The actress is currently starring as Shan in the reboot of the beloved The CW series.
Grace Duah is just getting started. The actress, who is currently starring in the HBO reboot of ‘Gossip Girl’, has had quite a few years. has taken an exciting step in her journey.
TheGrio recently spoke with Duah to learn more about her journey, her time as an intern on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, her time auditioning every day, and her promotion to series regular for Season 2 of the show. I elaborated on when. .
“It was a tough climb,” Duah quipped. She has always wanted to act, but has made it clear that this was not the path her parents first saw for her. A supportive high school drama teacher helped convince her parents that her daughter should actually pursue acting.
“My dad said, ‘We’ll support you in this, but we’re very limited in how we can help you. Industry, we don’t have that.'”
This realization helped keep the flames “already raging pretty hard” within Duah. “Not only did I need to be successful for everyone who supported me, but it was like there was no cushion. everything up to that [Gossip Girl] It was the realm of entertainment. ”
After earning a degree from Pace University’s Film Acting Program, Dua avoided generic acting jobs such as waitressing and pursued a digital production internship at Discovery. She went on to intern on ‘The Late Show’ just before the pandemic, eventually landing a full-time gig on the show.
On her first day as a bona fide employee, she auditioned and secured an agency. “It was all happening very quickly,” she explained. “I had just started on ‘The Late Show.’ No. I can navigate it but this is a stable job and they are great people.
It all worked out for Dua, as she was able to balance the heavy load of auditions with her “routine.” And five months later, Duah booked “Gossip Girl,” and managed to balance both shows.
The role of Shan was originally a guest star, but Dua knew at her first audition that it could be beefed up for season two. At the end of last year, she called me. “I’m a crybaby. I cry about anything,” she said, remembering her phone call. “I sobbed on the phone!”
Duah adds: [about Shan],It was helpful. In general, the first work is always difficult. I have to prove myself not just to my fans, but to people in the industry, executive producers, casting, and everyone. It meant a lot to me for them to have faith and be like, ‘Let’s see what she can do.
When it comes to Shan, Dua loves gritting his teeth at this character trying to find his place among this elite group of Upper East Siders. “Shan is a character who has no friends on purpose,” she explained. I think it was when I interacted with Zoya [Whitney Peak], she was going to screw her up and leave her alone…but with Zoya, she was like, “Why do I care so much?” see the It’s like adding stones to a kite. ”
Finally, Duah said: Getting a chaotic character shows someone down to do something and the outside world has no motivation. was. ”
Season 2 of “Gossip Girl” is now streaming on HBO Max.
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Grace Dua’s post on “Gossip Girl,” her journey from late-night TV production assistant to series regular, first appeared on The Grio.
