Erica Hubbard is an actress, producer and writer who has overcome adversity and been thriving ever since!

Growing up on the South Side of Chicago, Erica fled a life surrounded by gang violence and bullying to conquer the glitz and glamour of Hollywood.

Not forgetting where she came from, Erica has also poured her heart and soul into helping others through The Erica Hubbard Foundation, a non-profit that mentors at-risk youth and gives away scholarships to college students.

In this interview, Erica answered my call to share:

• Where she found the strength to leave her hometown
• How her upbringing made her the actress she is today
• Advice she would have for others who are being bullied
• The part of her career that has made her feel like a real-life Cinderella
• What she learned from working with Angela Bassett and Laurence Fishburne
• So much more

Connect with Erica: Instagram, Facebook

Erica Hubbard
Photo Credit: Zachariah Schmitt

1. Who or what inspired you to become a performer? My agents convinced me to start acting after my dad put me in the modeling business with Ford Models at the age of nine. I was in Chicago modeling and then the same modeling agents started sending me out to book commercials, voice-overs, television, film and theatre opportunities as a performer.

2. You grew up on the South Side of Chicago, surrounded by gang violence and bullying. Why do you feel you made it out safely & thriving when so many aren't as lucky? I made it out safely from that particular environment with gang violence and bullying by leaving that community at the age of sixteen in order to make a more successful life.

I went to court and asked a judge if I could change guardianship for a better life and it was approved. I left my books and school jacket in my locker and didn’t say goodbye to anyone after being bullied in high school.

I know if I didn’t make a life-changing decision to leave that community I definitely would have been a product of my environment and not have been successful at all.

3. How did you find the strength to get through these tough times? The reason I believe I survived very tough times growing up on the South side of Chicago as a latch-key kid is through praying and meditating which gave me strength.

Erica Hubbard
Photo Credit: André Hemphill

4. A lot of people have been bullied in their life or are being bullied as we speak. What advice would you share on how they can get through this hurt? Please make sure to tell as many people as you possibly can about the bully so they’re aware you’re a victim of being harassed.

If you are in school bring this to your teacher, academic advisor, or principals attention so they can get you the proper help to stop this from happening.

If you are on a job you can record with video or audio as evidence to show the proper authorities.

I have gotten through life by having a life-coach which has tremendously helped me with my wellness as well as strive in life.

5. What vantage point do you feel your upbringing has given you as an actress that you feel you wouldn't have if brought up somewhere else? The vantage point that my upbringing gave me coming from my environment formed me as an actress that’s able to bring multiple experiences to my characters because I have encountered many different circumstances that are relatable to my roles. Everything I have dealt with has served a purpose in my life and helped me excel.

Graduating from Columbia College, getting a certification in a Yale University Course as well as receiving a Doctorate from Harvest Christian University are all achievements that have also helped propel my success.

6. In addition to acting, you also run your own non-profit, The Erica Hubbard Foundation, where you mentor at-risk youth and give away scholarships to college students. What made you want to start this organization? Forming The Erica Hubbard Foundation was one of my many dreams that manifested itself and came true. I started the non-profit to mentor at-risk youth to stay in school, empower kids to not become products of their environment, and to mentor youth toward becoming successful in society.

7. What do you get from The Erica Hubbard Foundation that you don't get from acting? It’s very fulfilling in a joyful way to give back to my community and help guide someone to make the right decisions to have an inspiring life. It always feels great to motivate an individual to empower them so that they can become something inspirational to the world.

Erica Hubbard

8. On top of this, you are also a writer & author, writing children's books (You, She, Her, Him and I - Volume 1 & 2) and your own holiday movie, Holiday Mistletoe. Why did you want to start writing children's books and your own films in addition to acting? I love the art of storytelling and I am always happy expressing myself through my creativity. Writing a book, film or television series are forms of creative expressions to entertain or inform my audiences which have been life-long goals of mine.

