NoW that you are in California, do you MiSS
neW york and have you found a balanCe?
absolutely. i love new york City. i love living here and i love coming
home, because new york is my balance. i do find that after a few
weeks or a month i do need to come back home to new york. i’m
such a new york girl.
Have you been able to find love in California?
i just look for someone who is relatable to me. a sense of humor,
caring, nice, smart, that can have a good conversation with me.
Someone who can encourage me when i am down. Just a good
person. it’s hard; it really is hard to find a great guy. itʼs hard to be
a virgin and look for a guy and think you can find him. it is a hard
situation for me. Sometimes i wonder what makes it not work. i
know i am young and i know that i am exploring, you know getting
to know different people. every relationship i have i learn something
new. i know eventually at the right time it will happen.
WaS it a ConSCiouS deCiSion to PubliCly
announCe that you Want to be a virgin
until Marriage. did you do it to be on
role Model StatuS?
no, i didnʼt do it for that reason. it kinda came up with me and
vanessa on the show. i donʼt regret it, it’s who i am. Publicly, i am
a public figure, being on a show for 6 seasons. i didn’t mind sharing
a piece of me. Waiting is for me, it doesn’t have to work for everyone
else. itʼs for yourself. i don’t do it for my dad, i do it for me. thats
my power and self will. itʼs what speaks to me. i am very good at
self control. it’s about having self discipline and not doing what everyone around you is doing. it’s a little more of a struggle, but it
will probably make that person and what it will be, that much better.
Do you feel that being on a reality ShoW haS
given PeoPle a falSe PerCePtion of you?
With opinions i kind of learned that people will always have an opin-
ion, that’s just life. i think you have to learn to accept it. a lot of the
times i do get pre judged by people who think they know what we
are, how we are. i’m a down to earth, pretty humble person. but the
first thing they know before they actually meet me is, “oh her
father’s a reverend so that means this or her unclesʼ...itʼs always
something. Whether it’s that we are spoiled, rich, they don’t have
to work for nothing. i’ve heard it all. but i’ve learned through my
father, through my uncle and always asking questions, that it’s just
a part of life. it is what it is. it comes with being a Simmons. it
comes from being behind this legacy.
Do you reMeMber the MoMent When you got
thiCk Skin to the negativity?
honestly, thick skin develops over time. i was still in high school
when we were filming runʼs house. i kinda knew what i was sign-
ing up for but i didnʼt know that there would be so much criticism.
it was a lot, you know i got hurt a lot. a lot of nights i would cry and
feel like i wasn’t good enough. People tearing you down. but over
time you learn. i talked to my father, talked to my mother, talked to
all four parents, which is a blessing to have so many caring voices.
Within the last two years i’ve been growing thick skin.
There SeeMS to have been a Stronger SenSe of
ConfidenCe froM you thiS PaSt year, alMoSt a
tranSforMation froM young girl to young
WoMan. hoW haS that ProCeSS been in the
PubliCS eye?
absolutely, the world was viewing me at the age of 17. So you have
to imagine from 17 to 23 you are going to grow up. it’s a matter of
me becoming more of a woman, which is still a process that’s
happening. iʼve grown in relationships and work, everyday is a
learning experience. iʼve changed since coming to la. heath wise
i am more aware and am really trying to get in touch with myself. i
am learning to love myself first.
What are you loving about yourSelf
right noW?
iʼm loving my growth. iʼm starting to push the envelope with my
fashion. it will be an extension on me moving into my career. there
are things that iʼm going to get into that people probably wouldnʼt
even know i could do. iʼm moving at the right pace.
What WaS your fearleSS MoMent of 2010?
My most fearless moment, i became a vegetarian. one day i decided
i am not going to touch meat and that was that. i remember the day.
i went to eat breakfast and i got a little sick after eating some
turkey meat. iʼve wanted to do it for so long, being around my uncle
and i got some pointers from him. at that very moment i stopped.
definitely a fearless moment for me. i feel blessed, i wake up every
morning knowing that if i want to do something i can. honestly,
everyone has that freedom. outside of the job you may have, you
have the freedom to be as creative as you want
Angela
Check out the SIMMONS SISTERS at:
www.lovepastry.com
and follow Angela Simmons
on Twitter@angelasimmons
Credit:
leather Circle drop earrings by
found objects; angela’s ring by
Justine Simmons
“There are things
that Iʼm going to get
into that people
probably wouldnʼt
even know I could
do. Iʼm moving
at the right pace.”
