Amara Okereke: Unleashing the Ingenue

After nearly a decade since her West End debut in Les Miserables, Amara Okereke has solidified her standing as one of the most exciting performers of her generation. Now making her RSC debut, Amara sat down with us to talk about taking on the role of Ariel opposite Kenneth Branagh's Prospero in Sir Richard Eyre's new production of The Tempest.  Having already played some of the UK's most prestigious and largest stages including the London Coliseum, Sheffield Crucible and Chichester Festival Theatre, Amara tells us about adapting to playing larger houses as she prepares to tackle the Royal Shakespeare Theatre.

In this new interview with Amara Okereke, we talk about her transition from musical theatre to straight plays and her ongoing evolution as a performer. After playing some of the most coveted roles like Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady and Laurey in Oklahoma!, Amara has since taken on roles like Stella in A Streetcar Named Desire and took on the lead role in Pulse at the King's Head Theatre. We hear her talk about her desire to keep exploring new characters that challenge her as she continues to evolve as a performer and as a person. She tells us about the mentor / muse relationship between Prospero and Ariel before also sharing her admiration for career role models she's worked with like Janie Dee and Elena Shaddow. Our conversations offers a candid look at the craft of an actress who refuses to be pigeonholed, offering a masterclass in staying authentic while stepping into the formidable weight of a theatrical legacy.

The Tempest runs at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre until 20 June.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:10

Welcome to up close with Carlos, celebrating art, entertainment, and the human spirit. Amara Okaverake, thank you so much for sitting down with us today.

SPEAKER_01 0:29

Thank you for having me.

SPEAKER_00 0:31

Yeah, I feel like there's such electricity at Stratford right now, especially with Kenneth Branner returning to the RSC for the first time in what 30 years. Do the stakes feel particularly high right now, uniformer debut?

SPEAKER_01 0:44

I think initially, before we started, they did feel very high. Um, I was obviously very nervous. This is my debut. Uh it's my first time doing a Shakespeare play uh professionally, so it felt like that initially, but getting into rehearsals, I kind of very quickly realized that I was in such safe hands with uh incredible director, Sir Richard Eyre. Um and on top of that, the whole creative team and this brilliant cast, it just sort of feels like if there's ever kind of the safest way to be introduced to um Shakespeare or to be introduced to the RSC, this is the way because you know we're I'm working with the best of the best, really. So um it did initially feel like high stakes, but now I think I just I just feel grateful because I just know that it is a fantastic production. So yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:34

Yeah, definitely. I mean you're stepping into the role of Ariel, you know, a character that is, you know, very much pure energy. Um, how do you sort of channel that energy in a way that feels ethereal?

SPEAKER_01 1:46

Yeah, it's interesting because I think uh Shakespeare can, you know, he writes a lot of non-human characters, but he always writes that a lot of humanity into them. And I think what's great about Ariel is that her character, her personality is so informed by the relationships that she has with other humans that uh she can't help but be empathetic, and it's kind that kind of leads every action that she does. So, yeah, it it kind of comes naturally, the sort of humanity that you find within the etherealness and the airiness of this character, but mainly I think it's so centered in the relationship she has with Prospero, which is almost sort of like a mentor sort of artist muse kind of relationship that sort of just brings in this very clear core human energy within her. So, yeah, it's it's a lot more human than you'd think.

SPEAKER_00 2:43

Yeah, absolutely. I mean, Ariel also is a character who you know talks about you know waiting for liberty as well, and you've been making the steady transition from musicals to plays over the last few years. Um, you feel like you yourself are also seeking you know a new type of artistic freedom as well?

SPEAKER_01 2:59

In a way, yeah, sure. I mean, I I wouldn't necessarily describe it as liberty, you know, musical theatre has always been and will always be my first love. Um, and I don't I don't want to separate myself from it in any way. Um, but I think I yeah, in a sense, there is more freedom in being in having access to all different forms of theatre and all different forms of expression. And um yeah, I've always said that my my goal was to sort of touch every corner of the performing arts world as much as I possibly can. And so yeah, there is a sense of freedom in that I am able to sort of spread my wings a little bit more, so to say, by being able to, you know, find access into these other worlds of theatre.

SPEAKER_00 3:47

Yeah, I mean, was it a very conscious choice for you, you know, to I guess you know, put musicals to one side and to start doing projects like Street Carnegie Desire and doing things like The Tempest as well?