9. I'd love to play with the titles of some of the TV shows and Movies you've been in to get to know you better.

• Holiday Mistletoe - If you could kiss anyone under the mistletoe, who would you want it to be? I would definitely kiss my fiancé soon to be hubby many times under the mistletoe for a lifetime of bliss!
• The Sisterhood of The Traveling Pants - Where would you like to travel that you haven't had a chance to yet or return to? Certainly I need to return to Tahiti where it looks like Paradise, and stay in another breathtaking over-water bungalow which is absolutely beautiful!
• A Cinderella Story - What part of your career, so far, has made you feel like Cinderella? I felt like portraying Cassie Sutton on the Award-winning Series Lincoln Heights (streaming on HULU) made me feel like a Cinderella being opposite of so many remarkably talented individuals such as Art Evans, Richard Roundtree, Chadwick Boseman, Russell Hornsby et cetera. I learned so much from working with all these great artists it felt magical.
• The Last Fall - What was the last fall you had that you had trouble getting back up from & why was it so hard? Definitely it was hard when I had to turn down the opportunity to take the role in the movie The Last Fall. I was booked on Let’s Stay Together TV Series and couldn’t take off from that particular job. I was able to get back on my feet when I informed the Director and Producer that I would like to invest in the project and I excitedly became a Producer on The Last Fall! 

10. You have worked with such Hollywood luminaries as Angela Bassett and Laurence Fishburne. What did you learn from working with them? I learned a superb work ethic working in scenes with Angela Bassett and Laurence Fishburne. Their level of dedication to the craft is impeccable and they are forces to be reckoned with. It is truly an honor to have been cast in Akeelah and The Bee alongside such remarkable thespians!

11. What is something we didn't get to talk about in this interview that you'd like my audience to know about you? I would like to thank everyone who follows my career and continues to support my work each year. Special thank you to everyone who has sent me messages on how much they’ve enjoyed my role as Ernestine on The Family Business: New Orleans (streaming BET+) as well as my film work and I am extremely grateful to everyone!

Erica Hubbard

More on Erica Hubbard:

Erica Hubbard is an award-winning television, film, stage actress, writer and producer who has several projects that are streaming on Netflix, BET, Starz, Prime Video, HULU and more. Her major producing credits include Policies and Procedures, The Assistant, Black Coffee, Professor Mack and The Last Fall (which screened in South By Southwest Film Festival) Directed by Academy-Award Winner' Matthew Cherry.

Erica Hubbard has starred in countless studio films such as Save The Last Dance, The Sisterhood of The Traveling Pants with Blake Lively, Akeelah and The Bee with Keke Palmer, Angela Bassett and Laurence Fishburne and A Cinderella Story with Hilary Duff. Erica has also appeared on hit television shows such as CSI: Miami, Cold Case, Everybody Hates Chris, and Chicago Med on NBC.

Erica Hubbard's most popular characters are from her series regular roles on the popular television series' Let's Stay Together streaming with BET and Lincoln Heights currently streaming on HULU which won Best Drama Series with a NAACP Image Awards.

Erica Hubbard is a member of the Producers Guild of America. Recently, she has written a holiday love-story' Holiday Mistletoe which will start production in 2024.

In her spare time she promotes her children's books:You, She, Her, Him (Volume 1 & 2) and oversees her 501(c)3 Non-profit' The Erica Hubbard Foundation as Executive Director mentoring at-risk youth and giving away scholarships to college students.

Erica is a graduate of Columbia College where she received a degree in Communications. She also just received her "Honorary Doctorate" from Harvest Christian University in 2023 in Entertainment and Arts Management for her 30 year experience in the entertainment industry!

Erica Hubbard can recently be seen as a leading-lady in the hit film' My Perfect Wedding streaming on BET Plus and Prime Video, Perfectly Single alongside J. Alphonse Nicholson streaming on BET Her and He Who Findeth opposite Brad James which is streaming on the popular platform Mansa.

Next, you can see Erica on BET Plus Networks’ spin-off, The Family Business New Orleans airing this fall season!