D.D. Davis, happy to have you. Finally made it happen, got you on the platform. For the people who that might not be familiar with you, let the people know who you are. Okay, okay. Well, my name is D.D. Davis. I played baby girl from The Bernie Mac Show. Um, born and raised in Chicago. I’ve done other things, but mainly like the main thing that I did was my role as baby girl. So.
And take me through that. Like, how did that come about? You getting the role in The Bernie Mac Show, you playing his niece. Well, um, me and my mom my mom put me and my sister into modeling and we used to do competitions and things like that. My sister got scouted, um, for an episode of the Power Rangers. And, um, I remember being on set and I was like, “Oh, I want to act, too.
” Apparently, I said this at the age of three. I really don’t remember. But, um, my mom decided to put me into acting, too. And I remember bits and pieces of the audition. Like, I remember I went there in like pajamas and uh, little what was it? Bunny slippers and stuff cuz we were doing the nighttime scene.
The two scenes we went over was a nighttime scene and it was the scene when we were like, the bell didn’t go ding ding when, um, he needed some tissue. So, I remember me and my mom went through that process. I remember like doing the lines and stuff like that. And, um, the day of the audition, I remember I went into a room, went over the lines like I usually did with my mom and it was a room full of like a a bunch of men.
And, um, Bernie was the only black man in that room. He had on a nice nice suit. And, um, I did I did it. I left and when we were walking to the car, I remember that he came out and had a conversation with my mom. And I think it was just more on the like basis of like “Oh, you from Chicago?” “Oh, yeah, we from Chicago.
” I think we had like family members and family members that went to the same church. And, um, that’s really what I remember from like that whole process and then I remember like I got it. And everyone was just going crazy. I remember my mom was like, “Yay, you got it.” And I’m just like, “Yeah, what I get?” Like, I really didn’t even understand the whole process other show when it first started.
Literally thought that these people were my family members. Cuz at four they’re talking about, “Oh, this is your Uncle Bernie. This is your Aunt Wanda.” And I’m like, “Okay.” So, my other these really my auntie and uncle? But, um, those are just some of the like early experiences I remember. But, um, they were at least sweet enough to like let me call them Uncle Bernie and like Aunt Wanda off set, too.
Just because I think it would have kind of taken me out of character if they were like, “No, you got to call me just Bernie.” or anything like that, but they were nice enough to let me actually call them Uncle Bernie and Aunt Wanda. How often did y’all shoot? Would y’all shoot weekly, bi-weekly? How did that go? It was like a Monday through Friday, off on the weekends.
I kind of felt like the hours you would go to school was like the hours I would be working. So, wake up in the morning, go to set Monday through Friday, have the weekends off. We would have like summer summer vacation, per se. We would go on a hiatus. And, um, yeah, it was just like a normal like school day.
Well, that was like my school day, honestly. Wake up, go to set, get ready, do my lines, if I’m not in the scene, go upstairs to my dressing room or go to school for a couple hours and it was regular 9:00 to 5:00. A 9:00 to 5:00 at 4:00 is a crazy, by the way, but, you know. How was that like for you working with Bernie Mac? I heard you call him like a second dad to you.
He taught you how to tie your shoes, ride a bike. How was that being on set with him? I think that, um, Bernie made a very warm atmosphere on set. Like, it was very family oriented. Like, he didn’t necessarily teach me how to ride a bike, but they made an episode where I had to learn how to ride a bike. So, guess I got to learn.
And also another episode where I learned how to tie my shoes. I actually had to learn to tie my shoes. But, no, um, he he was really like a father figure mainly because it taped in L.A. So, me and my sister and my mother lived in L.A. and my dad stayed in Chicago. So, we would just go back and forth all the time.
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So, I really didn’t feel like I had that male presence always around just because my dad was in another city. And so, he was that presence for me. Like, really was like an uncle or like, you know, give me advice on certain things. Like, there’s only so much advice you can give a a little kid, but just him teaching me how to like snap my fingers in between scenes is just like one big takeaway I have for him or just the energy he would bring to set and make the comfortability like people had with him, the way he made I worked on another set. Nothing competes to the
way he made everyone feel on set. Other sets, like the atmosphere of it, it really felt like a family. I heard, I don’t know if it’s true or not, but I heard that they put you on a meal plan. Not a meal plan. They >> [laughter] >> They didn’t put me on a meal plan, but they they was definitely like, “All right, now.
