Gabourey Sidibe burst onto the scene back in 2009 with her outstanding performance in Precious, a role that saw her pick up a Best Actress Academy Award nomination.
But she has switched the big screen for TV as she stars alongside Laura Linney and Oliver Platt in new comedy The Big C.
I caught up with her to talk about the series, the issues that it tackles as well as being an Oscar nominated actress.
- The Big C is coming to DVD here in the UK so for anyone who didn't catch it when it was on TV can you tell me a little bit about the show?
It's about a woman (Cathy), who is played by Laura Linney, who finds out that she has melanoma cancer - she has spent the best part of her life looking after other people and now that she can see the end of that life she chooses to take care of herself.
It really is about her journey towards what could be the end of her life.
- You take on the role of Andrea in the series so can you tell me a little bit more about your character?
Andrea is a student in Cathy's class and she is loud and very very colourful - she probably lives her life exactly the way she wants it to be and she doesn't necessarily cares what other people think or suffer fools.
I think that Cathy admits her spirit in a lot of ways while Andrea thinks that Cathy has such an easy life - of course she has no idea that she is struggling with cancer - they envy each other in a lot of ways.
- What was it that drew you to The Big C - it tackles female issues as well as battling with cancer.
It is a comedy and while we do talk about cancer we kind of bring some light into it - our writers are extremely smart and are able to take care of such a daunting subject with such sensitivity; they don't make seem like such a horrible thing.
And really that was what attracted me to the role and to the show - how light and funny it is, it really is a lot of fun to play this character and play with these other characters.
- As you say you take on the role of Andrea in the series so what was it about this character and the script that drew you to the project?
I just liked her! She is a little sassy, she makes fun of people and says what she wants - I could see myself in her when I was around sixteen/seventeen (laughs). She's a much dumber and yet smarter version of myself - and that is really what attracted me to her.
- There is obviously a very unusual and dynamic relationship between Cathy and Andrea so how would you describe their relationship? And what is it that they see in each other and gain from their relationship?
I think that Cathy sees a freedom in Andrea, in the way that she dresses and the way that she speaks, and maybe a fearlessness that she sees in Andrea that she has never had herself.
But also she sees that Andrea isn't necessarily healthy and she wants her to live longer and value her life - more because Cathy is looking at the end of her life.
Andrea sees Cathy as maybe a mentor, I don't think anyone has ever taken as much interest in her as Cathy has, and so she is interested to see where that will lead to.
- How much did you relate to the character of Andrea?
Quite a bit - she is quite a sassy mouth and I was the same when I was around her age; I wasn't very likeable and I would say a lot of things that I shouldn't say.
And while I would feel bad about that Andrea doesn't seem to feel bad about it which I think helps her get away with it - I think I would have got away with a lot easier if I didn't care as much (laughs).
- On that same note how does Andrea's experience of high school compare to your own experience? And does her positivity relate to when you were at high school?
For some reason she seems to be super popular and that is completely in my high school experience - my high school was really big and nobody was the most popular kid because there were way too may kids.
I don't know if she is super positive I think that she is just without negativity - I don't think that that necessarily means you are positive. I was super negative in high school so I think that she definitely has more fun in high school that I did.
- How did you find working alongside Laura Linney?
I love Laura Linney! First of all she is the most normal and sweetest person that I have ever met but she is insanely talented - I have never been able to go to acting class - so I would look at scenes with her as being the best acting school ever.
She is so very talented and I watched her like a hawk in every scene, I really loved being in scenes with her, because I would get so much information from her - I can't really pinpoint what I'm learning but I am learning a lot.
- You are playing someone who is a decade younger than yourself in the show so did that pose any challenges?
Not really (laughs) I have always been really immature - my best friend on set is Gabriel Basso, who plays Adam, he is sixteen and we hang out constantly. So being crazily immature means it's not hard for me to be a teenager because I remember those days very very clearly.
- Do you think that The Big C is for a female audience or do you think that men can relate as well?
I think a lot of men are able to relate to this story and I that is because it is about life and about time - and that is something that we can all relate to, we can all relate to running out of time whether that be in a day, a month, an hour, or our life.
- The Big C is a comedy project and is very different from the hard hitting Precious so how purposefully were you looking for a different genre and a different type of role.
I wasn't really looking for a completely different role of anything like that. The Precious story is like one in a million so I wasn't looking for a different type of role I was just looking for a role in the next step of my career.
And while the role of Andrea is different one is not more difficult to play that the other... thankfully.
- How have viewers related and responded to the issues that are raised in the show - have you had lots of feedback?
Yeah I have. I hear a lot of feedback from people who have battled cancer themselves and say that there reactions to it were some of the same ways as Cathy has reacted to it.
