrating. That to me is the secret sauce. We have to infiltrate the spaces that we normally are not seen or accepted in. To me that is a measure of the industry moving forward, when you do see a moment like this where you have someone like me leading a film. This was a big risk for me in a way. I signed onto this film, I think it was maybe three months after I had won an Oscar.
“I’ve been outspoken about the importance of representation, and I think that’s exactly what we should be doing is infiltrating. That to me is the secret sauce.”
PS: Wow!
DeBose: Yeah, if I’m remembering the timeline correctly, it was shortly after.
PS: That is so cool.
DeBose: It was really cool! First of all, to have these two female directors who quite frankly, they’re both Caucasian, to think outside of the box and in what is a genre movie [and] to say, “We need someone who feels like this.” And for them to come up with the answer, that is me. I thought that was really cool. And to see the film come to fruition and feel like the character that we were able to create embodied all of those things without having to necessarily hit them on the head, right? There’s something very subtle about this character and yet not subtle at all.
PS: And I love that you say that because that’s actually one of the questions that I have. But before I jump into that, I want to ask you another question about horror. Are you a horror fan yourself? Because it was really cool to see you take on this genre. I didn’t expect it.
DeBose: [Laughs] Oh, I didn’t expect it to be honest. I’m a notorious ‘fraidy cat.
PS: [Laughs] Oh my god – me too.
DeBose: I kind of grew up watching thrillers with my mom, but I don’t know that we ever really watched horror films. I think the scariest thing I ever watched in my teenage years was the “Tooth Fairy.”
PS: That’s so funny. I saw a lot of the dark movies growing up, but they used to give me really bad nightmares. I was a punk.
DeBose: Same. So, I don’t know that I can say that I was raised to be a huge horror fan. I respect the genre. And after making this movie, I have even more respect for it.
PS: I feel like your strength as an actress really came out in this film. I want to go back to identity a little bit just because there’s so many things about this character that’s ambiguous that I thought was really fascinating, starting with the fact that she’s kind of unnamed. Everybody calls her Chef the entire time. I also loved that she has short, curly hair, like natural hair because that’s another thing. How often do you get to see a Black Latina rock, short, curly hair in a film? You don’t really see it often. I love that she’s not necessarily feminine, but she’s not necessarily masculine either. Her orientation wasn’t super obvious. Was all that intentional? Was it supposed to be kind of ambiguous in that way? What were some of the motives behind that and how much of you played a role in that?
DeBose: Oh, you’re so astute. I love this. Oh my gosh, I love this as a question and a topic of conversation because, to be honest, it was a conscious choice for her to be ambiguous. Partially because I feel – personally in my research for it, I had read so many accounts of women in this particular industry not feeling seen.
The script came to me, and she was only ever identified as Chef. So that was already there from the beginning, and I just wanted to lean into that. So, I didn’t think it was necessarily the right choice to try and overly define this particular human’s identity.
I really felt that it was important to this particular character, in this story, because this is a character going on the journey of trying to learn to lean into both her masculinity and her femininity. Neither one are detriments. In fact, the combination of both forces of energy is what helps her to succeed.
PS: I love that because another thing that I found really fascinating was how you see her go from obviously reporting to other people in that fancy Manhattan restaurant earlier in the film to now she’s the boss, and you see her kind of take on some of the stereotypical toxic male leadership characteristics that chefs are kind of typically known for. But then it kind of goes against her, right? Particularly with her relationship with Barbie Ferreira’s character. But when she leans into the witchery stuff and the plant medicine and what I interpreted as a kind of divine feminine energy, that’s when she really kind of taps into her powers. So, can we talk a little bit about that too, when we’re talking about feminine and masculine with this character?
DeBose: [Laughs] Yeah, no, I am very witchy and spiritual in my own personal life.
PS: Oh, we’re going to talk about that!
DeBose: That’s part of what drew me to the project in a way. Ultimately that is where this character finds her power in – by owning her divine feminine. And I do think, going back to the initial part of your question, I find that very interesting.
It was always in the script. Her journey of taking on toxic leadership traits was always in the script. And I really give that to our directors, Danielle Krudy and Bridget Savage Cole, and some of the experiences that Chef has are pulled directly from their personal experience on the other side of the camera. They both worked in a crew and then became directors. And so, I do think some of that toxicity, it’s not individual to the culinary industry. You find toxic leadership traits in every labor force.
I think as we push for women to be in these leadership positions, I do think there are a lot of women who find that they did take on some of the things that they dislike, some of the things that were harmful to them in the workplace because that’s the only thing they’ve experienced. If you don’t know any other way, it should not be surprising that, that is perhaps your first instinct.
PS: Yeah, because that’s what you were taught and that’s what you saw.