You you better calm down on that commissary.” Um, apparently I was getting too chunky. And, um, you know, I was a kid. Like, my mom used to call it baby fat. Like, but it was an issue for the network. Like, me going up in sizes or we’re about to start a new season and they pretty much have like all the type of clothes and sizes that I should be wearing and then we’re doing the fitting for the season and it’s just like, “Oh, you’re Oh, you went up.
Oh, you’re this size. Oh, you’re that size.” So, and um, I remember my mom tried to handle it the best way she could as far as like, “All right, like you got to hone in on that snacking or, you know, this ain’t just eat whatever you want.” So, my mom definitely tried to get me to eat healthier, but that was an issue. That was an issue.
That, you know, that really creates insecurities in a child at that to kind of like be told that you have to watch what you eat because the network’s not happy with your weight, you know? In so many words, but yeah, kind of kind of started some problems and some insecurities, but it’s okay now. We’ve gotten through it.
I go to the gym now, so. So, that led to your insecurities, them complaining about your weight. Oh, yeah. Oh, what? Yeah. I I got I’m big on insecurities. Got a bunch of them. But, my biggest insecurity has always been my weight. Um, I just felt uncomfortable and mind you, like my sister was always a very thin shape. So, it was just like, “Damn.
” And I was always chubby or I’ve always been like, uh, No, I’ve always been like a chubbier kid or or things like that. So, I think that was one thing and then my mom trying to handle it and letting me know like you need to start watching what you eat. I think that was a thing as well. Like, I just had insecurities or like people would make look kids are mean.
They make fun of me. Like, I remember, uh, a kid was like, “Oh, I didn’t know D.D. was pregnant in the front and the back.” And I was like, “Sheesh, we’re Mind you, we’re like we’re eight. >> [laughter] >> We’re eight. I’m a sensitive child, too. So, um, a lot of that stuff I brought up with me.
Um, I kind of feel like growing up in L.A. it it’s different. Like, L.A. I feel like people looked at me like I’m overweight, I’m obese, things like that. I come to Chicago, I learned that I’m not a fat. I’m just thick. And I was like, “That’s crazy.” You know? But, it’s not as bad as it was. Like, looking back on it, I can make light of it just because like I know where I am now and I don’t really hold that baggage anymore.
That’s terrible, man, for them to bring that up to your parents. Yeah, it’s not like the the network came to me and had a meeting like, “Hey, bro. You need to put down them snacks.” It was just more of like, “Hey, let’s reel it in.” Um, is the way my mom presented to me. Honestly, don’t even know how it was presented to my mom.
I just know how my mom was like, “Yeah, we’re going to have to like cut some of that out.” But, that is horrible for a 6-year-old kid have to be worrying about what they look like or their body weight and stuff like that is completely unnecessary. I think that also there’s such a stigma when it came came to acting.
You have to look a certain way, you know, like I never felt like I was the black girl that they wanted. It would be like other auditions and I would go out for other things and I just never felt like they wanted my type of little black girl. Like, me and my sister would make it a point that we would not go out on auditions that would be like all ethnicity cuz they would never pick us.
We would just get looked over and it would just end up being a waste of time to the point like and also you have to understand like as a kid hearing those repetitive no’s, it’s it’s it’s hard or going for an audition and, um, not getting a callback or like going to another audition the next week and seeing that they’re doing callbacks for the audition you went on last week and you’re just kind of like, “Dang.
So, they didn’t like me.” Or like it it it makes you internalize a couple of things. But, um, I just never felt like they liked me, you know? They always picked And, I mean, no offense to the networks, but if you look back on it, like they always picked black girls that looked mixed or, you know, they have the natural like really nice curly hair, the fair skin.
I mean, I’m caramel, they was you know, they was picking other people. They wasn’t picking looking for me. I think once the Bernie Mac Show was over, I was just tired. Like I get I get these no’s. Mind you, the network I was working with didn’t really like my weight and it was just kind of like I wanted a break.
I just kind of wanted to break from the whole um acting life in general. Um Yeah, like I said, all those repetitive no’s just kind of gets under your skin and just kind of like well, why didn’t they like me? What could I’ve done differently? Or or things like that? Or there was some auditions that I didn’t get and I seen like the girl that they end up choosing and I was just like, okay, well, then it then it becomes like I’m comparing myself to like what did she bring to the table? Maybe they didn’t like the way I said this or maybe
they don’t like the way I look. Maybe you know, it just I think and mind you, I’m like 10 at this point. So, I shouldn’t be thinking like that at 10 years old or like what’s wrong with me? Why did they pick her over me? And like then I also feel like that creates like jealously and hatred to towards other people cuz now like now I’m mad because you took my role and now I don’t like you.
So, I I just think that was too much for a kid, honestly, to be going through all that.