SPEAKER_01 3:57

Yeah, in some ways, yeah. I think my focus was really about just finding projects that I think spoke to me and projects that I think challenged me. And so, you know, after doing musical after musical after musical, as much as I love that, and as much as there's always challenges in musicals, it was nice to do something that felt completely different and to sort of try and look in other directions to see what other challenges I could look for and uh how that can sort of fulfil me in different ways.

SPEAKER_00 4:28

Yeah, of course. I mean, in a way, I suppose there's a sort of lyricism to Shakespeare's verse as well. I mean, when you're reading the script, and did it sound quite musical to you as well.

SPEAKER_01 4:38

Absolutely. I think what's so wonderful about Shakespeare and how it does sort, as you say, sort of tie into uh lyricism and into music is that much like a composer and a lyricist, Shakespeare kind of does a lot of the work for you. And uh so much of iambic pentameter and uh the sort of poetry and uh verse of Shakespeare kind of guides you in the direction of what the intention of the character and the action and the moment is in a similar way to musical theatre does or to any song really does. It just sort of gets right to the heart of what this person is saying, and so yeah, there absolutely is a sort of musical undertone to all of Shakespeare's work, I think.

SPEAKER_00 5:27

Definitely, yeah, for sure. I feel like there's sometimes um Shakespeare still gets a bit of a bad reputation for being boring and being dated. Um, but would you say it's sort of like the biggest misconception about Shakespeare, too?

SPEAKER_01 5:39

I think just that the idea of it being dated, I think maybe because the language is different, uh, maybe people sort of initially kind of want to switch off when they hear it. But I think when it's delivered well and when it's directed well, and when you know it's it's understood by the people delivering it, there is so much to learn from it, even to this day. And I think the assumption that because it's so old um and because it comes from a time before, you know, today that it's no longer relevant, but that is it could not be further from the case. I think the reason it's still alive today, it's still one of the biggest things that anyone can uh experience today is because it's just so relevant, and I think Shakespeare has a way of just telling truths in a direct but still musical uh kind of tone that I think you just don't really get with modern language um in the same way. So I think I think, yeah, I think if it's boring, then that's not the fault of the writing, that's maybe the fault of me if I'm not delivering it correctly. But I think with the the right creative team and the right people, it's always going to be intriguing and fascinating. And I think our production, you know, fingers crossed, but I think our production is really going to be something.

SPEAKER_00 6:59

Yeah, it definitely sounds exciting. And as I say, there's a real excitement about um Kenneth Brennan's return to the RSC. And how has it been, you know, working together, crafting that relationship between Ariel and possible for this production, too?

SPEAKER_01 7:12

Yeah, it's been a real blessing. I mean, to work with an actor of that caliber is, you know, it comes once in a lifetime, and Ken is is he's so lovely and he's so grounded and he's so fun, and he has this freedom about him that is, you know, there's nothing to prove when you're in that kind of position as an actor. Um, and he's so open and he has such brilliant words of advice that it just I just immediately felt safe working opposite him, definitely. And and the relationship just felt so clear from the get-go. But yeah, I think he's just he has such a playful energy that just keeps everything kind of free. And you know, no idea feels like a bad idea when you're speaking to him. So I felt very, very comfortable immediately, and um, yeah, very, very lucky to be able to work opposite an actor that brilliant.

SPEAKER_00 8:06

Yeah, absolutely. And also, um, as you mentioned as well, you know, so Richard is you know remarkably making his Stratford directing debut, you know, after decades of working in the industry. Um, what's sort of been like the key takeaway for you so far from working with him too?

SPEAKER_01 8:19

I think his years of experience are so evident when you're in the rehearsal room because he he just has such a clear vision of what he wants to what he wants to show and what he wants to express. And he's such a clear person that when he communicates with you what you know what what he wants from each character, it couldn't be yeah, it just it just could not be clearer. I think um he's so easy to work with and so you know he has he has such a good balance of being able to let you find your own way through what you're trying to figure out and what you're trying to present, and also being clear about what he visually and what he structurally wants from you. And I I could tell from the first audition that I was in the safest possible hands. I think it's it's so rare you come across a director that's so like sure and so certain of what they're doing. Um, and uh yeah, I mean he's a genius. I don't really know what else to say. He's an absolute genius, and I cannot believe I'm still pinching myself today that I get to work with him.

