Godfather of Harlem star Ilfenesh Hadera is a style icon on the show,
Essence magazine sat down with Hadera, where they tried to get her to spill the tea on some of her favorite current trends — according to the former Baywatch star, she doesn’t actually follow trends.
“It’s going to sound really obnoxious. For me, whatever’s not trendy is what I love,” she confessed to the publication.
“Style is like body language. So it’s how you express yourself without words. So it’s a reflection of mood and attitude, and I don’t know how you feel authentic in yourself, if you’re walking down the street and everybody looks just like you. But if wearing your fanny pack around your neck actually speaks to you and makes you feel like you’re being yourself, that’s great.”
Hadera’s father came to America as a refugee seeking asylum from Ethiopia. Now, her parents run the African Services Committee, an organization in New York City that helps refugees just like him he was. She says that his journey has taught her to “treat people with compassion and generosity.”
The actress is known for her roles on Show Me a Hero. Showtime’s Billions. She is also a known frequent collaborator of award-winning director, Spike Lee. Hadera has appeared in several Lee movies — Da Brick, The Blacklist, Oldboy, Show Me a Hero, Chi-Raq, Chicago Fire, The Punisher, and She’s Gotta Have It.
She spoke to NPR in September about their working relationship.
“Spike has made me audition for every single part I have gotten from him. I think a lot of actors get to a certain point where they get offers. And I am sure Spike is not making Denzel [Washington] audition,” she told the news outlet. “But I think he is someone who has worked really hard for everything he has gotten and he is not a fan of handouts; and I respect that and I think that it is part of your job as an actor to audition. There’s no ego there, it’s just part of what you do.”
