Danielle Brooks is raising a little superstar of her own who is already channeling her inner Beyonce.
The Orange Is the New Black and Peacemaker actress, recently opened up to People Maazine on the red carpet at the ABT Fall Gala, proudly sharing that her 6-year-old daughter, Freeya, whom she shares with husband Dennis Gelin, is already showing major stage presence.
Danielle said that while her daughter may just be starting out in dance, she already knows how to command attention, much like one of music’s biggest icons.
“She takes dance, which is like tap and ballet, and I gotta see her perform. My daughter performed and she was like Beyoncé, because she kind of found herself stepping in front of everybody and so she really had her own Beyoncé moment,” the actress said with a laugh. “It was really cute.”
The proud mom affectionately added that Freeya is a “diva in training.”
And while the 36-year-old is usually not one for over-the-top seasonal celebrations, she admits that her daughter’s excitement for Halloween has inspired her to get into the spooky spirit this year.
“My daughter’s helping me to get into Halloween because I’m not really a Halloween girly, but we’re decorating the house, doing arts and crafts stuff, and I’m gonna dress up as a curvy cow with a leotard on,” she shared. “It’s gonna be cute.”
The Broadway and screen star has often spoken about how special motherhood feels to her, and last year, she posted a touching Instagram post featuring a video of Freeya watching The Color Purple trailer for the first time.
As the mother-daughter duo watched The Little Mermaid in theaters, Freeya lit up when she saw her mom appear on-screen.
“That’s you! That’s you!” the little girl shouted excitedly. “Mommy!”
The mother-of-one recalled that emotional moment in her caption, writing, “A few months ago I took my daughter to her first movie theatre experience, The Little Mermaid. The trailer for @thecolorpurple began to play, and I knew I just had to capture this special moment of my daughter seeing her mother on the big screen for the first time.”
“You all know I became a puddle of tears. Knowing that I get to leave my daughter something to always be proud of and remember me by is so special to me. So grateful for moments like these,” she continued. “I hope you will come see this film on Christmas Day and create unforgettable moments with your loved ones as well.”
The Color Purple actress has also been open about the challenges of postpartum recovery and body image. In her Parents magazine cover story for May 2021, she reflected on the toll pregnancy took on her mind and body, and her journey toward self-acceptance.
“I gained a lot of weight during my pregnancy, and I think I did go through postpartum depression,” she shared. “I was trying to stay positive when it felt like my whole world had flipped upside down. Creating a human takes a toll on women’s bodies. Sometimes, we don’t give ourselves enough love or patience about that.”
“You may think you’re going to bounce back miraculously, but that’s not true for a lot of people. I’m one of them,” she added. “While I want to return to my pre-baby size at the same time, I want to love this skin that I’m in now.”
Photo Credit: Danielle Brooks