She’s no stranger to powerful roles—Danielle Brooks shares how this new film breaks boundaries in representation and inspires young minds.
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00:00I think it's highly important to have someone of color, specifically black, to be in this film.
00:08You know, there are black gamers, there's a ton of black gamers and techie people out there
00:13that just don't see themselves in this world and we belong here.
00:19We've added to the fandom and, you know, we've put our dollars into these places,
00:27you know, wherever you get your games.
00:29So just not, like, leaving us out of the conversation I think is truly important
00:34and I feel like hopefully it'll also inspire little girls.
00:39Great, now it's dark.
00:41Does that feel quick to anyone else?
00:49Run!
00:51So a Minecraft movie is a very complex film.
00:55What initially drew you to the role?
00:57What initially drew me to the role was it was something that I hadn't really done before,
01:03live action, and I like to keep people guessing.
01:07And I like to spice it up for myself too, you know.
01:10I feel like I've been able to dip and dabble in a lot of different things,
01:14whether that's Broadway, TV film, voiceover work.
01:17So to now get to do live action, I was like, why wouldn't I do this?
01:22You know what I mean?
01:23And the fan base is crazy.
01:25So I was able to then, like, you know, discover a world that I knew nothing about.
01:30So with this being your first live action role, how did you adapt your acting approach to this film?
01:36I just let my inner child fly.
01:38Like, in this film I just wanted to let my 10-year-old self take the wheel and drive the car.
01:45And she did.
01:46That was all I wanted to do.
01:49Because you need, it's all about having fun and going on an adventure and using your imagination.
01:54So I started from there.
01:57So the Minecraft game, it has such a cult following.
02:01How do you think the Minecraft movie will inspire young viewers?
02:06Oh, man.
02:07I think, look, I think there's so much going on in the world, so much chaos.
02:11And I feel like it's going to help the young people to continue to hold on to their youth and to hold on to their imagination.
02:21Because the older you get, the more complicated things get.
02:24Like, we start to go into our own overworlds where it gets dark and you have your own, like, little zombies and piglets, like, chasing you in life.
02:32And it will remind you that you can survive it.
02:37We can survive this thing.
02:39So how do you think motherhood experienced how you approached the portrayal of Dawn?
02:45Well, I was so happy I got to bring my daughter on set.
02:49She's five.
02:50So at first I was like, I don't know if I'm going to let her see this film.
02:53But I actually am.
02:54I'm really excited for her to see it.
02:56And so at one point, like, I had her in the director's chair with the little headset on, watching her mommy on the screen.
03:04It was really lovely to be able to say, like, I can introduce my daughter to this world.
03:10Because I wasn't introduced to it until pretty much after college, you know, TV and film.
03:14So I'm very happy that she gets to see, you know, what I do all the time.
03:21So I'm actually glad you brought up the set.
03:23The film is hilarious and it has such an amazing cast.
03:27What was your experience like on set and your overall experience with the film overall?
03:33My experience on set was a lot of laughing because Jack Black and Jason are just hilarious people.
03:41Like, I just look at Jack sometimes and I'm like, he'll blink and I'm laughing.
03:46So it was a lot of laughter, a lot of singing because, you know, I like to sing.
03:51So anytime the cameras aren't rolling, I'm beatboxing and doing something.
03:55And Jack's doing the same and Jason's walking around with a guitar.
03:59So it was just a playful set.
04:01Thanks to our wonderful director, Jared Hess, for allowing us to just be kids all day and get paid for it.
04:06It's pretty awesome.
04:07Now, throughout your career, you've been an advocate for representation and diversity.
04:11How do you think the character of Dawn contributes to that conversation?
04:15I think it's highly important to have someone of color, specifically black, to be in this film.
04:23You know, there are black gamers.
04:24There's a ton of black gamers and techie people out there that just don't see themselves in this world.
04:33And we belong here.
04:34We've added to the fandom and, you know, we've put our dollars into these places, you know, wherever you get your games.
04:43And so just not like leaving us out of the conversation, I think, is truly important.
04:49And I feel like hopefully it'll also inspire little girls because Dawn is doing so much, like, you know, kicking butt, you know, and fighting these goblins and zombies and pigs away.
05:01So, like, I just hope that they feel like they can either do this one day or feel like because Dawn was able to survive this world that they can, too.
05:12So I also wanted to ask you, too, you spoke about your Broadway experience and the different type of films you've approached.
05:18And you spoke about with this being your first live action role.
05:21What was the most challenging part when you were filming?
05:24The most challenging part was traveling, to be honest, because I was just finishing being Oscar nominated or just gotten Oscar nominated when I was here in New Zealand.
05:34So thank you.
05:35So a lot of it was like flying back to do a panel to do, you know, an award show and then memorizing lines on the plane, changing my hair out on the plane and then coming straight to work, having to be so prepared and, you know, unsleepy.
05:54That was, I think, the hardest thing because I mean, I was going back and forth quite often and missing things, all this stuff.
06:03But that's what we want.
06:06You know, this is what I call and my crew calls champagne problems.
06:10So I was very happy to have champagne problems.
06:13So although this film is geared toward a younger audience, what do you want older audiences to take from this film?
06:19I think it's for everybody.
06:21This film is for everybody.
06:23Look, I'm new to the Minecraft family.
06:26I tried to play the game and was highly unsuccessful.
06:30But you can still watch this movie.
06:32You can still enjoy it with your kids.
06:34Everybody can see it together.
06:35You know, you can take your five-year-old.
06:37You don't have to get a babysitter this time.
06:39And go laugh.
06:41Go get some popcorn and go laugh and enjoy your loved ones.
06:45I would say this is for everybody.
06:48So how thorough was your research with it?
06:50You said you played the game.
06:51Did playing the game help you immerse yourself in the character more or did you do more reading research?
06:57I didn't have to do all that.
06:59I think it's really just using my imagination, being a kid.
07:03The biggest thing, more than reading a book or doing all that stuff, because each project is something different, what you need, right?
07:10With this, it was just being fearless, being okay with being silly and being okay with making a fool of myself.
07:18Because I feel like that's kind of encouraging other people to not take life so serious.
07:24It's okay to go and do that dance that you really don't know how to do.
07:29It's okay to sing that melody even if your voice cracks.
07:32Go do karaoke.
07:33Go have fun.
07:34And that's what I did.
07:35I just had a good time getting to know Don and being silly.
07:40Well, thank you, Danielle.
07:41That's all I have for you today.
07:43I really appreciate you.
07:44Thank you for your time.
07:45Thank you for talking to me.