Linda Mendoza (‘Wanda Sykes: I’m an Entertainer’ director) describes coming on board to direct at the last minute [Exclusive Video Interview]
Linda Mendoza was not originally supposed to direct Wanda Sykes’s Netflix special, “Wanda Sykes: I’m an Entertainer,” but was brought in under drastic circumstances. “Paige Hurwitz was supposed to direct it, but she ended up getting COVID, so they kind of called me and said, ‘Hey, would you be available?’ I happened to have that week off and I said, ‘Yeah, if you need me, call me,’” she tells Gold Derby during our recent webchat (watch the exclusive video interview above). Unlike with her work on Sykes’s previous special, Mendoza didn’t have the luxury of seeing Sykes repeatedly perform her shows. “I didn’t have that for ‘I’m an Entertainer,’ so they sent me a couple of tapes and I just watched them over and over and over again until I was shooting it.”
“Wanda Sykes: I’m an Entertainer” marks the seventh stand-up special for the longtime comedian. During the special she talks about her time having COVID, co-parenting her teenage twins with her French wife, the horrors of using public bathrooms and being a frustrated liberal who wants to hit below the belt. In addition to Mendoza’s nomination for Best Variety Special Directing, the program is nominated for Best Variety Special and Best Variety Special Writing. It marks Mendoza’s second Emmy nomination after getting nominated for Best Variety Series Directing in 2020 for “Tiffany Haddish Presents: They Ready” for the episode “Flame Monroe.”
The friendship between Sykes and Mendoza goes back over 20 years to when both were working on “The Chris Rock Show.” “We met in 1997 and we actually became friends on that show. I would go out and watch her do her set on what they called the Club Crawl. I’ve always admired how smart and brilliant she is.” To see Sykes grow and mature as a comedian and a performer has been something of a privilege for Mendoza to watch. “You know what, she’s amazing actually, because right when you think she can’t be any better, she surprises you.”
Among Mendoza’s many credits include directing several specials that were filmed at the White House and directing those led to a whole new level of detail and preparation. “We really needed specificity when it came to working with the president and Mrs. Obama down to what entrance they used, how many steps, how many moves does he make. Very specific things.” After directing her first special there, she had a very special moment with Michelle Obama, who had hosted the event. “I had gone up to her and I said, ‘Michelle, you did such a great job,’ and then I said, ‘I’m so sorry Mrs. Obama. I’m not sure what protocol is.’ And she said, ‘Linda, this is protocol,’ and she gave me the biggest hug. It was an incredible moment.”
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