SPEAKER_00 9:30

Yeah, I mean, also, you know, you've performed on some of the biggest stages in the country, you know, Chichester, Sheffield Crucible, um, the London Coliseum. Um, does the Royal Shakespeare Theatre still sound like a challenge to you? Or do you have you felt very comfortable in performing in these like large theatres too?

SPEAKER_01 9:46

Yeah, I mean, I would say each theatre is is is a challenge in its own way, and um I think you kind of your body sort of naturally settles into the space that you're in. Um, and so yeah, I think it you know it's a challenge in its own way, in the sense that uh uh the way that the the theatres are built is going to carry sound in certain ways, and the way you need to project and and so on and so forth, uh changes with each space and with each project. But um, again, I think it just sort of it comes naturally, and I I'm very lucky to have the the best possible guidance in that I'm surrounded by um a group of other actors who are fantastic and a director who just is so clear with what he wants. So yeah, it it's a challenge in its own way, but not in a not too intimidatingly, I would say.

SPEAKER_00 10:38

Of course. I mean, I it's interesting as well, you know, because I first came across you in the boyfriend in the Mene Choker Factory, which is a very small theatre. Um and it's also interesting as well, you know, that you, you know, back then you were playing Polly Brown, this very perfect uh buttoned-up character. Um, do you feel like you're also now consciously, you know, trying to move away from those parts to, you know, parts that are even messier and more complex as well?

SPEAKER_01 11:00

Yeah, I think so. I think that the more I sort of grow as an actor and as a person as well, and discover more about myself, the more I kind of want to explore different aspects of different kinds of characters for sure. Um and yeah, I think uh it's it's fun to change up the sort of roles that you play as much as possible. So I I will always try and look for something different from the last um with every project that I do. So uh yeah, although I do still love I love I love Polly Brown, I love those characters, I love those sort of gentle ingenues and those sweet sort of put-together um characters, but at the same time, you know, you've got to switch it up with a bit of a bit of messiness every now and again, I think.

SPEAKER_00 11:46

Absolutely. Um it's interesting as well, you know. Um Janie D, who you worked with um on The Boyfriend, is in Stratford as well at the same time, doing uh she wrote yes. Yeah, um you'd be going to see the show as well, and you know, what did you learn from working with her too?

SPEAKER_01 12:00

I I cannot sing Janie D's praises enough. I love that woman. She she's the the best possible role model, I think, in this industry, personally for me. I just think the way that she looks at work, the way she looks at life is so free and so with such a vulnerability, and it's why she's so fantastic on stage because she just goes into things like it's the first time she's ever doing something every time. And yeah, she's currently in Otura Ui. I I you know we we cross each other, we cross paths a lot. I absolutely adore that woman, and uh yeah, I I feel like I learned so much from her. Um, so it feels really beautiful to have kind of have this full circle moment with my RSC debut. Um, but yeah, I hope to see Otter Ui. Obviously, it is it is selling like amazingly, it's doing so well, so it's been really hard to get tickets, but hopefully we'll be able to get into one of their matinees, and uh, if there's any return tickets, I'll be hoping to get in there because it's it's I've heard it's absolutely fantastic, and I've no doubt that Janie is amazing in it. Um, but yeah, she's she's she's one of my favourite people in the industry by far, and it's it's a real joy to be able to have her here in Stratford with me.

SPEAKER_00 13:19

Yeah, absolutely. I adore her company as well. She is just like the best type of human being. Um you worked together again fairly recently on the Sondheim project as well. What was it like in it coming back together on that as well?

SPEAKER_01 13:31

It was glorious. I mean, if anyone understands Sondheim, it's Janie D. And she was directing it as well as uh performing in it with us as well. Um, and it was so much fun because she just she just has such an air of freedom when it comes to um creating, and it again it's it's just more opportunity to learn from the best. Um so yeah, we had a really great time on that. I really enjoyed that.

SPEAKER_00 13:59

Yeah, I mean you've also you know played so many bucketless characters, I guess. You know, Laurie and Oklahoma, Eliza and My Fair Lady, Polly and the boyfriend. Um, did all of these roles feel very accessible to you, or did you think you would still have to fight extra hard to play them too?

