Danielle Brooks on Playing a Mother Torn Between Father and Son in New Film
The actress talks honoring a real woman behind her character on the show's Josh Johnson segment.
Danielle Brooks sat down with Josh Johnson on THE DAILY SHOW to discuss her new film, If I Go Will They Miss Me, in which she plays Lozita, a mother caught between a son who idolizes his father and a father who cannot see himself the way his child does. Brooks talked through the emotional pull of the role and what drew her to a story built around that family tension.
Much of the conversation centered on the making of the film itself, particularly the decision to shoot on location in Watts. Brooks described the significance of filming in the neighborhood and spoke about the responsibility she felt in honoring the real woman who inspired her character, treating the role as more than a fictional composite.
Brooks also connected the performance to her own life, telling Johnson how motherhood has changed the way she approaches the parts she chooses to play. That personal lens shaped much of her discussion of Lozita, framing the character's struggle through her own experience raising a family while working as an actor.
The appearance gave Brooks room to speak candidly about balancing the emotional weight of the material with the practical realities of shooting on location, offering viewers a look at how a real community and a real story informed her performance in If I Go Will They Miss Me.
Sign up for all the news on the Summer season, discounts & more...
