There are many rising stars in the modern television and film world, and one of them is Ms. Zolee Griggs. Out of Los Angeles, California, she has been in acting since a young age, starring in Cory in the House, but most recently taking on a leading role in Hulu’s Wu-Tang: An American Saga.
Assuming the role of RZA’s sister, Shurrie Diggs, Zolee Griggs brings a wide range of emotions to the stage that truly brings the character to life. Excited for the chance to be part of the Wu-Tang legacy, Zolee Griggs recently sat down to chat about her time on Wu-Tang: An American Saga.
Cryptic Rock – You have been involved in acting professionally for nearly two decades now. Starting out at a young age, you have since gone onto take a leading role in Wu-Tang: An American Saga. How did the role of Shurrie Diggs come about for you?
Zolee Griggs – I auditioned in 2018…that feels like eons ago. (Laughs) I sent in a self tape actually because I was out of the country. We did a call back, then I did a chemistry read where I met Siddiq (Saunderson) for the first time. We did the read and I got the role, it was amazing! I think I got the role right before Christmas, so that was my early Christmas gift, it was beautiful!
Cryptic Rock – That is a great gift. What inspired you to purse the role? Are you a Wu-Tang Clan fan?
Zolee Griggs – Of course! Plus, they are icons, I grew up listening to Wu-Tang…everybody knows “C.R.E.A.M..” That was the first step, but the second was also getting to work so closely with these icons who know what they’re doing. RZA impresses me so much. Not just by being an artist and musician, but he’s also a producer, writer, he has his own movies, and worked in television. Of course I wanted to be a part of this and work so closely with them. Now I know them as great mentors, so I am super appreciative.
Shurrie’s character holds a lot of weight. Also Linda Diggs; Erika Alexander’s character. We are the leading women in the show. We break up all the masculinity and testosterone. I am very appreciative to be a part of it.
Cryptic Rock – And you are both doing a fantastic job with your roles. When it comes to anything that is based on true events one can imagine for an actor/actress it could be a little intimating portraying a character in that story. You are portraying a main character in one of the main creator’s lives. Was that intense?
Zolee Griggs – I think it’s even more intimating for me because I am not just playing one of RZA’s sister’s, but I’m playing an amalgamation of all of his sisters. The cool thing is because each sister is different, I think Shurrie gets to play into these different people at times. I think she’s a little softer and more vulnerable when she’s with Dennis and definitely more defensive and hard bodied when she is protecting Randy as his older sister. It really depends. I think we’re all doing an amazing job paying homage and respect to these real life people. We also got to talk with these people that we are portraying. That helps a lot too.
Cryptic Rock – Very interesting. So what is the chemistry like onsite? You can tell when a show is going well that the chemistry must be good.
Zolee Griggs – Yea. All the guys are my brothers now. When we have time we hang out, get lunch, and just chill. It feels good, because I think I’m one of the youngest people on set, so I have a bunch of older brothers now. I love hanging out with Siddiq, he’s a great person, very professional, and we have a really close friendship. But not just Siddiq and I, but literally all the guys in the series. We’re all really close.
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