DeBose: Exactly. It’s kind of like that quote: “First, we make thieves and then we punish them.” So, we turn women into these bosses that have toxic traits and we want them to lead, and then when they start to lead in the same fashion, we penalize them. But I do think that there’s, again, women I think are such special entities on this planet because we don’t have to choose to lead that way. And when we do embrace our softer sides, then I think that the leadership journey is that much more rewarding. Even in my own life and in my own experience, there have been moments. I am a no-nonsense kind of a person, and I’ve been known to be very blunt when I need to be.
PS: I love that.
DeBose: Sometimes that’s just what it needs to be. But over time, I have found a way to embrace my own softer edges so I can still be blunt, but I can say it in a way that allows you to instead first become defensive towards what I’m saying. That truly allows you to hear me, because that’s the thing, I think women when we stand up and we use our voices and we’re not trying to sound like anything that is not us. When we lean into our authenticity, our messages are loud. Even if we’re speaking just with a plain tone, you hear us, we don’t have to shout, we don’t have to throw things, we don’t have to do any of that. And I don’t know that men have to do it either. But I do think that the way society has unfolded, that perhaps is what they lead with at times. So, I love this new wave of divine feminine energy coming into the workforce because I think it is the thing that helps make healthier environments, a more productive, [and more] efficient environment.
PS: And it just creates a healthier work environment ultimately. And I love how now hearing a little bit about your own journey, how I saw that embodied in Chef’s evolution herself. I want to talk a little bit about witches. What are your feelings about witches? How do you embrace some of that into your own spirituality? You’re Puerto Rican. Did you grow up with brujeria?
DeBose: Honestly, what is a witch? But a woman who knows her power, someone who is just spiritually in tune. Some people call that just being intuitive, just sort of feeling things before they happen. It could be a lot of different things for a lot of different people and a lot of different cultures. I wasn’t raised by the Puerto Rican side of my family, so my entry point to witches was honestly a little more Southern if that makes sense. But I think I’ve always had a real reverence for the land, and I’ve always had a real reverence for signs and synchronicities. I was always raised to believe in energy in a way. I have family members who are incredibly religious. I am not religious, but I do believe in a higher power, and I do believe that when you are in tune and in alignment with that, there’s many things that you can feel simply by being open. And like I said, I do believe in metaphysical healing. I always have. I believe in the power of our minds and a gemstone will suck some bad energy out of a room so fast. [Laughs] It’s like the little things, I wash my hands with salt before I go into a big group of people and when I come home immediately. I have to get people’s energy off of me because not everybody’s energy belongs to me.
PS: That’s a great way of looking at it. What other practices do you do? Do you cleanse yourself with palo santo or Agua de Florida? Do you build altars? What else do you do?
DeBose: I use both actually. And I have a really beautiful incense that is essence of Florida water, and I do that about once a week. That sort of neutralizes my space, and I keep sage with me. I take it to work. I have a bundle of sage that is in my bag. For Beyoncé, it’s hot sauce. For me, it’s a bundle of sage. I also travel with amethyst. I’m an Aquarius, and I feel very connected to an amethyst stone.
“I am not religious, but I do believe in a higher power, and I do believe that when you are in tune and in alignment with that, there’s many things that you can feel simply by being open.”
PS: How has your own spiritual journey helped you tap into this role?
DeBose: Oh, I mean, honestly, there was a lot going on in my life when I first got to Budapest to make this movie. We made this movie in Hungary. There was a lot going on in my life. I was still trying to rebalance from a great many changes. And I think that’s the thing about celebrity and success. You never know how it’s going to affect you, and you have to balance it, something that it’s not a one-and-done. It’s not a pass. Go and collect $200, and you’ve achieved success. Balance is something that is ongoing, and I was really learning that lesson around that time, and I did. I set up an altar in my apartment in Budapest.
PS: Where do you feel as an actress yourself, who’s in the industry, where do you feel we’re at? Because some folks are like, we haven’t made enough progress. Some folks are like, well, we still have a long way to go, but we have made progress. Where do you feel like we’re at when it comes to representation and where do you feel we need to be in the next year or so?
DeBose: It’s so recent. If I look, there are still few notable Afro-Latinos, right? Gina Torres, myself, Coleman Domingo, to name a few. There still should be more. I think in regards to Latinidad, we’re still fighting this preconceived notion that we all are supposed to look one way. Nobody should question that someone who looks like me has Hispanic roots or someone lighter than me or someone with blue eyes or someone with your hair texture. There should be no more questions about what Latinidad has to look like.
PS: Absolutely.
“I think in regards to Latinidad, we’re still fighting this preconceived notion that we all are supposed to look one way.”
DeBose: I don’t think we have remotely gotten to this space where we have balanced, truly telling our cultural stories in an authentic way or as far as hitting that benchmark about what we would all love to see. I think there’s a half and half that would be great to get to in the next five years, and that I still think is ambitious.
PS: I was going to say, do you think that’s likely to happen?
