Alani Nicole “La La” Anthony is an actress best known for her work in projects like Think Like a Man (2012), Power (2014 to 2020), Unforgettable (2015 to 2016), The Chi (2020 to present) and BMF (2021 to present), as well as being basketball star Carmelo Anthony’s ex, but it turns out there is a whole other side to her. One that loves to give back and help out boys and girls during the holiday season through her annual Winter Wonderland charity event.
First for Women recently sat down with the mother of one to discuss why helping others is so important to her, what she hopes to do more of in the new year and what’s next for her career-wise. Keep scrolling for more.
First for Women: How do you practice self-care during the holiday season?
La La Anthony: I’m actually trying to get better at that. I’m a mom, and I work, so I’m definitely trying to slow down at times and just be okay with it.
Self-care could just be for me: curling up on the couch watching a movie—which I don’t have a lot of time to do—and allowing myself to unplug and be present in that moment. That’s self-care.
So, moving into this new year, I want to get better at taking care of myself. I’m great at taking care of everyone else, but I’ve never been that great at taking care of myself, so I definitely want to focus on that.
FFW: You mentioned curling up on the couch and watching movies. Do you have a favorite holiday movie?
LA: I love all the Christmas classics. They never get old. You can watch them 100 times; I always feel like you find something new. So, yeah I’m a sucker for a good Christmas holiday movie.
FFW: What do you most look forward to doing with your son Kiyan during the holiday season?
LA: Just bringing family together. That’s what the holidays are about. For us, we did it huge on Thanksgiving. I set the bar really high. I don’t know how I beat that, but Thanksgiving was so much fun for us.
FFW: Tell us about your partnership with cough medicine brand Delsym.
LA: Delsym has been a great partner of mine, and I’m so happy that they’re sponsoring my big charity event, where we can bring Christmas and holiday cheer to 400-plus inner-city kids. So, I am happy to partner with them and bring some holiday cheer to people out there.
FFW: Can you talk about Girls Inc. of New York City and the Police Athletic League?
LA: The problems in the inner city happen because there are not enough things to do. There are not enough organizations. There are not enough places for them to go. These organizations really provide opportunities, activities and things for kids to do, to stay out of trouble and stay educated.
FFW: What’s on your Christmas list this year?
LA: I find happiness and the greatest gift just being with my family. You know, the busyness of work and everyone’s lifestyle makes it hard to get together at different times. So holidays are when everyone can just not worry about work, not worry about the phone, just really be engaged with each other. To me, that’s a great gift, because you don’t realize how much you need it and how much is missing from our everyday life.
FFW: You have new seasons of The Chi and BMF coming out soon, how excited are you about these, and what do you want people to know about them?
LA: They’re great shows. They have great characters that we all can relate to.
On BMF, the character is trying to figure out love and the relationship she’s in. If she stays in it, there’s a financial component, but does she really love the guy or is she with him because of the power and the money? So it’s a struggle.
Then, on The Chi, it’s just everyday life in Chicago—but that can be anywhere—and the struggles of trying to survive every day.
So both are really powerful characters and powerful shows, and they’ll both be back in this new year. So excited for people to see season 4 of BMF and then season 7 of The Chi. So it’s going to be a really exciting time.
Neither show’s upcoming season has a release date as of the publication date.
