As a self-proclaimed “She-Hustler,” this model, actress and dancer is aggressively going after the big screen. She was the lead actress in the SAG short film The Magic Ribbon and hopes to do more projects like this. The 20-some
thing multi-faceted talent strives to be an example for young girls to go after your dreams and stay true to self.
Read GlossMagazineOnline’s interview with Crystal-Lee to find out what she does to stay on top of her game, how she celebrated her birthday and what it means to be a “She-Hustler.”
GlossMagazineOnline (GMO): You’re multi-talented; you have a journalism and mass communication degree and you also have dance, modeling and acting experience. So, how did you get your start in the entertainment industry?
Crystal-Lee Naomi: I went to Florida A&M University in Tallahassee for a year. And I wanted to start in entertainment, and because it’s so much like a small town there, it’s like virtually impossible to do it there. So, after my first year, I came back to South Florida and I started researching on how to do it and kind of figured it out, threw myself into it and then everything just started happening from there.
GMO: You’ve been featured in various music videos and been amongst top artists like Lil’ Wayne, Tyga, Erykah Badu, Common and big time baller D-Wade. So, what’s it like working alongside those people?
Crystal-Lee: It’s a lot of fun, but it’s a lot of work too. You have to conduct yourself as a professional, and you want to be taken seriously. You kind of shy away from being the fan and you go into work mode. But it’s definitely fun working with people like that and getting to know them as a person and not just the person you see on TV.
GMO: Who and what inspires you?
Crystal-Lee: When I was younger, I was mostly inspired by films that I would watch on TV. I watched movies like Dirty Dancing and Grease over and over again. When my mom saw that I was watching those movies and doing the dances and singing the songs, she started enrolling me in like dance classes and performing arts schools―performing arts camps. I don’t like to do just one thing. I like acting. I like dancing. I like modeling. I like doing it all. So I kind of consider myself a performer. So when I see movies like Dream Girls, those things are really inspiring and really motivating for me.
GMO: So, between acting, modeling and dancing, do you have a favorite?
Crystal-Lee: Dancing was my first love. That was the first thing I started doing so I guess I’ll have to go with that. Over time, I’ve fallen in love with everything, so I love it all, but I got my start with dancing.
GMO: Who are your favorite actor and actress?
Crystal-Lee: It changes, so right now my favorite actress is Zoe Saldana. I love her. And my favorite actor, I guess right now is going to have to be―I really love Jamie Foxx. When I’m watching him I’m not even watching an actor. I feel like I’m really witnessing a moment. I really have to give a lot of respect to Jamie Foxx. He’s amazing.
GMO: What’s your ultimate dream movie role?
Crystal-Lee: I would love to do a role in a musical. Just like revisiting what I said earlier, I love doing it all. I like dancing. I like acting. I like doing it all so right now, I would love to do something in a musical or something on like a TV show, but mostly a musical. That’s really what I want to do right now.
GMO: What’s a typical day like for you?
Crystal-Lee: A typical day for me is―well, I do a lot of prep. Basically what I do is I prep. I do exercises during the day. What I mean is acting prep. I do scenes. I study lines and scripts, and I rehearse with friends who are other actors that I know as well. So I just keep doing that so that I can stay current and stay fresh and stay ready.
GMO: You’re pretty busy so what do you do when you get a moment to yourself?
Crystal-Lee: When I get a moment to myself, I like to eat. It’s one of my favorite hobbies. I eat a lot of junk food too.
GMO: So you just celebrated your birthday―Happy Belated Birthday. So what did you do?
Crystal-Lee: Thank you. My friend flew in town. I’m from Florida, so my friend, my best friend, she came to LA and we just made like a whole week of it. We went to a house party in the Hills. We went to all the little hot spots on Hollywood Boulevard. We went to clubs. We went to lounges. We went to eat. We did everything. We did a lot of stuff. We partied and then we also had our laid back moment. But like it was really fun. She’s one of my best friends, so she came out here showed me love and it was just me and her.
GMO: I read that you’re a self-proclaimed “She-Hustler.” What does it mean to be a “she-hustler?”
Crystal-Lee: A she-hustler is a driven young woman who goes after her goals and knows how to get there. She doesn’t allow distractions to take up all of her time. She knows God. She keeps him first, and she also keeps her goals right in front of her eyes. She keeps her eyes on the prize and she does everything she can to aggressively go after that goal—that’s the spirit of a she-hustler.
GMO: What’s the most surprising thing about you? Do you have hidden talents?
Crystal-Lee: I can drive a stick-shift. That’s not really a hidden talent. I pride myself on that because I know a lot of girls can’t drive a stick. What other kind of things can I do? Oh, I also do a little bit of designing. I designed a couple of head pieces and a couple of pieces of jewelry. Not so much, but if I have a lot of free time, I’ll probably design a little original piece and I’ll rock it when I go out or to an event. I’ll design it and wear it.
GMO: Would you pursue going into designing jewelry?
Crystal-Lee: Yeah, later on. Right now, my best friend is into designing and she is actually making me the face of her line. It’s not out yet. She’s having her website designed right now; so, that’s coming out soon. Right now, I’m living it vicariously through my friend. But yeah, later on that is definitely something I would want to pursue.
So what’s next for Crystal-Lee Naomi? Look forward to seeing her in Tic-Tac commercials and print ads for Toyota. She will also be featured in Digicel ads in the Caribbean.
You can see more of Crystal-Lee on FaceBook and Twitter @CrystalLeeNaomi.
Photo credit: Djohn Brown. Find him on Twitter: @_DjohnPhotog
