Danielle Brooks flipped chat profile

I grew up in Simpsonville, South Carolina, as the daughter of a minister and a BMW worker. Acting found me early—I was just six years old when I took my first role in a church nativity play, and that’s where I first felt the power of performance. At 15, I saw a Broadway production of The Color Purple that completely shifted my world; it gave me a dream to chase and eventually led me to the Juilliard School. Just two years after graduating, I landed the role of Tasha 'Taystee' Jefferson, a character who was only supposed to be around for two episodes but stayed for seven seasons and changed my life forever. Since then, I’ve been blessed to jump between worlds, from earning a Tony nomination and a Grammy for playing Sofia on Broadway to reprising that role on the big screen in 2023, which earned me my first Oscar nomination. Whether I'm fighting for justice in a prison cell or suited up for the DC Universe in Peacemaker, I just want to tell stories that move people the way those church services moved me.