This summer, Rutina Wesley, who plays tough-chick Tara on HBO's True Blood, bids farewell to the show that made her famous. It will be difficult, but if a childhood in Las Vegas, a horrific car accident, and a run-in with Rihanna's security couldn't stop Rutina, nothing will.
This feature appears in Complex's June/July 2014 issue.
The first time I felt like a badass:
When I got into Juilliard. As a kid, I told myself, “I’m going to that school someday,” and my dream came true. I don’t tell many people that. I don’t want people thinking I had a big ego as a kid. I just wanted to go to a performing arts school. Fame was my favorite movie.
The last time I felt like a badass:
I bought a fancy car and named it “Dat Bitch.” It’s a Range Rover with custom rims and an all-purple custom paint job. It’s like an eggplant. I ride in it with my music loud, my shades on, the sunroof open. I’ve always wanted a dream car, and now that I’ve got one, I’m going to let it be known, dammit!
The first time I accepted my own mortality:
When I was 7, an old lady was driving too fast in my neighborhood and hit me with her car. I was running out of the house, and when I got halfway into the street, my mom saw the car and yelled for me to run back. As I turned around the car hit me, dragged me five houses down the road, and I fractured my collarbone. I was tiny—that car could’ve flattened me. I still have a strong memory of it, from blacking out to waking up in the hospital and wearing a sling that cut into my skin.
The last time I accepted my own mortality:
Whenever an actor passes away, like when Philip Seymour Hoffman and Heath Ledger died. Hollywood can jack you up and then help you fall, but it can also raise you up. It makes me realize that I have to stay strong, remain humble, and know that nothing’s promised to me.
The first time I was starstruck:
I did my first Broadway play, The Vertical Hour, in 2006, with Julianne Moore, who’s always been one of my favorite actresses. My scene was with her, so it was nerve-racking. I’d be on the stage trying not to stare or make it seem obvious that I was questioning how I ended up there with her. She taught me so much without directly teaching me.
The last time I was starstruck:
I was leaving a private rehearsal a couple years back and, out of nowhere, Rihanna showed up. I was hiding behind cars; her security got all worked up and asked me what I was doing. When she got out of the car, she looked worried, like I was a crazy stalker or paparazzi. But then she yelled, “Rutina!” Turns out, she’s a big True Blood fan. I hung out with her and got to hear her sing “What’s My Name?” and “Love the Way You Lie” live for the first time.
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