Life Without 'Girlfriends'
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After nearly two years, Jill Marie Jones (aka Toni Childs) is finally clearing up some of the rumors regarding her sudden departure from the hit show, Girlfriends. Jones spoke candidly to Essence.com and revealed the real reason she decided to leave the show, whether or not she still speaks to the cast members, and her life after 'Girlfriends'.Essence.com: Do you miss being a part of "Girlfriends"?
J.M.J: I do miss Girlfriends. I don’t know if people know this, but Girlfriends was only my third audition. I booked my first audition for City Guys, a Saturday morning show. My second audition I didn't book and then Girlfriends was my third, so you have to understand that I still very green to this industry and there was the whole film world that I didn't know. So when I left Girlfriends after six years, there was just so much I wanted to know and do. I've just been having a ball having opportunities to do movies. It’s just been great.
Essence.com: Nothing wrong with spreading your wings, which brings me to your departure from Girlfriends. Tracee Ellis Ross said in an interview that the reason you didn't return was because the cast did not receive the huge raise they were expecting. Is that true?
J.M.J.: First of all, let me tell you why I left. I left because I wanted to do movies. My contract was up after my sixth season and people forget that just like the network can choose whether or not to renew your contract, I can also choose and evaluate whether or not I want to come back. My actor’s chair that has Girlfriends and my name on it, you know the director’s chair? Well, on the very last day of my sixth season, I told them to grab my chair and put it in my car for me. So why would I take my chair if I thought I was coming back? Believe you me, I would tell you. I’ve never made a decision based on money. I was on the show for six years and I think that’s a good run. There’s so much more I want to do in my career and so much more I want to know and learn, but my departure definitely had nothing to do with money.
Essence.com: And let me tell you, Toni Childs is sorely missed.
J.M.J.: It was so much fun playing Toni Childs. I don’t walk that walk in my daily life. I like to think that I'm a pretty nice person, but to be able to play the diva and say some of the things those types of characters say was a lot of fun.
Essence.com: Do you still keep in touch with the cast?J.M.J.: I’ve talked to them individually at different times. I have so much love for all of them. But are we hanging out and having some wine and cheese on a Saturday night? No. Do I think of them as friends? Absolutely. In a way, I think of them as extended family, like cousins. I’ve talked to them individually throughout this, but I don’t talk to them on a regular basis. I wish them all well and I still watch the show.
Essence.com: We're so used to seeing you play the fabulous "diva" roles. Can we expect you to get dirty in Major Movie Star?
J.M.J.: My character, Connie Johnson, is a single mother who's been laid off her job for about seven months. She has dreams for her and her child's future, so she joins the Army for job opportunities because it's her last hope. And honey, this was not a fabulous role. If you consider swamp water and mud makeup, I wore that every day. It was real: we were in the swamps, we were dirty every day; so this was no "Toni Childs" character.
Read The Whole Interview at Essence.com
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