Girl Talk with Oprah, Mindy, and Reese

You ever dream of being able to sit in the same room with Oprah Winfrey and chat about life? What about Mindy Kaling? Reese Witherspoon? Well, I got to do just that last month, and it was phenomenal. Oprah Winfrey came in first, and decided to chat us up while waiting for her A Wrinkle In Time co-stars to join her. After she secured her space in the room, I got to tell her something that she did for me 14 years ago on my 24th birthday. She gave me a car. Yes, I was on that very famous Oprah Winfrey Show where she gave the entire audience brand new Pontiac G6’s. 

I got a car! I got a car! I got a car! I. GOT. A. CAR! She even gave me a shoutout (not by name – I’m totally okay with that too)  on The Late Late Show with James Corden too! I’m forever grateful to my friend Cynica for extending the invitation to the show, and for Oprah working her magic with Pontiac that year to change the lives of so many people. Here’s a clip showing the mention!

 

Mindy enters the room looking just amazing in her floral wrap dress and , and Reese follows suit with a smile that lights up the room. They are three women who get right to the meat of the matter, and have us alternating between laughing, nodding in agreement, and gasps at the secrets they share. Essentially, it was a session of girl talk, and I was here for it. 

I also got to hug Oprah. Or, rather apologize for hugging her that time so long ago, and then she took a hug right back, so we were even. I felt special. I’m not sure she realizes how magical her hugs are, but they are a balm, and given that I interview her on such a ROUGH day emotionally for me, it was a change in the climate of my feelings. Deep, right? I don’t mean to be, it’s just what it is. It’s also probably the reason my selfie game with her on premiere night was JACKED! I wanted to respect her time, and her making room for me in what has to be an exhausting event. 

I could easily make this entire post about just Oprah – because as she stated during our interview – ” I raised y’all!” but Mindy and Reese were there and just as important too. The Mrs. Who, Which and Whatsit sitting before us, and waiting for the first question to be fired. 

The room was thick with anticipation. You could tell that everyone wanted to blurt out a question, but folks were a little overwhelmed with being with Mother O. She has this aura about her, so it’s easy to feel as if you may ask a question that she’s heard five million times. 

Women are stronger together…

Reese Witherspoon loved that the movie put WOMEN together – solving problems, not just one. There were several women working together to find Meg’s father. When we’re together, we create abundance. 

Mindy Kaling chimes in with her love of the inclusiveness of the cast. She states that she would love to have seen that on the big screen when she was younger. As would I. 

What Oprah knows for sure (and YES SHE SAID THIS AMAZINGNESS IN FRONT OF ALL OF US!) is that everybody’s goal is to live a life with meaning and one that matters. 

Which part of the movie is their favorite?  

Reese mentions a part of the movie that’s actually a spoiler (sorry guys) as her favorite. Well the line is a spoiler, not the part – if you’ve read the book. Charles Wallace and Meg are fighting the It and Meg has to think quickly on her feet. She has to dig deep and yell something very powerful to Charles Wallace. It hits right in the gut. 

The wound is where the light enters you is a quote used by Mrs. Who towards Meg, and boy is it hitting me all in my feels right now. One thing that I seem to forget as a blogger is that while providing content to you all – I still feel – and well I’m wounded. Do I share that with you all? Do I share my faults, and my fears, and my ugly side with so many people that I don’t know? I’m still working on it, but from this quote alone I know that I must have a WHOLE LOT OF LIGHT coming in! 

Oprah broke down her favorite quote about how many millions of things had to happen in order to get Meg where she was. We had an improptu sex-ed class too, and my appreciation for Oprah grew fifteen more times. In that moment though, she states that she and Storm actually had a connection that went beyond their characters and spoke to THEM. The fact that this movie took 54 years to get made, that it needed these exact people in these exact roles in order to make it the movie that it is. So many moments in the world had to happen to pull this cast together. 

What book would they put on the big screen 

Reese would choose To Kill A Mockingbird. She answers straightaway and with full confidence. 

Oprah stays true with her love of Maya Angelou and states that I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings would be her book of choice. Given that it’s an autobiography of Angelou’s this makes so much sense as Oprah’s pick

Mindy comes through with Harriet the Spy, which already happened in 1996 – but everyone doesn’t hang out on IMDb like I do. It’s research for me though guys, so no worries. We can always do a reboot and create an entirely different version that this generation of girls will adore. She noted that she loved the fact that Harriet was a short haired, not overtly feminine character that she would love to flesh out. 

Oprah is all of us with our children when they’re talkative

She commented on how Mindy and Reese are the talking-est girls she ever saw. I mean, I’m glad I wasn’t in the movie, because with my gift of gab, we ALL would have been kicked off set. However, I’d be the one giving useless facts while Oprah shared that Mindy and Reese were more of the pop culture and fashion type of talkers. I’m sure it was a sight to behold. 

Mindy is looking for an Indian American mom blogs to follow 

This wasn’t an interview question, just a statement made by Mindy, so if you know someone she should read – tweet at her! 

A new day is on the horizon 

I’m sure most of you remember this from Oprah’s Golden Globes speech that had people speculating about a presidential run. The future is female, and it’s a good future. She spoke to Reese’s show Big Little Lies, and how shows and blogs like this are bringing things to light that she wasn’t able to do in a hundred shows. She calls it the beauty of storytelling. Seeing yourself in the story, and for so many women, it’s about time. 

I want to thank Oprah, Mindy and Reese for spending a morning with us. For sitting with us and imparting their words, and their energy into our day. The hug that Oprah gave me meant more than she’ll ever know, and the car that she gave me 13 years ago was the catalyst for all of this. One of the millions of things that had to happen in order to get me in that room with her again. 

A Wrinkle In Time opens in theaters March 9 – tickets are available now!