SPEAKER_01 14:13

I think initially um I thought that it'd be hard to play them just because I'd never seen someone who looked like me playing them for a long time. But kind of over the years I I kind of found that there was less pushback than I maybe initially thought there would be. And um, you know, it's always down to whether the director thinks that you fit the vision that they have in their head, and I was lucky enough to work with directors who trusted me and really yeah, really saw me as those characters, so it was easy for me to see myself as those characters, and then obviously over the years as well, things have changed, and you have amazing performers. Uh Audra McDonald is one of the one of my absolute favourite performers of all time, and uh, she's sort of led the way and created this path that makes it more possible to see yourselves in characters that maybe you hadn't seen yourself in before. Um, and so yeah, I feel uh I felt very inspired uh in the sort of early years of my career, and I think uh yeah, those sort of those boundaries that previously existed got sort of easier and easier to break as time went on.

SPEAKER_00 15:26

Yeah, I mean these characters like Cossettes and you know Eliza Dealers are so sort of familiar to us. Um coming to these characters yourself, um, did anything surprise you about them as well? You know, what is what you sort of like learn about doing these pieces too?

SPEAKER_01 15:40

Yeah, actually, I think um initially they kind of on paper may seem somewhat two-dimensional, sort of simple characters. This idea of oh, young girls potentially in some kind of distress, falls in love, the end, happy ending. When actually all of these characters, especially because they're so young, there is so much complication like within them, even if it isn't obvious on the surface, you know, there there's there's a lot of them are sort of young adults or teenagers, even, and we all know that teenagers go through turmoil on the inside, even if it seems silly on the outside. And so there is I think there's always so much more to find than what you initially see on the surface, even with a character that appears somewhat simple. I think even with Kazette, for example, you know, there's this is a character with trauma and uh a character who's isolated, and a character who has never seen uh a man who who looks at her the way that Marius does. And so these are all really complicated feelings and experiences to uh really explore, and there's a lot there. And then, you know, Lori, again, it seems like the really really typical female ingenue, but this is a a girl who is is expected to, who is an orphan, who is expected to take over a whole farm, a whole estate, going through a huge moment in Oklahoma's history, uh, where they become an uh part of the United States. You know, there's so much complication going on, and then to add to that the complications of relationships and uh to be fawned over and to be wanted, but also to be in turmoil about what she wants and how she feels about somebody. There's so much complexity to find, and I think that's the great joy of playing those roles is that you you have the surface and then you really get to dive deep into the layers of these characters.

SPEAKER_00 17:46

Absolutely. I mean, they're really sort of like straight parts, really, as well. They're not as um superficial as you know what might seem to be on the surface for sure. I mean, you've yeah, I mean, um, were you always more drawn to these um golden age musicals as well, or were you hoping to do more contemporary pieces like Spring Awakening when you're first starting?

SPEAKER_01 18:06

Yeah, I mean, I'm I'm hoping to do a little bit of everything overall, but I do think my first love has always been that golden age movie musical, Fred Astead, Ginger Rogers, Sid Terese, Gene Kelly, uh era of musicals. It those are just the ones that I fell in love with as a kid. Those are the ones that I had on DVD that I would watch back to back, and those are just my first loves. That's kind of where my heart is. So I I will always, always have love for those. But I'm, you know, again, as I said, it's just a case of project to project. What sort of speaks to me and what kind of draws me in is what will always be interesting to me. So Spring Awakening is, you know, it's an exceptional piece of theatre. Um, it's an amazing show, and uh and and again, to the opportunity to work with Rupert Gould was you know something you can't you just can't turn down. So um yeah, I think it's it always it varies project to project, but my heart will always be in the golden age for sure.

SPEAKER_00 19:07

Yeah, absolutely. Um, I mean, speaking of spring awakening as well, um I recently sat down with Stuart Thompson and I didn't realise that you'd you know crossed paths previously on the West Side Story and YT. Um what was it like, you know, working together again, you know, after all those years?

SPEAKER_01 19:23

It was such a joy. Me and Stuart, he's one of my best, best friends in the world. Um, we've known each other for god, about 10 years now. Um, so we were doing sort of Amdram when we were younger, and we've just stayed friends ever since and stayed very, very close. And he's also he's one of my best friends, but he's also one of my favourite actors as well. He really is an extraordinary performer. Um, there's very few people like him, I think, in my opinion. I might be biased, but I really do think he is one of the best. And so, yeah, we hadn't had an opportunity to work together in our professional lives yet. So when it came up, we were thrilled, and it was it felt so great because you know it's a tough piece to work through, and it's a lot of turmoil, it's a lot to go through. But when you have your best mate there with you going through it at the same time, it just you feel so safe and you feel so so lucky. So, yeah, it was it was a real, real joy to be able to work with him, and I hope we can work together again soon, for sure. Yeah, for sure.

