Pam Grier on 'Doing What Men Do'

When Pam Grier walked into our studio, her energy was infectious. During the interview, she recalled moments from her decades-long career and the movies that landed her the title of “Queen of Blaxploitation.”

“I wasn’t exploited,” she said, explaining that her characters (i.e. Foxy Brown) took on roles that were traditionally reserved for men, and through her contributions, viewers were able to see women doing martial arts and gunplay.

Grier’s career is defined by memorable projects like Jack Hill’s 1973 film Coffy and Quentin Tarantino’s Jackie Brown (1997). But lately, she’s been the ambassador of BrownSugar.com, where her films—in addition to other iconic movies starring people of color—are available to stream. Grier describes the site as “Netflix, but only blacker.”

Watch her reminisce about changing the game and discuss who could possibly play her on screen in the interview above.