What Rhymes With America's Da'Vine Joy Randolph Loves Pinterest, The Godfather, Baking Pies & More

Theater stars know what’s hot in entertainment, fashion and pop culture, so Broadway.com decided it was high time to tap in to the after-hours obsessions of our favorite stage actors. Da'Vine Joy Randolph burst onto the scene in the spring with a Tony-nominated performance as Oda Mae Brown in Ghost, and now the Yale-trained actress is co-starring with Chris Bauer in What Rhymes With America at Atlantic Theater Company. Randolph enthusiastically responded to our obsessions survey wtih notes on favorite stars (from Martin Lawrence to Vanessa Redgrave), an ode to her Clarisonic machine and more.

TV SHOW: Martin
“When I come home from work and I am exhausted and just want to relax, that show is always my go-to. Martin Lawrence is sheer genius, and I love how physical his comedy is. I love it when you see all the brilliant characters he has created "crack," because it reminds me of theater. Not to mention a shout out to Tichina Arnold and Tisha Campbell-Martin who can SANG and started thier roots in theater.”

MOVIE: The Godfather & More
“This took me the longest to answer because I looove movies. And I feel like I'd be betraying the others if I named just one. But some of my top are; The Godfather, Mo' Better Blues, Gangs of New York, and The Sea Inside. I have an eclectic taste, and I take movies seriously. A good movie can be some of your greatest teachers.” 

STAGE SHOW (OTHER THAN MY OWN): Gem of the Ocean
“Gem of the Ocean starring Phylicia Rashad. It changed my life. End of story.” 

SINGER: Lauryn Hill
“She has inspired me in more ways than one. Including me going out and buying a guitar and teaching myself how to play. The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill is one for the books! ” 

BOOK: I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
“Has gotten me through many hard times."

ATHLETE: Gabby Douglas
“Her story and her journey to the Olympics are so inspiring. Gymnasts in general always stun me—the amount of discipline and willpower they possess is spellbinding."

CELEBRITY: Vanessa Redgrave
“She is a BEAST! A true legend and class act. But most of all a lady through and through. I aspire to obtain some of the grace that she imbues."

VACATION SPOT: Côte d'Azur
"I love to travel! Though I have never been, I really want to go to Côte d'Azur, a.k.a. the French Riviera. I hear it is just stunning. Plus I love places that are "coastline towns," so they have equal influences from all the neighbouring cultures. You get a little France; a little Italy. It's the best of both worlds!"

APP: Pinterest
“Hands down!! I have been known to have my phone die on me because I have wasted away HOURS on it. But its just soo good, anything I need to know or want to have is right there, and you can even organize it into categories!!! It's like how I imagine life to be, if it were perfect."

FASHION DESIGNER: Tracy Reese
“Her clothes are very femme and fun. Love the playful colors. Great for press events as well as a lovely night out with the girls, or with your special someone. Or to the grocery store, just because! (I've def done that before.) Simple sheer elegance. She knows how to make a woman feel like a lady."

BEAUTY PRODUCT: Bio Oil & Clarisonic exfoliator
“The girls from the West End cast of Ghost turned me on to this. I bought TON and crammed them in my suitcase because I thought it was a UK thing, but nope—we sell it here! Its a deep, rejuvenating, moisturizer. And the exfoliator is EVERYTHING!! You'd be amazed at how much dead skin we have left on our faces (yuck). Plus with having to put on tons of makeup each night for the show, your skin will love you for it! I don't play around when it comes to the face."

RANDOM OBSESSION: Cooking Shows
“Food Network and the Cooking Channel are constantly on at my house. I love to cook for people. To me, making food is one of the most intimate things. It makes me so happy, and sometimes if I'm stressed out, I'm go to the kitchen and make a pie, because it's so calming. Can I tell you a secret? I actually want to have my own cooking show. I have my concept and title all picked out. I'm really excited to see it manifest!"