he funeral and didn’t speak publicly about his death. She later described the attention around it as “very difficult.” She also revealed that no father was listed on her birth certificate and there’s “no proof of anything.”
Financial hurdles
While most lot of the women around her had kids as teenagers, our star knew that wasn’t the path for her. She found her true passion at just 7 years old when she saw a production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.
And just like that, her dream of becoming an actress was born.
She pursued her dream of acting despite financial hurdles, working at a performing arts school just to take classes there, because, as she explained, “there was no way my family could afford it.”
“There were people that saw I was struggling as a kid, and they helped me,” she added. “And that’s why I ended up where I am now.”
A huge inspiration was her grandmother, who took her to her first play and always encouraged her to pursue what she loved.
”I think she saw that I needed an outlet or something to find my people, in a way, and be creative,” the actress shared with The Hollywood Reporter.
The star also credits Planned Parenthood and access to birth control for giving her options. “It had a great impact on my life because it gave me choice,” she said.
After high school, she landed a spot at the prestigious Juilliard School in New York— but the dream came with crushing pressure.
”I am the first one in my family to go to college and I felt a great responsibility… It was very expensive. The first two years it was really tough on us,” she told The Hollywood Reporter.