SPEAKER_00 20:29

I mean, Spring Awakening, I feel like you need so much love for that piece, you know, for that you know, original production as well. Um, how much freedom did you feel like you had, you know, to sort of you know craft your own interpretation of these characters and of the story too?

SPEAKER_01 20:42

Oh, that I definitely felt like there was a lot of freedom. I think it helped that we had the writers, Duncan and Stephen, with us as well throughout a lot of the rehearsal process. So there was a lot of there didn't feel like we were sort of stuck doing, you know, things that were done previously. I think it really uh we were really able to adapt it to how we feel about the piece and how it sits in today's world and as opposed to how it may have sat 10 years ago, 20 years ago. I mean, we even had, you know, we had a new song that wasn't in the original production put into our production. We had this insane set that was so different to anything I'd ever seen personally, and again, we had this incredible creative team who were just they knew the balance of being able to let us find our way through these characters and our way through these journeys, as well as having clear visions and and ideas of what they want from this production. Um, so yeah, it felt very free, and I think it it's a it's a very freeing musical in general. I mean, I don't think you'll ever see any two productions of Spring Awakening that are exactly the same. You know, every every major production I can think of, the original Broadway, original West End, the Deaf West production, they're all so different, and I think it just It it the show adapts with time, and luckily for us, we'd we were doing the show sort of not long after the COVID lockdowns had happened. So, this idea of being sort of restricted within each other and not being able to touch one another and having this yearning to be around people and to be close with people, it took on an entirely new meaning, and so you can't help but interpret that and and bring that to the piece in a way that maybe it hadn't been done before. Um, so yeah, it felt very, very free and uh it was very open to lots of new ideas and yeah.

SPEAKER_00 22:37

Yeah, I mean it's very powerful material for sure, it's very moving, and I think it's uh it's not surprising that it's so um it's so loved by musical theatre fans. Um I wanted to quickly um touch on the light in the piazza as well, because that was again such a stunning concert and so perfectly cast, I thought, as well. Um, what was it like in it coming to the character of Clara and getting to work with you know Alex Parker's team and Ellen the Shadow?

SPEAKER_01 22:58

And yeah, it was amazing. I mean, Elena is gorgeous, she's wonderful, and she just she knew the piece inside out as well because she'd obviously done it back when she was younger as well, and she'd played that part. Um, she'd played Clara. So it felt again, it felt very, very well guided, and I felt very protected. And I knew Alex from before Alex and I had worked together a couple of times on different projects, and we had a lot of mutual friends, and the music I just I love not fall in love with that show, is is such a blessing, and you know, I would do it again in a heartbeat. Um, I think that character is so gorgeous and so pure, and again, it's that thing of like it could seem simple on the surface, but she has so much depth to her and so many layers and so much yearning and so much love to express that, and the music just expresses it so perfectly that it almost does all the work for you, and so it really just felt like a joy to be able to indulge in in such beautiful music, and with an incredible musical director like Alex Parker, who just loves good music, and you can tell, and it's infectious. And uh, with Elena again, amazing performer, amazing actress, amazing singer, to stand opposite her and sing with her is just it it felt like kind of a dream come true. Yeah, it didn't feel like work at all in any way, it just felt like joy.

SPEAKER_00 24:30

Yeah, I mean it was a real dream concert, and I mean it's always such a it feels like a privilege just to like listen to the music, you know, being performed live as well. Um, I suppose the piazza is one of those shows that's never really become like mainstream as well. And I sort of like wondering why do you think that is?

SPEAKER_01 24:46

I don't know. I think it's I think it's a complicated show. It's difficult in uh the music is is very complicated, it's difficult to do. And I wonder, I don't know. I I personally I think it should be a mainstream musical. I mean, in my head, it's beautiful. Everyone I know that knows it loves it. Um, and a lot of people I know that would love to be in it. So I I really don't know why it's not more famous than it than it is, but um I don't know, I think maybe the complexities of again of the lead character of Clara, uh you know, I think maybe there's a bit of uncertainty in how to play her, how to cast her, maybe her being sort of older than her, than she might initially seem. And yeah, I don't know. I think maybe there's just it's just hard, it's difficult, and I think uh it would take a lot of prep and a lot of work to be able to put on a full production. Um, I mean they did uh they had a production at the South Bank Centre which did a little uh sort of mini tour as well that Dan Evans directed, which I thought was fantastic, and my friend Rob Howchham was in that, he was amazing in that. Um and uh I thought that was a perfect example of like, oh, it can be done really, really exceptionally well. Um, but I don't know, I think it's maybe people are a bit scared to sort of take it on. It's it's a huge piece of work and it's very complicated. Um, but I do think it is a shame that it's not more mainstream, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 26:22

