Lena Waithe discusses her inspiration for ‘Queen & Slim’

Emmy-winner Lena Waithe is not just basking in the glory of her award. She’s on a mission to help others.

Waithe talked to ABC News recently about how she’s working to make a difference.

“I get a lot of attention because I’m on a TV show. I’ve been in a movie. I won an award,” Waithe said in an appearance on “Popcorn with Peter Travers.” “And what I try to do is use that attention and shift it on other artists who are worthy of it, and people who I think people should be paying attention to. So the greatest thing I think my legacy will be, people who I can introduce to the American public because there are so many great black women, artist of color, directors, writers; it’s a renaissance.”

Waithe added, “I want to make sure people know it’s not just three of us. It’s easy to say Donald [Glover], Lena [Waithe], Issa [Rae], got it. And I won’t allow that. There’s a huge plethora of artists that are making interesting things, some of which I get to produce, some of which I get to be in, some I get to help write. It’s not just about what can I do for myself, it’s about what can I do for others.”

Download the all new “Popcorn With Peter Travers” podcasts on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Tunein, Google Play Music and Stitcher.

Waithe is the writer behind the much-buzzed-about new action-packed romantic thriller, “Queen and Slim.” Academy award-nominated actor Daniel Kaluuya and newcomer Jodie Turner-Smith star in the film.

The story follows a black man and a black woman out on a Tinder date — their first date. While on the date, the couple is pulled over by a police officer and things escalate quickly. Ultimately, the police officer is killed.

“It really is just a meditation on what it means to be black in a world that’s sort of burning all around you, what it means to not be protected by the police, but to be policed by them,” Waithe, 35, told Travers. “I think being a black person in America can be quite traumatizing. And for me, my weapon of choice is a laptop. I wanted to write to that.”

Waithe said the idea for the script came from novelist James Frey, who pitched the idea to her at a party.

“I think what was happening in our country, since I wrote the scripts, the relationship has become even more fraught,” Waithe said. “I really wanted to dive into how that feels. We’ve seen so many news stories about Trayvon Martin, Mike Brown, Eric Garner, Sandra Bland, the list goes on and on. It seems to be open season. And it was very traumatizing to hear about cops being acquitted and back on the force. It’s not the norm. It’s not normal for us to experience this in our own country.”

“Queen and Slim” hits theaters on Thanksgiving Day.

Watch the full interview with Peter Travers and Lena Waithe in the video above.

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