I have also heard from people who have had family members or friends pass from cancer who can relate - I actually know a gentleman who is fighting cancer at the moment and he loves the series he thinks it's hilarious; he watches while he is having his chemo treatment.
- Are you someone who lives for today or plans from the future?
I don't really plan for the future, I really don't. If you were to ask me where I wanted to be in five years I have no idea because if you'd have asked me five years ago what I would be doing now then I would have been completely wrong.
So I kind of like to float through life, not like I'm blind or anything, I like to make sound decisions but I don't really plan anything - I plan trips and that's it. I feel that you can't really plan life as it just moves on its own - you just have to surrender to it.
- What have you learnt from being on the show - what has it taught you?
It has taught me that we are all running out of time (laughs) - when we all started the show the company gave us a gift of little clocks - the entire show is about time; how much she has left and how much she is losing.
It really made me appreciate my life more and my family, my friends and all the good things in my life because I am running out of time to experience them.
- Ten years ago The Big C is perhaps a show that would have been impossible to make because of the subject that it covers so easier is it becoming for TV to tackle more challenging issues?
In a lot of ways I think that TV is competing with cinema, shows are getting so much better know and we are now able to talk about more topics.
For me I don't know what the real difference is - why you talk about a subject in a movie but not every week on TV - but I am glad that TV has taken a leap.
I think that Showtime has been very brave with the shows that it has had on and we talk about a lot of subjects that aren't necessarily spoken about - which is a good thing.
- You burst onto the scene with Precious so how does it feel to know that you will always be seen as an Academy Award nominated actress?
Pretty damn good! That feels kind of awesome, because of Precious I will be seen as a few other things for the rest of my life; some good, some bad. But to be seen as an Academy Award nominated actress is definitely a badge of honour.
The Big C is out on DVD now
FemaleFirst Helen Earnshaw
Gabourey Sidibe burst onto the scene back in 2009 with her outstanding performance in Precious, a role that saw her pick up a Best Actress Academy Award nomination.
But she has switched the big screen for TV as she stars alongside Laura Linney and Oliver Platt in new comedy The Big C.
I caught up with her to talk about the series, the issues that it tackles as well as being an Oscar nominated actress.
- The Big C is coming to DVD here in the UK so for anyone who didn't catch it when it was on TV can you tell me a little bit about the show?
It's about a woman (Cathy), who is played by Laura Linney, who finds out that she has melanoma cancer - she has spent the best part of her life looking after other people and now that she can see the end of that life she chooses to take care of herself.
It really is about her journey towards what could be the end of her life.
- You take on the role of Andrea in the series so can you tell me a little bit more about your character?
Andrea is a student in Cathy's class and she is loud and very very colourful - she probably lives her life exactly the way she wants it to be and she doesn't necessarily cares what other people think or suffer fools.
I think that Cathy admits her spirit in a lot of ways while Andrea thinks that Cathy has such an easy life - of course she has no idea that she is struggling with cancer - they envy each other in a lot of ways.
- What was it that drew you to The Big C - it tackles female issues as well as battling with cancer.
It is a comedy and while we do talk about cancer we kind of bring some light into it - our writers are extremely smart and are able to take care of such a daunting subject with such sensitivity; they don't make seem like such a horrible thing.
And really that was what attracted me to the role and to the show - how light and funny it is, it really is a lot of fun to play this character and play with these other characters.
- As you say you take on the role of Andrea in the series so what was it about this character and the script that drew you to the project?
I just liked her! She is a little sassy, she makes fun of people and says what she wants - I could see myself in her when I was around sixteen/seventeen (laughs). She's a much dumber and yet smarter version of myself - and that is really what attracted me to her.
- There is obviously a very unusual and dynamic relationship between Cathy and Andrea so how would you describe their relationship? And what is it that they see in each other and gain from their relationship?
I think that Cathy sees a freedom in Andrea, in the way that she dresses and the way that she speaks, and maybe a fearlessness that she sees in Andrea that she has never had herself.
But also she sees that Andrea isn't necessarily healthy and she wants her to live longer and value her life - more because Cathy is looking at the end of her life.
Andrea sees Cathy as maybe a mentor, I don't think anyone has ever taken as much interest in her as Cathy has, and so she is interested to see where that will lead to.
- How much did you relate to the character of Andrea?
Quite a bit - she is quite a sassy mouth and I was the same when I was around her age; I wasn't very likeable and I would say a lot of things that I shouldn't say.
And while I would feel bad about that Andrea doesn't seem to feel bad about it which I think helps her get away with it - I think I would have got away with a lot easier if I didn't care as much (laughs).
- On that same note how does Andrea's experience of high school compare to your own experience? And does her positivity relate to when you were at high school?
For some reason she seems to be super popular and that is completely in my high school experience - my high school was really big and nobody was the most popular kid because there were way too may kids.
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