They say art is a harbinger of change. It has the power to instill empathy and sensibility in the minds of people. Today, there is a plethora of documentaries that are created in collaboration with the artists to tell the unsung tales. One such documentary is “Roots”.

Roots is a 2016 miniseries and is a remake of 1977 miniseries with the same name. Commissioned by History Channel, the miniseries is based on Alex Haley’s 1976 novel, Roots: The Saga of American Family.

Roots portray the life of a girl named Kizzy Kunta, daughter of Kunta Kinte, a man who was taken as a slave to serve in Tobacco plantation. Shown through the lives of several characters, the series depicts a tale culminating in freedom from slavery with the amendment in the Constitution, a very important moment in the history.

The character of Kizzy was played by E’myri Crutchfield. For her phenomenal work in the series, E’myri has received NAACP Image Award nomination for Outstanding Performance By A Youth (Series, Special, Television Movie or Limited Series)

CelebMix got a chance to talk to the actress. Here is the full interview:

E’myri, reading about your achievements feels like you have achieved quite a lot. A lot of people now describe you as a “rising star”. How does it feel? 

It really feels amazing and unbelievable. Sometimes I have to pinch myself to actually see if this is real.

Please tell us about your journey as an actor so far.

I started acting at the age of 8. I appeared in a few independent films in the beginning of my career. In 2013 I was one of the 11 kids over the world selected by Nickelodeon to train at Groundling. I made my first appearance on the big screen on Vacation. I had my prime-time television debut in 2016 as teenage Kizzy in the remake of the series Roots. In 2016 I played Zoey in Amazon Prime Series, The Kicks.

How did “Roots” happen? What made you take up the role of Kizzy?

I audition for the role on tape. 3 months after sending the tape I found out I had the role.

Please tell us about your experience of shooting for “Roots”.

This was by far the hardest role I’ve had to play. It was very emotional and overwhelming because of a lot of intense scenes. Everyone on the set was supportive and loving to me.

Do you have any influences in the fields of art? If yes, who do you look up to?

I really look up to Viola Davis and Angela Basset. I love the emotion and intensity they give a character.

E’myri, you have been nominated for a prestigious award. How do you feel? What was your first reaction when you heard the news?

I feel so amazing and grateful to be honored in this way. I learned the news from the A & E networks; after hearing the news I was overwhelmed, shocked, and surprised.

Congratulations for “The Kicks”! Please tell us a bit about your role in “The Kicks”.

In the Kicks, I was best friends with a group of girls on the soccer team. We started as a broken team and friendship. As time pass our team and friendship became stronger.

E’myri we came across your YouTube channel and saw some of your music reviews. Are you genre specific? What are you listening to these days?

I really don’t have a channel. I’m more of a watcher. I love hip hop and R&B.

Do you have any favorite YouTuber? If yes, please tell us about it.

I really like to look at a lot of natural hair and make-up tutorials.

Would you like to tell us about your plans for 2017 (new projects, YouTube videos, and others)?

As of now I’m just focusing on school and see what the future has for me.

Today, everyone likes to stand out. How would you like people to remember you?

I like for people to remember me as the bright funny 16-year-old girl from New Orleans Louisiana who loves to eat crawfish.

What advice can you give to young girls aspiring to be a successful actress like yourself?

My advice is to never give up on your dreams. Always stay true to who you are and what you want in life.

Where can we find you on social media?

You can find me on Facebook and Instagram.

Have you got a chance to watch Roots? Tell us @CelebMix.

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