DeBose: I don’t know the answer to that. I’m not ready to say no, not in a million years. I think it’s possible because if we give over into that way of thinking that it’s never going to happen, then it won’t. I think those of us that are in the game do need to stay in the game and we do need to try and continue to open doors in the ways that we can and the ways that we know how to and in the ways that we have yet to figure out. That’s the thing. I think the more that I have the privilege of working and yes, I work very hard. I’m a hustler and a hard worker. I still believe working is a privilege. I don’t feel we’re entitled to anything as actors. There’s a baseline of mutual respect that I think every actor deserves, but I don’t think anybody shows up to this business and should expect to immediately be heralded as the best thing in the world.
PS: To switch gears, I have seen that you’ve been vocal about that, and all the elections really are super important, but why do you feel as a Black Puerto Rican, as a woman, and as a queer person, why do you feel like this election is particularly important?
DeBose: Well, I think we’ve seen, especially in the first Trump years, we saw a hate emboldened, that we hadn’t seen in a very long time. In fact, I was reflecting on it the other day and I was like, there was a time I walked down the street holding my girlfriend’s hand at the time and was accosted and damn near assaulted in New York City.
PS: Wow – what?!
DeBose: That was not that that long ago. I was in New York City, and I was like, if this person’s rhetoric has emboldened this kind of hate in a place that at the time had worked to become such a safe haven for minorities of all persuasions, you know what I mean? Then this is not good. And that was something I had only read about in history books and then I was living it in a moment.
PS: That is so frightening.
DeBose: That is frightening, and I don’t want the generations coming up behind me to have to live through anything like that. And I’m not saying that that moment was the worst thing in the world. You know what I mean? It was definitely a wake-up call, and I don’t want to live through that again if I can help it. I am incredibly passionate about bodily autonomy, whether it be abortion care, trans rights, or access to medical care that you need. Bodily autonomy is bodily autonomy. Period. For all. End of story.
PS: It shouldn’t be debated.
DeBose: It shouldn’t be debated. You want the right to not get a vaccine or not vaccinate your children, then I get the right to abortion care if I need it. Again, I just don’t understand that. And I am passionate about human rights because everything that I am is a human right.
PS: Amen!
DeBose: I do think that we have a lot to do in this country. We have a lot to do in how we represent ourselves and around the globe, but we cannot do that if we don’t have leadership that is based in common sense. Someone who is truly representing all Americans, not just some. And I don’t think that we all as individuals have to agree with each other, but we do have to find that common ground on whoever is in the Oval Office needs to be of sound mind so that if someone is asking them to put a finger on a button, we are not actually questioning whether or not they understand what’s going on and there’s only one person on the ticket doing that and that can do that for us right now. Sorry, I get very angry.
PS: No, it’s okay – you’re preaching right here. I think it’s incredible that you’re using your platform as an artist to highlight that.
DeBose: Well, I try. I’m making the effort where I know that I can, and I think over the last four years, I have learned a lot. I do think that there are limits to the conversations that you can have on social media, and I do think that people don’t like to read. My comments have been misconstrued many a times. I think my journey with how I advocate and how I show up is definitely still ongoing because I’ve also learned the importance of balancing my own mental health too – within that.
PS: How do you do that in this industry?
DeBose: Sometimes it’s turning everything off – like social has got to go sometimes. I don’t think it’s healthy for everybody to scroll all the time. I’d rather watch reruns of “West Wing” and “Madame Secretary” than Doom scroll. Or read a book.
PS: You sound so much like someone who is very much leaned into your purpose. What do you think that is? What is that for you and what do you want people to ultimately take away from your career journey?
DeBose: That is a big question Johanna.
PS: Yeah, but I feel you can answer though. [Laughs]
DeBose: No, I can. I do feel like I am living in my purpose. But I have had moments where I have questioned whether my purpose is bringing me happiness.
PS: Nobody ever talks about that.
DeBose: I think that’s been something I’ve questioned, but I also have always sort of felt that I have more to give, and so I do lean into that. I think my purpose is healing through art. Allowing people to see themselves, hopefully in the characters that I’m playing or in the space that I’m performing in. There have been shows that were not written for me that I found my way into, and just by my presence being there changes how you look at the piece. I think that that’s important.
PS: That’s really important.
DeBose: I think that that has real merit if folks in the industry will continue to keep an open mind, and so I will try to continue to do that through many a genre because I don’t like to do the same thing over and over and I certainly don’t do one thing. There’s no challenge in doing the same thing over and over. But I will continue to try and do my best. I think when you’re living in your purpose, you’re never satisfied.
Johanna Ferreira is the content director for PS Juntos. With more than 10 years of experience, Johanna focuses on how intersectional identities are a central part of Latine culture. Previously, she spent close to three years as the deputy editor at HipLatina, and she has freelanced for numerous outlets including Refinery29, Oprah magazine, Allure, InStyle, and Well+Good. She has also moderated and spoken on numerous panels on Latine identity.
