BROOKLYN DECKER

BROOKLYN DECKER Actress, Entrepreneur, 2020 Cover Woman

Austin Woman: Your Austin Woman cover story followed your entrepreneurial journey and acting career. When your story published in January of this year, Grace and Frankie was in production for a seventh and final season. How does it feel to wrap up a significant project and what’s next?

Brooklyn Decker: We were in the middle of shooting our final season, episode five actually, when we shut down due to coronavirus. We have a particularly vulnerable cast and crew, so I don’t know when we will all be back together shooting again. In the meantime, we do weekly Zoom calls with our cast, and we have rallied to do a public table read to give the fans a sneak peek of season seven and to raise funds for Meals on Wheels. I’ve been trying to write and figure out what’s next, but, like most people, we are in a holding pattern until we see how this thing plays out!

AW: Your cover story ended with the quote, “Ultimately, I try to be a person who shows up, whether as a mom or friend, investor or supporting cast member.” What does “showing up” look like in this unique season of isolation?

BD: This time has been so uniquely challenging because unlike any natural disasters or attacks of our past, we are unable to physically come together to help those who need it most. I’m trying to be creative with little ways to help from my house; the easiest one has been scheduling calls with friends and family members and checking in on those who need a little love. If you’re still getting your income, continue to pay for your housekeeper if you have one, or maybe your child’s preschool. Additionally, I’m concerned about the small businesses in our communities and those who are food insecure right now. I got a bunch of gift cards from McGuire Moorman Hospitality and went on Instagram and offered them to the first 20 people who said they needed them. I’ll be doing the same with Tiff’s Treats this week. They aren’t huge sweeping efforts, but they are little things that I hope will help people who need it.

AW: How can Austinites support you and the women in your community right now?

BD: See my answer above! Buy gift cards, reach out to small-business owners, share their stories. For those who can, think about how much your haircut or color would cost you for a few months, buy a gift card for that amount to use later. (I bought mine from Deep Roots.) So many of our favorite services are provided by femalefounded companies; do what you can to support them so we can see them re-open when all of this is over.

WHAT’S BEEN ON YOUR READING LIST OR NETFLIX QUEUE DURING QUARANTINE?

I didn’t go to college, so I signed up for my first college class on edx.org. They do free courses. Mine is called Justice and it’s at Harvard. If you have time right now, try to use it to be productive. Yes, I am drinking a ton of margaritas, but I fit in a lecture every couple of days! I, of course, watched Tiger King. Up next is Unorthodox. I’m reading Why We Can’t Sleep and Bad Feminist as well. Again, I’m not getting a ton done each day, but even 20 minutes of reading at night calms me down and helps me feel a little bit more productive.