CENTERSTAGE Truitt mentions God a lot. It’s clear within seconds of speaking with her that faith is a big part of her life. Her father is pastor at STC The Well Church in Sacramento. “I’m very grateful for all he’s done for me,” Truitt says of her father. “Being a pastor’s kid was a big foundational point for my life, giving me a spiritual connection and the legacy of faith.” “It can be annoying as well — VERY annoying,” Truitt warmly laughs, recalling times when being a pastor’s kid was a figurative thorn in her side. “But I’m grateful for the experience and what I learned, and how I developed from it.” Truitt has applied all that she learned in Sacramento, and today she’s broken ground as the first African American female lead in a “Law & Order” franchise drama, playing Sergeant Ayanna Bell on “Law & Order: Organized Crime,” airing Thursdays on NBC. Her character is a proud lesbian, and as it turns out, Truitt is equally proud to play her on screen.
heartthrob Christopher Meloni. I asked the actress about those first few days on set with him. “Chris is so warm,” Truitt recalled. “He texted me right after I got the part, and said ‘I’m so excited to start this journey with you.’ Chris has always made me feel welcomed. It’s been really awesome to work with him.” Yeah, yeah, all of that is great, Danielle. But what is it like to work with all of THAT? “Chris has a very strong presence. He owns his space,” Truitt shared. “And his eyes! When he looks at you! I’m used to it now — it’s just Chris. But in those first few days, he’s staring at me in the scene, and I’m forgetting my lines! The words would come out of my mouth, but I was thinking ‘What am I doing right now?’ “
During her hiatus before beginning the third season of “Law & Order: Organized Crime,” another thing Truitt is doing is preparing to perform her one-woman play, “3 Black Girl Blues,” at the B Street BEING ABLE TO Theatre in Sacramento June 2-12.
“When you start acting, and you OVERCOME IN THE come from a Christian family, “It tells the story about three MIDST OF ALL OF THE people have certain expectations women and how they’ve THINGS THAT BLACK of you,” Truitt, who is straight, navigated life since high school, reflected. “Everything is an issue. WOMEN HAVE TO ENDURE and coming back together in their People want to know how you’re — THAT’S WHAT CREATES 30s, and the secrets that they’ve going to kiss someone in a movie, held,” Truitt says of the play. “It’s OUR MAGIC! or do a love scene, or curse in one of a beautiful story of friends, and your plays.” of women. It’s hilarious. It will make I suggested to Truitt that I, at least, was sure that she remained OK in God’s eyes. After all, she’s not a princess who turns into a frog, either. “God created the heavens and the earth, and He is the most intelligent being in the world, so I’m pretty sure He knows that I’m just acting,” Truitt said. “God has blessed me with the opportunity to tell stories, and to give life to people’s experiences.” “While my parents were super supportive of me taking the role, I was a little nervous about playing a lesbian,” Truitt shared. “I wanted to make sure that I wasn’t playing a stereotype. Being a lesbian is someone’s sexual orientation, but the heart of a person is just that, regardless of who they love. That’s the most important thing for me: making sure I’m portraying her as a fully developed human being.” Truitt’s starring with another “fully developed human being” on “Law & Order: Organized Crime,” | 1 0 | T H E HU B MA G A Z I N E S P R I N G 2 0 2 2
you cry. It will make you angry. You will experience the full gamut of emotions.” “We talk about Black Girl Magic, and I think a lot of the magic that we have is because we have to navigate through the blues of life,” Truitt added. “Being able to overcome in the midst of all of the things that black women have to endure — that’s what creates our magic!” As busy as she is these days, Truitt still finds time to continue her community service, remaining active in supporting homeless people, boy’s homes, and promoting mental health, especially in the African American community. “Therapy has become something that black people are really talking about and getting involved in,” Truitt said. “We have too much PTSD just from being in this country to not do that. At a certain point, you have to get help if you’re going to transition to the next level. If you really want to be who God called IS S UU.C O M/ THEHUBMAG