-Angela
.........................................................
Vanessa's Interview Exclusive
are there eXPeCtationS to being a
PreaCherS daughter in the PubliC eye?
i don’t really give into those expectations. i think i do what
makes me happy and what works for me the best. i learned a
long time ago that, the pressure to be great and good has made
me better, but it didn’t force me to be something i am not.
WaS there PreSSure to be in entertain-
Ment being that it iS SuCh a big Part of
your faMily life?
oh no, my parents didn’t really want me to be in entertain-
ment. they wanted to make sure that it was something i
really wanted to do. that’s why my dad was like, “you want
to be an actress, why?” that was kind of their reaction. but
growing up in the circumstance of having entertainment
around i think it was natural that i did do that.
What Would your dreaM role be?
i used to have all of these ideas of dream roles, but as i got
deeper into acting i realized that whatever the universe
throws my way i am willing to do. i don’t think there should
be any barriers from what i do or what people think i would
act like. i am willing and open to expand my horizons and
take myself out of my comfort zone. i am waiting to read
that script that really blows me away. Something that makes
people say ʻoh wow, that isn’t the same vanessa we saw on
daddy’s girls.
Would you be CoMfortable taking a role
that Would Move againSt your PerSonal
MoralS but iS needed to Move the
CharaCter forWard in the Story?
it is acting and i feel i just want to do my job. i know that there
are going to be some scripts that come across my desk that
are not going to be in line with my personal morals. but all i
want to do is my job and that is part of my job. i want to be able
to go outside of myself for a minute and step into someone else.
as long as i don’t get suck there for too long and go crazy.
do you feel that you have found your
indePendenCe aWay froM PeoPleS
i think that finding my independence has been a life long
journey. Since high school, i wanted to seek independence.
everyone will have an opinion, but i think over the years even
without runʼs house people will have opinions. even
growing up in school, going to college people had their
opinions about me, whether bad or good. over the years i’ve
learned to not really give a crap. i’ve actually had people say
bad things about me and then meet me and say, “oh my
gosh, you are nothing like i thought.” and in my mind, i am
like, well thanks for judging me.
do you feel that MakeS you Put your
guard uP, knoWing that you are being
Pre-Judged on your faMily ConneCtionS?
in the past it made me put my guard up and i fell it has made
me more of a guarded person. Which is also another reason
why i probably didn’t show people so much of myself on tv.
but growing up and getting old i have learned to not care.
trying to be a successful actress will not allow me to keep
that guard up. i used to feel that way for a long time. it is
just this past year that i am like, ʻscrew itʼ. in order for me
to be successful at my dreams need to let that guard down
and i need to let go.
What iS the SuCCeSS that you hoPe to reaCh?
oh my god there are so many different steps i feel like i want
to take in my life. it started with Pastry and angela and i
building a brand. taking that from zero to where the brand
is now. and of course, there is acting which i don’t feel like
i have hit the top of that iceberg of where it will go. it is
happening now. i am very excited about where it is headed.
i also want to be a hotelier. Me and my sister want to open
a hotel. angela and i also just started a production company
called Simmons 2 for quality tv programming. there are so
many levels to where i want to go to reach my successes,
one day at a time.
What have you been Working on lately?
i am writing a screenplay with my friend. it is pretty much
done, we are going to go back to it at the beginning of the
year and make the necessary changes to complete it. i will
probably start shopping that around and hope it gets some
interest. So we start form there and here comes another step
in our lives.
With PaStry aS the firSt buSineSS you
and angela got into did you See it aS
a Way to alSo Send a MeSSage?
We wanted to make an impact, to show people that their
dreams are very possible. i am sure that some thought they
come from a successful family, so it was a lot easier. Part of
that is true, yes we did have a head start. the other part of
that is we worked extremely hard to do this. We worked at
it every single day and made sure that it could be a tool to
inspire others that anything is possible and to believe in
yourself. i think if you push and do the work, and put your
passion behind it then it will come to pass. i love using
Pastry for that.
hoW haS it been, Starting a life in a neW
PlaCe?
yeah i definitely started over here. it was hard. i came to la
with no agent. technically no reel, only little work pieces
here and there from the guiding light. it was extremely hard
and i am now pretty proud of how far i have come on the
career side. it may not be where i thought i’d be by this time
in my life, but it is shaping up pretty nicely. i don’t think in
life we are in charge of all that stuff. i think there is perfect
timing and everything is coming along pretty well. i actually
feel now for the first time in life that i can call myself an
Vanessa
