It’s Raining Rickey

IH: That’s so awesome. And how did your friends and family react to it?
RT: Oh my gosh, they loved it. I actually didn’t even tell my family or my friends, because I just wanted them to see me pop up on the screen. I love surprising people. They’re very proud of me, they’re very happy. And they were just so excited.

IH: I’d love to know who you really look up to in the industry?
RT: Hmmm… oh my goodness… wow… ummm… well, can I honestly just say myself?

IH: Of course!
RT: I’m just so proud of myself and of where my career has taken me. I never thought in a million years I’d be able to do so many amazing things at such a very young age. But, you know, hey, that’s me. I worked hard. I didn’t give up. I kept going, I’m still going.

IH: I think that’s such a rare answer, but something we should probably all strive to say. And what would young Rickey think of you now?
RT: Oh, young Rickey would be so proud of me. I think about that a lot. I remember being younger, and I remember that I was going through hard times – I was getting bullied and I just didn’t feel like anyone respected me or cared for me. I was in a really dark place. And then I remember one day I was like, ‘Rickey, keep your head up, it’s going to be okay. You’re going to be a star. I know it’s going to happen’. And I literally think about that moment each and every day, I’m like, ‘Wow, I’m literally here’. My life did get more amazing. I didn’t give up. I worked hard. And now I’m here today, so young Rickey would be so proud of me.

IH: It sounds like your life now is worlds apart from your childhood in North Carolina. You’ve previously spoken about how you were raised in a religious household. And you also said that being openly gay at school was a real struggle. Can you tell me about your relationship with religion now, and how you found peace within your faith and sexuality?
RT: Well, I am Christian. My mum really raised me to be a God loving man. And that’s what I’ve been sticking with all this time. You know, if I get low or sad, my mama always tells me to look at the bible she left me. I feel like it really has helped me just stay peaceful, you know? I mean, I live in an industry that can get pretty dark sometimes, but, you know, my faith has helped me through it all, so thank God, and thank God to my mother. But when I found out who I was, being gay, I was very afraid. I was like, ‘Oh, my God, God’s not gonna love me’. I was like, ‘Everything in my life is going to fall to pieces!’ But no, I prayed that I would get through all those hard times and I’m just so happy where I am today.

IH: That’s so beautiful. And it’s so awesome that being true to yourself has just stayed alongside your faith as well. Is your family still quite a strong support in your life?
RT: Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. You know, family is so important to literally everybody in my family. We’re always going to be there for each other. And that makes me so happy to have such a strong support system.

IH: You’ve recently branched out into acting. What is it like switching off from being yourself and playing different characters?
RT: I love it. I love being able to really embody somebody else. And, you know, I’m playing Rickey all the time. So being able to do something like that makes me so excited.

IH: Can you tell us a little about your recent work with acting?
RT: I’m actually in Donald Glover’s show, Swarm. I’m in there with a great cast, Chlöe Bailey, Paris Jackson… There are amazing people. I’m so excited; this is my first big thing. It’s going to be a really good show.

IH: Speaking to your other passion – being fashion – can you talk about how your personal style has evolved and what great style means to you now?
RT: Well, when I first got into fashion, it was so different. I love how it has become more diverse. I love how we’re seeing every single shade and colour and gender in the fashion world; it makes me so happy.

IH: Yeah, definitely. And I guess being in LA, people aren’t afraid to make daring choices there, whereas in North Carolina that probably would have been quite different, right?
RT: Oh my gosh, way different. You should see how people look at me when I go back home. But I don’t care, because I’m the best dressed there anyway. Mmmhmmm.