Sashaying into the room in distressed jeans and a suede fringed jacket, Joy Bryant jokingly remarked that since she was having a Lola Falana day she was probably prepared for stardom. As flip and superficial as that may sound it doesn't correspond to Joy Bryant's eccentric essence. The Bronx native is patently aware of the blessings bestowed upon her.

A graduate of the prestigious Fieldston Academy in Riverdale, New York and a recipient of the highly competitive A Better Chance scholarship to The Westminster School, Bryant attended Yale University for 2 years before leaving to pursue a modeling and acting career.

Bryant made her feature film debut in Denzel Washington's Antwone Fisher, an experience she sums up as magical. Of the many lessons she took away from the Antwone Fisher set, Denzel's insistence to "don't act, just be" was the most profound. Still in awe of having landed the role, Bryant pinched herself to make sure she's not dreaming.

Growing up, failure wasn't an option for Bryant. "I was always pushed to succeed, to do well in school and to reach for the stars whatever they were. I didn't know that I wanted to be an actress. I just knew that I was going to be something," Bryant says. "I honestly believe that being blessed - so tremendously blessed - and having [my grandmother] in my life who loved me unconditionally really saved me from what's out there."

Ever mindful of her good fortune, Bryant acknowledged that working with Denzel Washington in her first feature raised the bar in terms of assessing other projects that come her way. However, she is cautious about being too selective in terms of future roles.

Bryant, who can be seen in Honey with Jessica Alba and Mekhi Phifer, recently wrapped an indie short that she starred in and produced. M

January 2003

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