Absolutely. I feel like um I feel that way about a lot of Adam Gettel's work. I would love to see you know Days of Wine Voters coming over, you know. I think that's got such a beautiful score as well.

SPEAKER_01 26:31

Definitely, definitely. I think he's he's uh I would say he's underrated, but you know, I think with amongst the musical world, we all love him. I think he's adored and he's he's um exceptional. But um, yeah, it's it's I think it's time to start getting more of his work into the mainstream for sure.

SPEAKER_00 26:50

For sure. And you know, speaking of exceptional, you know, you are such an exceptional actress as well. You know, you've got this incredible presence. You know, I'm always you know stunned whenever I get to come and see you. Um I was just like wondering as what do you think it takes now as well to make it in the industry as a successful actress?

SPEAKER_01 27:07

I think it's it's obvious the obvious things, hard work, commitment, um an ability to face rejection, um and and sort of take it on the chin. Um, and and obviously fortune being in the right place at the right time is a huge part of it. Um but I think it it's it's I think it's it's a having a passion for it, having love for it, not being able to see yourself doing anything else is a huge part of it because you know, I I'm sure a lot of actors have said that 90% of acting and being an actor is unemployment, you know, and being able to face that and deal with that and continue on uh despite that. And um I think it just it love for the craft, love for theatre, love for film, love for television, every form of performing that you can experience and that you can you have access to, you should do, you know. I think all all young actors should be going to the theatre as much as possible, taking advantage of all those um sort of ticket discounts that you can get for under 25 and and whatever you can find. I think you should really jump at the opportunity, going to the cinema as much as possible. Um just continuing to indulge that love for the craft that you can as much as you can, um, I think is the key to maintaining your passion for it, and then working hard, you know, um figuring out what you need to work on, what you need to really indulge in, whether it's dance classes, whether it's singing lessons, whether it's movement classes, whether it's acting classes, whether it's getting an acting coach if you feel like you might need one, whether you you feel like drama school could be useful to you, or maybe not, maybe drama school drama school is not for everybody. Um, but finding your way to maintaining your passion and continuing working and practicing and uh never giving up, essentially. I mean, I say 90% of maintaining work as an actor is is just keeping keeping the faith, you know, hoping that um you know it that the opportunities will keep coming because they're always there. It's just a case of being available and being ready for it when it does come. And yeah, that's what I that would I would say that's kind of the key.

SPEAKER_00 29:38

Yeah, absolutely. It definitely takes a lot of grit and a lot of grace for sure. Um just as a last question, I guess. Um, I mean, you've done so much incredible work already and in such a short span of time. Um uh when all is said and done, and what do you most want to be remembered for?

SPEAKER_01 29:53

Oh wow, I think I don't think that there's any one thing I would want to be remembered for. I would just like to, you know, when I'm old and looking back on my life, I would love to just have a body of work that I'm proud of. I think just a list of projects that I can pinpoint and say, I remember doing that, and I remember feeling like this when I did it. And um, yeah, just to have a body of work to look back on and be proud of, I think. I mean, I'm working with actors who are at the moment, you know, in their 70s and uh have been working since. And you, you know, you look at their biography on the program, and it's just show after show after project after project with all these amazing things, and they have so much wisdom and so much knowledge from their experience. And I look at that and I'm like, that's exactly what I want to be when I grow up, you know. That's that's what I want is just to have this exceptional body of work that I'm proud of, to have uh a group of people in my life that I've worked with, that I love, that I, you know, people like Janie and um and Elena, and uh, you know, people that I I look up to, that I can talk to, and uh yeah, that I I I feel proud to have worked with. I think that's sort of the goal.

SPEAKER_00 31:13

Yeah, absolutely. Um, Amara, it's been so lovely talking to you today. Thank you so much for your time.

SPEAKER_01 31:18

Thank you. Thank you so much for having me.