We Should All Take a Page Out of Zolee Griggs's Book and Follow Her Self-Love Advice

In our Q&A series POPSUGAR Crush, we get to know some of our favorite celebs' more intimate details — from their first celebrity crush to the best love advice they've ever received. This month, we're crushing on Wu-Tang: An American Saga star Zolee Griggs.

You may know Zolee Griggs from her breakout role on Hulu's Wu-Tang: An America Saga playing the part of Shurrie — younger sister to Bobby Diggs, aka The RZA (Ashton Sanders), and onscreen girlfriend of Dennis Coles, aka Ghostface Killah (Siddiq Saunderson). The 24-year-old actress has always had the desire to be on screen and acting has been her go-to outlet for self-expression since the age of two. Over time, that passion has paved the way for major opportunities to come her way, including one of her biggest roles to date.

Unlike the other characters in Wu-Tang: An America Saga that are based on real-life figures from the iconic hip-hop group, Zolee has had the privilege of developing her character based on several individuals: the RZA's real-life sisters. "Thankfully, when we filmed season one, I was able to meet with one of the RZA sisters, Sophia [Diggs], and she's a lovely woman," Zolee told POPSUGAR. "She sat Erika [Alexander] and I down and talked about the family dynamic and their relationship with their mom, so that kind of gave me the base of their personal lives. But Shurrie herself, I feel a lot of women, or at least a lot of heterosexual women, can relate to having to juggle what it's like to be the little sister, but also the mother at home, the caregiver for her boyfriend, and so many different aspects of her life. In doing that, you kind of have to figure out who you are because you're constantly stepping in for other people and I can relate to that."

According to Zolee, creating those empathetic traits for her character actually came quite easy and having the freedom to tailor her character to how she thinks she should be represented is one of the advantages that the women on the Hulu series have. Other female roles that we see on the show this season include Erika as Linda Diggs, Ebony Obsidian as Nia, and Lala Anthony who plays former Def Jam executive Tracey Waples. Though representation for women on the show seems small in numbers, Zolee still believes they all bring a lot to the table.

"There's only a handful of women, I can count them on one hand," she said. "Because there are so few of us, that automatically makes us stand out and seem strong because whether the camera's rolling or not, we are [the only] women typically in the room. It is a male-dominated cast and industry, so it kind of just happens whether you want to or not. It's good to have those moments of femininity to break up all the masculine energy or the turmoil that the guys go through. We're kind of there to let the dust settle and bring them back down to Earth because they go out and live these crazy lives, whether it's being on the streets or even making music, so I'm appreciative."

Outside of the lane she's carved for herself in the world of Wu-Tang, Zolee is also tackling more big projects, including starring in noir thriller The Enforcer, a project she seemingly manifested on her vision board at the top of the year. Beyond that, she's also looking forward to making a few more things on her goal list come to fruition very soon. "I've always wanted to do animation and cartoons," she revealed. "As a little girl, I watched SpongeBob [SquarePants], Tom and Jerry, and all of the classics, but I also would secretly watch a lot of adult animation like Adult Swim, Family Guy, American Dad, etc. It's so much fun and cartoons are lighthearted and silly, and that's something that I'd love to be part of. There's no limit to what you can do in animation, it's a lot of imagination, which I respect. So, that's on my vision board."

The young actress clearly has her plate full with opportunities, but that's not stopping her from snagging even more. Ahead, keep reading for some more fun tidbits about the star, including who her first celebrity crush was, the best gift she's ever received, and so much more.

Who was your first celebrity crush?

I was weird as a little girl, I didn't like anybody. I was like, 'Ah, whatever [celebrities] are just people.' Then when I turned 14, I just fell in love with Tyler, The Creator. He was just so different and rebellious, and we're both from LA, so I felt a real connection. Mind you, I don't know him, but I felt a real connection to him just being from the same city.

What's your go-to coffee or tea order?

Chai latte, iced. I don't do coffee. That sh*t makes me jittery. I hate it, but I love tea.

What is your favorite meal to cook/favorite take-out order?

It really depends, because I love to cook. I love different cultures. I like to dabble in their foods and try to re-create it. My family's from the South, so we make soul food, we do a lot of fried foods. I do fried oyster mushrooms, which I will say is a new fad. Shout out to Tabitha Brown, she put me on. And then since I'm from LA, I eat tacos a lot, so I make a lot of tacos. Even though those are two really simplistic dishes, I have cravings and those are my favorites.

What's your ideal first date?

I love music, so it could be a concert, [which] is really fun, or going to a museum but wearing your headphones so you get to choose what you want to listen to or something. Anything with music or outdoors is really nice on a nice, sunny day.

What's your go-to first date outfit?

I definitely want to look cute, but it depends on where we're going. If it's outdoor, I'll probably have jeans on, sneakers, [and] a cute little top. I'm pretty casual unless it's all fancy, then I'm going to pop out, but I like to be chill, too.

What are your biggest pet peeves?

I really hate smacking with your mouth open, that gets on my damn nerves. [Also,] since we're still in [the pandemic], I really can't stand when people are still standing right behind me in line. They don't care, they have no consideration. Stay in your six feet, please. Back the hell up.

What's your favorite form of self-care?

I like to get a massage, get a facial, and get my hair treatments. Then get my hair done, get my nails, and my toes done [too]. I feel rejuvenated. Of course, a vacation is nice too, but if I can't do a grand vacation, then I'll just make sure that I feel good, relaxed, and calm. That always helps center me.

What's the best trip you've ever been on?

I actually just went on a vacation with my girlfriends [to Hawaii]. It was the three of us and we just had a great time because it was their first time going on a vacation and we're all in our mid to late twenties. We've worked really hard and it's been an interesting past couple years for us, so it was just rewarding and to be able to do it independently. [To] take care of ourselves, have fun, go out on a whim, eat really good food, swim, relax, and not have to look on our phones and know that we have work to do or assignments. That was definitely one of my favorite trips so far.

Favorite gift you've ever received?

So in the beginning of the pandemic, everybody was getting air fryers and I bought a really sh*tty one. I thought it was good, but it didn't do anything for me. I was so disappointed. And then for Christmas last year, my boyfriend got me this super high tech air fryer that does 50 things in one. I was just super appreciative, because like I said, I love to cook. So [it was] a really good gift. He did well, he did his research.

What's the best love advice you've ever received?

I mean, Lauryn Hill said it best: "How you going to win if you ain't right within?" I think that applies to love of any sort, whether it's platonic or romantic. If you don't truly love yourself and aren't right within or aren't certain, then you should just figure that out by yourself. Then you can go out into the world and receive love from others. You should [also] treat yourself how you would want others to treat you. If you're not loving on yourself, then nobody will know how to do it for you.

What's the most romantic thing you've ever done/that's ever been done for you?

For my mom's 50th birthday, I reserved this spa weekend for her. It was just really sweet. She enjoyed herself and relaxed, because she's a hard worker, doesn't have much time to take off, and I was able to have fun and hang out with her. I was working a lot too, so I hadn't seen her in a long time. It was a good gift. I hope to give her more of those.