Source: Mel B Elder Jr. / Mel B Elder Jr.
“I’m always going to be an actress. I’m never retiring,” Raven Goodwin tells me with passion gleaming from her eyes. I can feel her infectious energy as I sit across the table from the seasoned actress. Her disposition is poised, confident, and welcoming—humbling qualities that illuminate her relatable nature.
Goodwin mastered the art of storytelling through acting, a craft she’s been perfecting since her first movie role, Lovely & Amazing, in 2001. Throughout her career she’s shapeshifted into various characters, including Ivy Wentz in Disney’s Good Luck Charlie, Niecy Patterson in BET’s Being Mary Jane, and Monica in Lifetime’s Single Black Female. Transitioning from a Disney star to mainstream media is no easy feat. Many have tried and failed, but Goodwin’s ability to bring life to the characters she portrays sustains her success.
The actress continues to lay the foundation for her rock-steady career with her latest role as Merritt Tryon in FX’s horror series Grotesquerie. The show follows Lois Tryon (played by Niecy Nash), a detective engulfed in a case riddled with heinous murders that feel personal and intentional. As she navigates the gruesome details of the crimes plaguing her small town, she’s forced to confront the tense relationship with her daughter, Merritt, and her husband, Marshall (played by Courtney Vance).
Raven Goodwin highlights the truth about eating disorders through her character Merritt on Grotesquerie
Goodwin’s compelling performance of Merritt sheds light on an issue that torments millions of people worldwide. She is a sagacious woman with a witty personality, a sharp tongue, and an eating disorder that exposes her wounded relationship with her mother. It was the multiple layers of Merritt’s complex story that attracted Goodwin to play this character.
“Merritt was extreme, but at the end of the day, an eating addiction is an eating addiction, and it looks different for everybody. The thing about being plus size is that we fluctuate like everybody else. But you can always tell when we’re padding or eating to fill up. And I think she’s just eating to fill up because she feels empty, so she’s eating to feel something. That’s telling the truth. I’m telling the truth with Merritt’s story, so the narrative remains the same; it just looks different on different people,” she explains.
Source: Mel B Elder Jr. / Mel B Elder Jr.
“I was happy I could play that side of Merritt and then transition to this side where she’s obviously plus size; she probably does have a problem with food, but she’s also a boss showing up in the work field and trying to cure a disease. Merritt is so well-rounded in that way, and that’s why I was so drawn to playing her.”
Sadly, the idea that plus-size women are unhealthy has been ingrained in our society, often ostracizing people who don’t fit “standard” sizes. A person can be plus size and completely healthy; transversely, being slender doesn’t guarantee perfect health. While playing this role, Goodwin focused on the truth of eating disorders and how they can show up in anyone, no matter their size.
“I could play this role, but that’s also not my story,” she says.
Two babies won’t stop the show!
Goodwin was presented with this role during a major life transition. The actress was pregnant with her second child while filming and had a brief intermission to give birth to a healthy baby boy. The DC native and her husband Wiley welcomed their second child, Raj’Howard, on June 26th.
More recently, we’ve seen an influx of women redefine how it looks to balance motherhood and their careers, recognizing both can exist in a way that doesn’t force mothers to make extreme sacrifices to retain work.
“I had Raj two days after my birthday in June during filming. They gave me as long as needed and waited until I was ready to return. I gave myself some time to enjoy the baby. He was on set with me once I was ready to go back. They made sure I was super comfortable. They had an extra trailer for me. I was able to pump and breastfeed him. It was refreshing for my work environment to adjust to something that’s pretty natural. Back in the day, that was taboo, but I’m glad it’s becoming more normalized for us to return to the workforce because we want to, not because we have to. I could have turned this (Grotesequerie) down and had my baby, but I didn’t want to do that. I didn’t want to choose,” she says.
Goodwin gave birth to her first child, Riley’Rosa in 2020 during the COVID-19 frenzy that shifted the energy and climate of the world. “Everything was very relaxed,” she says. “I had nothing going on. My husband was working remotely, barely. So this time around, I was cool with just pushing it until the baby got here.”
She returned to set and picked up where things left off, with production making minor adjustments to maintain a safe and welcoming environment for Goodwin and her baby. And when the actress wasn’t running lines and prepping for scenes, she was absorbing life gems from her co-stars. “I asked Niecy and Courtney about parenthood, how to let go, be a good parent, and still balance life, and all that good stuff,” she says.
Raven Goodwin is confidently and unapologetically pushing boundaries
Source: Mel B Elder Jr. / Mel B Elder Jr.
Goodwin’s confidence is as radiant as her refulgent smile. From a young age, the actress says her mother built her up to know that she was beautiful. “My mom poured into me, saying things like, ‘You’re pretty, you’re the bomb, don’t let anybody bully you. But she didn’t teach me how to tell that to myself, if that makes sense,” she says.
Confidence is highlighted in children as early as four years old. Parenting, community influence, and personal experience help shape who we become and how we feel about ourselves. Parental validation helps shape self-esteem, but a child also needs guidance to recognize their positive traits for themselves.
“I was having this internal battle like, ‘Am I fat? Am I wrong?’ But my exterior was very feisty. You couldn’t phase me at a young age. I like that she taught me that, but I didn’t know (how to affirm myself),” she explains. But by the age of 5, Goodwin developed a strong, spiritual relationship with God that helped her love and accept who she is at the core. “Day in and day out I remind myself that God loves me. I tell my daughter this too.”
Her confidence level makes Goodwin relatable, but it also transcends to the characters she plays. Her commitment to unapologetically throwing herself into every role helps viewers unpack the baggage they’ve been carrying. It is a gift that encourages her to stretch her limits so she can connect to her audience.
“My storytelling, no matter what it is or how extreme it is, keeps me going. Because you would think Grotesquerie is crazy, but people are still finding the relatability in Merritt and connecting with her even though she’s in this world of horror,” she explains.
She’s also dedicated to breaking down the barriers and stigmas around plus size women. “I tell my agents and manager, don’t run away from nudity. Don’t run away from showing my body. And it’s not in a sexualized way; I want people to see that this is what a body looks like. This is what it gives, and it’s okay,” she declares.
Catch the season finale of Grotesquerie tonight at 10pm on FX.
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