NIt is an absolute pleasure to introduce you to the one and only, Verta Maloney, who plays Toccara in Bubbly Brown Sugar! We met at a workshop and immediately connected. I couldn’t stop looking at her beautiful blonde fro, set against her light brown eyes and chocolate skin. Whenever she spoke, it was full of wisdom and flowed like butter. She shared that she had always wanted to act, but the right moment never presented itself. How timely because I casting for Bubbly Brown Sugar had not even began. Needless to say, it was a no brainer and I immediately offered her a chance to act on camera. She thought about it and a few days later, said YES! She may have said yes in the moment, but you know what I mean… Anyhoot, learn more about this dynamic and incredible woman below!
Tell me about yourself.
i am all love with appropriate doses of rage. i am a storyteller, yogi, mama warrior and anti-racism facilitator. i currently am my own business and i help individuals and organizations share their racial autobiographies and stories in order to act on and undo racism in this lifetime.
i am grateful for miracles. if miracles are surprising and welcome events that are not explicable by natural or scientific laws and are therefore considered to be the work of a divine agency then i am in fact an entire fuckin miracle and i am surrounded by fuckin miracles every damn day like tamala, like all humans and things associated with bubbly brown sugar and like you … yeah you!
Living the life of a creative is not a path for the faint of heart. With that in mind, why do you feel drawn to be a storyteller/actor?
i believe that by sharing our stories we build and foster stronger relationships that allow us to talk more openly and honestly with one another and ultimately take action in meaningful and impactful ways. i believe the act of sharing our stories is an act of love.
What do you love most about being a storyteller?
stories allow us the be seen, heard and healed. i love being a witness to this process in myself and in others. it is a blessing and gift to know that i am doing exactly what i have been put on this earth to do even on the hardest days or the days when rejections reign supreme. i tell stories through images, through words and quite honestly through my very existence.
What attracted you the most to your character and/or to the project?
tamala. tamala. tamala. did i say tamala? tamala is all love and has written a beautiful love story. from the moment i met her i knew we’d be fast friends! i believe in black love and that black people get to have love however they want it. we are not a monolith and neither is our love.
black love is beautiful and revolutionary AF so i had to be a part of bubbly brown sugar and it is now forever a part of me. i play the role of tocarra. tocarra is a bawse … just like me! the role is small and mighty (for now 😉 )…just like me!
How do you hope people will feel about your character?
like they want more. lol.
What was your favorite memory while being on set?
the table read. it was magical. i knew instantly that what we were creating together was magical because of all the people to be together in a room to make this dream of one storyteller/writer come to be WE were the ones at the table.
If you could summarize Bubbly Brown Sugar in three words, what would they be?
magical AF 🌠💫
Why should people watch Bubbly Brown Sugar when it’s released?
because it’s for any and everyone that wants to connect on a human level!!!
because it’s all about love and it’s hilarious and it’s moving and it will make you feel all the feels!!!
because it’s blackety black ya’ll and by supporting black women and black love you are supporting a more liberated world for all of us.
Connect with Verta Maloney on Instagram!
