Q&A with Tiffany Haddish, star of ‘The Card Counter’

Tiffany Haddish has gone platinum. It’s 4 p.m. connected a Sunday day astatine her location adjacent South Central Los Angeles and the comedian-actress-activist wears a swingy blond wig and a agleam neon formal that hugs each curve.

“Honey, blondes bash person much fun. I’m conscionable gonna spell with it,” she said with a large laugh. As for the hair, she has 1 much thought connected that matter: “Yeah, I’m conscionable tryin’ to due achromatic culture!”

Haddish doesn’t person to due thing since it’s bully to beryllium her these days. Not lone is she generating Oscar buzz for her caller film, “The Card Counter,” but she’s dating rapper Common and doing bully enactment successful her community. “I’m opening a market store successful South Central L.A.,” she said. “They unopen down 3 earlier the pandemic. It’s not a bully situation. People are trying to starve america out.”

“I cognize you’re thinking, ‘Why does she inactive unrecorded successful South Central?’ ” Haddish added. “Why should I determination away? Why not bring the worth up successful the community? Just due to the fact that you go successful, you don’t tally away. You put your wealth and marque it better.”

In manager Paul Schrader’s “The Card Counter,” opening this weekend, William Tell (Oscar Isaac) is simply a gambler and erstwhile serviceman who indispensable betterment an aggravated young man. He besides indispensable woody with his gambling financier La Linda (Haddish) who helps him fig retired the large triumph portion besides falling for him.

Next up for Haddish, 41, is Disney’s “Haunted Mansion.”

Before we get to the movie, wherefore unfastened a market store successful the South Central area?

I’m precise funny astir things. The much I know, the much I summation and the much almighty I go arsenic a person. So I did a batch of probe astir nutrient and buying and gardening and fiscal literacy and Black people. Those books got maine fired up. I privation to person classes astatine my store, similar a cooking people and concern courses. Once you cognize however to provender yourself and cognize however wealth works, you’re a stronger human. And you marque your assemblage stronger and don’t request arsenic overmuch police. That’s my passion.

Tell america astir “The Card Counter.” It’s 1 of your archetypal serious, melodramatic roles.

I’m conscionable trying to entertain and bring joy, enigma and drama. That’s the greatness of a manager similar Paul Schrader. He gave maine large absorption successful each of those areas to play La Linda. I wanted to amusement different broadside of me. I’m similar an onion. I’ve got layers.

What is the halfway of La Linda, who finds poker players and finances them arsenic portion of her stable?

She’s similar a bully pimp. She’s besides similar a Hollywood agent. I’m looking for the idiosyncratic with the talent. She has her investors and wants to adhd Oscar’s quality to her unchangeable of truly large poker players. She gets him and besides has feelings for him due to the fact that each pistillate loves a mysterious man.

And you person a blistery emotion country with Oscar Isaac?

Girl, that’s my archetypal clip ever doing a enactment scene. I got to instrumentality my garment off, and I amusement immoderate skin! I was like, “Let’s bash this!” It was really a batch of technicalities and guidance from the director, but I inactive felt beautiful. We did 3 takes. I’ve watched them, and I deliberation the aforesaid happening each time: I privation I look similar that during sex!

Did anyone similar a famous, handsome fellow get upset watching your enactment scene?

(Laughing) You mean, my man? Common. We had a speech earlier shooting the enactment scene, and my antheral is the crushed wherefore I wasn’t truthful tense and acrophobic connected the set. He gave maine a batch of tips due to the fact that helium has done enactment scenes successful movies.

You’ve gone done immoderate truly hard times, surviving successful your car and besides dealing with household problems arsenic a kid. These are pugnacious times for galore people. Any advice?

If you’re going done a hard time, wage attention. Ask: Why americium I going done this and what tin I larn from it? Above all, I ask: What is comic astir this concern adjacent if it initially seems similar thing is funny?

So, you indispensable find the wit — adjacent successful the times of COVID and truthful overmuch unrest.

Laughter is truthful important. I asked Norman Lear his secret, and he’s 100. He said, “I laughter hard each azygous day.” When you laugh, you make serotonin that helps you heal. I laughter truthful hard I cry. Sometimes, I outcry truthful hard I laugh. Sometimes, I outcry and there’s thing funny. So, I look successful the reflector and I commencement to laughter due to the fact that I marque the ugliest outcry face. And that makes maine laugh.

What is your thought of a cleanable Sunday?

OK, I similar to get up and commune a small bit. Then I spell to the formation and surf. That’s 1 mentation of a cleanable Sunday due to the fact that some supplication and h2o mean getting adjacent to God. Then I travel backmost home, lavation up, person a sandwich and cheque retired the newspaper. Then I’ll instrumentality a nap oregon ticker immoderate cartoons. If I’m with my man, I instrumentality a nap adjacent to him, oregon we’ll say, “Come on, let’s play.” We extremity the time by watching cartoons, oregon I’ll say, “Let maine perceive to that song.” I’m conscionable a small annoying that way. I privation to perceive the songs earlier we ticker much cartoons due to the fact that …

You gotta laugh.

Girl, that’s what I was saying.