A biography for Natasha Rothwellhasn’t been written yet.
“Rom-coms are my jam.”
“Luckily, with 'Insecure,' we have really great writers who get it and work hard to give Kelli layers for me to explore as an artist.”
“I'm interested in stories being told by marginalized voices and, specifically, people of color.”
“I'm a military brat, so I moved around a ton. When you're making friends and you're funny, it makes that easier.”
“I'm not going to run or be silent for fear of keeping a fan base.”
“I'm a body positive, fat-loving feminist. That's who I am off-screen.”
“When I was a teacher, I definitely noticed bullying happening, and I noticed people choosing to be quiet when they should speak up. And so for me, as a teacher, it wasn't just about advocating for students who were being picked on but trying to teach the bystanders how to speak up and not be afraid.”
“I've always performed. From the time that I was little, I was pretty precocious and always gravitated toward performing arts. But I was scared at first, deciding to do it for a living. So, initially, I majored in journalism, and I was pretty miserable.”
“As far as the adjectives that I lead with, I think a writer and a comedienne are first. I have never qualified my experience or gender or my race, although I know that's a huge component on how that is used. But I think in order for me to do my job effectively, I have to really be the best at what it is I'm doing.”
“I loved women who weren't afraid to get ugly in their comedy.”
“Black women have earned the right to be basic.”
“Teaching theater, I felt very lucky. In a world where there's few options for someone who graduates with a theater degree, trying to figure out how to make rent and pay the bills, I always gravitated towards teaching jobs and things like that. I wanted to stay close to my passion as well.”
“The thing about improv that I really love in scripted television is that it really makes a moment authentic.”
“I think it's important to make art for a myriad of reasons. The least of which is that I think laughter is medicinal, and I think there is an escapism aspect - an act of self-care.”
“I think once I began to trust myself as a writer, I began to be seen as a writer.”
“I have chosen to never take myself out of the running for roles. I will continue to throw myself into projects that I am passionate about and will continue to create opportunities for myself.”
“One of the biggest things I learned was not to tell myself 'no' before someone else. As someone who's creative, I know the inner critic can be really loud. Early on in my career, I would just listen to it and tell myself 'no.'”
“My social media is riddled with me speaking out on stuff that matters because silence is a petri dish for hate. For me, it's important to speak out.”
“When someone on screen portrays a character that behaves in a way you don't expect, you're subverting ideas. So if there's a Venn diagram between why people are drawn to the characters I play, it may be that. But I'd like to think that the craft of acting and the choices I make as an actor are drawing people on their own merits.”
“I'm the biggest nerd.”