Marsai Martin On Creating Worlds Beyond The Screen And Culinary Dreams: ‘I Want To Do Soul Food’
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Marsai Martin first stole our hearts at age 9 as twin Diane Johnson in black-ish. Now, as she counts down the months to 21, the actress-turned-young media mogul continues to use her imagination to inspire the masses.
A champion of young, diverse voices, Martin’s work extends far beyond her performances on screen. As the youngest person to sign a first-look deal with Universal Pictures in 2019 at the age of 14, she understands the power she holds to inspire her generation, those behind her, and even those she looks up to.
Acting was always a way for Marsai Martin to have fun, the actress said at Blavity Fest
“I started so young, and didn’t really know at the time the impact that I was making in Black youth and people just seeing a young, Black girl with dimples, with a gap in her teeth, and with glasses on that really showed it in the most authentic form of what a character could be and could look like,” Martin told host Paige Shari during her Beyond the Screen conversation on the final day of Blavity Fest 2025.
“It was a blessing to portray Diane for so long, but at the same time, looking back, I was just having fun. Before Black-ish, I would be doing my auditions, and my mom would say, I would say, ‘I already got the job.’ The audition was the job. And I was like, ‘I did it. I got it y’all.’ And she was like, ‘No, she didn’t,’” the Little actress recalled. “I think, at the time, it was just me having fun. Acting was just a hobby that really turned into something bigger and more than that. I think the obstacles that I had to face when I was younger was coming to shoot, discipline, and finding my passion, acting accordingly. Yeah, acting accordingly because I’m just outside, I’m out here, and it’s just hilarious, but I think to be able to look back and see how far I’ve come, and having a hobby just turn into a legacy is something that is so special.”
Working outside of film and television
When Martin isn’t acting or creating stories with her family and turning them into movies, she’s always stressing the importance of financial literacy, something that was instilled in her from a young age.
Moreover, Martin is using other passions like music to create worlds that matter most to her.
“I have my own Sai Summer Cookout, and it’s just so special,” she explained. “It’s about creating worlds beyond the screen. It’s building those things where they can see it, they can be there, physically, see it happening, and know that a Black girl in her 20s made it happen, and that’s the goal overall. To change and build an empire in itself.”
Other endeavors Marsai Martin is looking to pursue
At one point during their chat at Blavity Fest, Shari asked Martin about other ideas she has in mind to make a reality someday. After a long, thoughtful pause, she opened up about her love for food.
“There’s so many things that I want to do, whether it’s like in the food and beverage business… I love soul food,” she said. “I want to do some type of soul food cuisine, or restaurants, like grandma’s cooking, but it’s sexy, I think that would be so cool.”
Before exiting the stage, Shari encouraged the crowd to wish Martin an early birthday as she will be celebrating 21 years on August 14, just weeks before her Sai Summer Cookout in Houston.
The actress also left attendees with a sprinkle of advice: “Start before you’re ready.”
“You have to start before you’re ready, because if you’re an overthinker like me, you’ll never be ready,” said Martin. “You just have to start, literally in anything, you can’t say, ‘I don’t have this,’ or ‘I don’t have that.’ You can find it, and understand that it’ll come, and you have to learn as you go. You’re not going to understand everything at once. That’s what’s important.”
The post Marsai Martin On Creating Worlds Beyond The Screen And Culinary Dreams: ‘I Want To Do Soul Food’ appeared first on Blavity.
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