Garcelle Beauvais has long been a powerful presence in Hollywood—first as a face on international runways, then as a charismatic television star in the 1990s and early 2000s. But in recent years, she’s emerged as something more. As the executive producer and star of Lifetime’s award-nominated franchises, including “Black Girls Missing” and “Tempted 2 Love,” and a former co-host of “The Real,” Beauvais has used her voice to challenge assumptions, champion diversity and navigate fame with rare vulnerability. Born in Haiti and raised between worlds, she brings a perspective that’s both global and deeply personal, and she’s only just getting started.
“I think the universe knew I was going to do this before I did. When I came to the United States, I had no idea about filmmaking and television or being a model. I used to dance and put on recitals for my family as a little girl, butI didn’t know where that would lead.
But, one thing just led to another. I wanted to be a flight attendant because of the travel and how glamorous that would be. Then, journalism was something I thought about, but I didn’t know what that was either. I gravitated toward a lot of things, not knowing where they were going to lead. Then, in my teenage years, people used to say to my mom, ‘Oh, she’s so pretty. She should model. Does she model?’ We were like, “We don’t even know what that is. What is that?”
We moved to Miami because my mom was sick of the cold in Massachusetts and she wanted to be closer to Haiti to visit family. When we got there, a friend of mine asked, ‘Do you want to be an extra in an orange juice commercial?’ I had no idea what that meant, but it paid $75 a day. I was in.
On the second day, I went up to the principal actor and said: ‘I want to do what you’re doing. How do I get to be in the front of that?’ She didn’t want to help me—she didn’t even want to talk to me. I found out that she was with a modeling agency in Fort Lauderdale called Irene Marie.
So one day I asked my mom if I could borrow her car. I didn’t have photos. I didn’t have an appointment. All I knew was that I was going to that Irene Marie place and maybe they would tell me how I can do it. So, as I’m driving to Fort Lauderdale, I stop at a red light. I lean out to check my makeup with the outside mirror.
As I’m reaching for my lip gloss, a hand comes in the car and scares the shit out of me. It was the woman in the car behind me. She goes, ‘You should be a model.’ She gives me a card. It was the agency I was going to without an appointment, without photos—without anything—but now I had a card that might show them I belong. They ended up taking pictures and set up tests with photographers. I signed with them.
About eight months later, Eileen Ford of the Ford Modeling Agency was scouting. She came to Irene Marie in Florida. They asked 10 girls to come and meet with Eileen, and I was one of them. My mom came with me, of course. Eileen told me I should move to New York, so I moved at 17 and lived with Eileen Ford because the modeling apartment was full.
There I was on the Upper East Side on 71st and Madison, and I didn’t even know what that meant! I knew nothing. To fast-forward a bit, I just went to New York with my son, Jaid [18 years old], who signed with New York Model Management, and I did the whole round with him. I thought, ‘Holy cow, what a full-circle moment.’ It’s crazy.
There was never the thought that I was going to stop trying.
But I also never thought it wasn’t going to work out…or that I should go home. There were moments when my dad was back in the picture and he was like, ‘We’re not sending her money.’ I got a fake ID and worked at the Playboy Club on 59th and Madison as a bunny. I was Bunny Garcelle. I was a waitress, making money while going on go-sees during the day. But there was never the thought that I was going to stop trying—going home wasn’t an option.
There are many projects I didn’t get that I thought were going to be the ones for me. I think when I got to work with, obviously, Jamie Foxx, that was my mini-break. But he wasn’t who he is now—he was a stand-up comedian traveling the country while we were shooting The Jamie Foxx Show. I think the big moment is when I got to work with Denzel [Washington] on Flight. Even though it wasn’t a huge role, to be up against someone who’s such a heavyweight in the industry finally felt like, ‘Wow, somebody believes in you somewhere.’
Right now, I’m really proud of the Black Girl Missing franchise. The fact that I’m producing now, people take me seriously. I’ve sold a couple of shows recently. I like being able to walk into a room and be taken seriously. Sometimes, I walk out and say, ‘Who do I think I am? Somewhere, I’m still that little girl from Haiti who asks, ‘Is this really possible?’ Even though I’ve done the things I’ve done, I think that’s part of staying humble for me.
I was telling someone this earlier: I was doing this history talk for A&E, and when I walked into the room, I didn’t know who was in there prior to me. It was Julia Roberts. She said, ‘Oh my God, I’m going to need a minute,’ when she saw me. I looked behind me and thought, ‘Who’s behind me?’
I am just grateful to be here—grateful that my mom brought me here and gave me this opportunity. That always stays with me. Sometimes, when my girlfriend says, ‘Have you taken stock of what you’ve been able to do?’ I stop and think, ‘Wow, I can’t believe it.’”
