Part 2 Leah Daniels-Butler: Casting Her Own Role in Hollywood

Throughout her career in Hollywood, Leah Daniels-Butler has seen a lot, learned a lot, accomplished even more, and established her undeniable footprint in the entertainment business.

With casting credit for dozens of movies and television shows, she has burst through doors that few Blacks, and especially Black women, have opened.  In this second of three conversations with BeGeorgeous, the humble yet savvy game-changer talks about her style, her passions, what makes her happy and what makes her angry.

BG:  What is your personal style?
Daniels-Butler:  My personal style is chic and modern but not overdoing it.

BG:  Your taste in fashion?
Daniels-Butler:  I like high-end designer pieces, but I can also rock a cute Zara piece.  I follow fashion trends but I don't let them dictate what I wear.
 
BG:  What are you passionate about?
Daniels-Butler:  I am passionate about the Lord; my God is the only thing consistent in my life. Even when I am feeling down or have gone through a rough patch, I know God is always watching over me, not judging me and protecting me.  I am passionate when I pray and I am so thankful for how He has blessed my life.  Not to get too religious or churchy, but I have to let that be known. When you put God above all else, you are destined for great things.
 

BG:  You are on the board of A New Way to Life ReEntry Project, which provides housing and support to formerly incarcerated women in South Central Los Angeles. How did this association impact your life?
Daniels-Butler:  I know first hand what it is like to have a loved one in the prison system and how hard it is for them on the inside, but also just as hard for the people on the outside that love them.  They need support and they need contact with the outside world.  When my husband and I got involved with ANWOL, it was because we both wanted to get involved with a charity that we understood on a personal level and wanted to help give back.  It has impacted my life so profoundly.  It has taught me not to judge and to actually look beyond the surface of someone’s past mistakes or bad decisions and actually SEE them, see the PERSON standing in front of you and the possibilities of who they can become after incarceration.

BG: What makes you happy?
Daniels-Butler:  Nordstrom gift cards!  LOL!  No, seriously, I think I am happiest when I know my kids are happy and things are going great in their lives.  I'm happy when all the tasks I have are completed and I can relax and grab a moment for myself and not have to think, because my brain is always in work mode.  But Nordtrom gift cards do make me happy.  LOL.

BG:  What makes you angry?
Daniels-Butler:  Messy people!!  I cannot stand people who like mess or stirring the pot of some mess.  I don't like when people speak negatively about others or are mean for no reason. My instincts are to go for the underdog and protect.

BG:  Is there anyone you have met during your work who has changed or had a great impact on your life?
Daniels-Butler:  I wouldn't say there is just one person.  I have met so many people that I learned from.  I take all the little gems that I learn from people and apply them to my life in some way.