At just 26 years old, Lovie Simone has solidified herself as a veteran in her craft. She started this journey almost a decade ago, with the original series Greenleaf. Now, she’s taken center stage playing Keisha in Mara Brock Akili’s Forever on Netflix.
When Simone steps into frame for this interview, her silk scarf wrapped across her hair, soft glam on her face, it feels very reminiscent of her character in Forever, even though she’s currently in Atlanta filming season two of Diarra From Detroit. Simone isn’t Keisha by any means — she makes that very clear — but her seasoned approach to one of the more complex teenage Black leads we’ve gotten in a while is why so many viewers cannot separate her from the role she plays.
Forever is the moment that brought the world into the Lovie Simone universe, and now a large group of people find themselves backtracking through her filmography just so they can get a glimpse into the revered Black-centered world she’s building. Simone wants to emphasize that multifaceted characters aren’t reserved solely for white women, and she’s on a mission to prove why we need even more characters like Keisha, Zora, and Selah.
Below, we speak with Lovie Simone as part of Teen Vogue‘s New Hollywood Class of 2025.
Teen Vogue: What was it like to see the online response to Forever, especially when some people didn’t agree with Keisha’s choices or perspective?
Lovie Simone: When the show dropped, I was filming a horror movie in a cave a hundred feet underground with no Wi-Fi, so I couldn’t even enjoy the first pop-off moments. When I finally saw all the conversations, I was so ready to be there because I have a lot of personal feelings toward Keisha and get very protective over her, like, “She’s just a girl, you need to leave her alone!”
As an actor, my whole job is to understand human emotions, and I’ve come to the conclusion that some perceptions about Keisha come from a chosen ignorance because there isn’t a lot of grace given to Black women trying to grow up. I looked at her as soft and vulnerable, but others saw her as calculating.
LS: I don’t know the specific dates or have any scripts yet, but we’re about to go into production soon. I’m looking forward to a spring break episode, a homecoming episode, all the things wrapped around HBCU culture. The Martha’s Vineyard episode was my favorite. I love when episodes feel like a standalone story.
LS: I want to know what [Keisha’s] Black sisterhood looks like post-high school, post-trauma, coming from that much pain into a space where she’s fully accepted, loved, and supported. I’d want to see the drama too, the kind that isn’t always tied to men. I’d love to see what she’s picking up. Is she a majorette? Still doing track? What clubs is she in?
TV: How do you think Keisha’s past trauma and triggers might resurface or evolve as she navigates a new environment like college?
LS: Any time you’re forced to look at yourself, face isolation, or deal with shifting dynamics, you’re going to meet a different version of yourself that you have to evolve into. I’m ready to see Keisha have conversations that open her mind about what she went through, and how to grow from it. Relationships show you who you are and help mold you. I want to see her take a different mold with a new awareness that’s beyond teenage trauma. A more evolved, like, “Okay, well that is that. And now I have to keep going,” because it wasn’t the end of the world.
TV: Would you care if people still think of you as Keisha 10 to 15 years from now?
LS: I’m about 10 years [removed] from Greenleaf and still get called Zora. Those are pieces of myself, girls I took in, like, “You are me, I am you.” I appreciate when people call me by the character’s name; it feels like meeting family or besties on the street. It’s nice that I convinced you I’m Keisha.
TV: What is it like constantly seeing people shipping you and your co-star, Michael Cooper Jr.?
LS: I love it. It’s so cute because I really enjoyed just being Keisha. I really enjoyed the illusion. I love playing this character who is a teenager in love for the first time. So it’s really cool that I convinced people that this is the first time they saw me experiencing love, even though I’m [turning] 27.
TV: When you get a script and read a new character, what do you look for in their story? How do you define complexity in a young woman?
LS: I look for complexity in the sense of more than one desire, because a lot of times Black people have one desire in film… For Keisha, it wasn’t just wanting a boy; she wanted her past to erase itself.
TV: You’ve acted in a lot of dramas and romances. Are there any other genres that excite you right now?
LS: I love comedy and am starting to take that route. Everything’s been so serious, and I’m ready to say something outlandish! Also, I tell people all the time, I’d love to play Catwoman one day and try on the catsuit.
TV: In a previous Teen Vogue interview, you mentioned losing a nail while filming your upcoming horror film…
LS: The nail is back on! I’m at nail salons regularly now. I literally give my blood, sweat, and tears to my job. When it happened, everyone wanted to end the night, but I said, “No, put a Band-Aid on it and let’s go.”
