Go Away With … GG Townson

Jae-Ha Kim
Chicago Tribune
January 21, 2021

GG Townson said that before she signed on to portray Salt in the Lifetime biopic, “Salt-N-Pepa” — which premiers on January 23 — her “knowledge of the group was pretty basic. I knew songs like ‘Push It,’ ‘Whatta Man’ and ‘Let’s Talk About Sex.’ But I didn’t understand how important they were to the hip-hop game as female artists until I got to know who they were personally and (after) learning my script.” Based out of Los Angeles, the actress stays in touch with fans on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

Q: It’s different during this pandemic, but musicians generally have to travel a lot for work. Do you think you would’ve enjoyed touring like Salt did?

A: I am most definitely not suited for life on the road. I love my bed so much. The times I’ve had to travel for work, I get homesick. Shooting the “Salt-N-Pepa” movie (in Toronto) was the longest I’ve ever been away from home.

Q: I did not realize that Ron Townson of the 5th Dimension was your grandfather.

A: Yes! My grandfather was one of the founding members and the person who played a contributing part in getting me started in the entertainment field. My very first agent was actually my grandfather’s agent. He signed me as a favor to my grandfather.

Q: This pandemic has made everyone think differently about how we spend our vacation time. What have you been doing?

A: I was able to take a trip out to Palm Springs with a few friends of mine. It was a nice relaxing staycation and the change of scenery was right on time, since the trip was four months into the first lockdown. I have recently added daily walks into my routine, which have been nice since the majority of my days are spent in the house.

Q: How has it been not being able to hop on a plane and get to your next project?

A: It’s pretty unfortunate to not be able to audition for certain things that shoot outside of my home state. Currently, quite a few productions are only auditioning actors that live in the state the production is operating in based on COVID-19 and the restrictions placed.

Q: If you had travel plans for 2020 and had to cancel, where were they to?

A: Well, at the beginning of 2020, I planned on taking advantage of a free trip to Jamaica that I received from a Grammy gifting suite I attended. However, the stay-at-home order took place before I got a chance to start actively planning the trip.

Q: Thinking back to better times, what was your favorite vacation destination?

A: Key Biscayne, Florida. I enjoy staying at the Ritz out there. It’s super chill and away from the fast life of Miami, but not too far away if you want to pay a visit to South Beach.

Q: What was the first trip you took as a child?

A: The first trip I took as a child was to visit family in my mother’s hometown of Camden, Arkansas. I love being in Arkansas because it’s a complete change of scenery from Los Angeles. Camden’s a small town where everyone knows your mother, with great people and amazing soul food.

Q: Where are your favorite weekend getaways?

A: Palm Springs and Vegas.

Q: If you’ve ever gone away for the holidays, which was the best trip?

A: One year for Christmas, I (traveled) to Colorado. I loved being in the snow. Colorado is such a beautiful state.

Q: Do you speak any foreign languages?

A: I do not speak any foreign languages, but during the first stay-at-home order, I started Spanish lessons via Duolingo and let’s just say the app’s mascot is still wondering when I’m going to return from my extended bathroom break.

Q: Where would you like to go when all this is over?

A: Thailand.

Q: What would be your dream vacation?

A: A trip to Dubai or Singapore.

Q: What is your best travel memory?

A: My best memory was actually a work trip. Outside of being homesick, I loved everything about the free time while in Toronto shooting “Salt-N-Pepa.”

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