When Destiny’s Child alum Michelle Williams was first approached by Fox to appear on its latest singing celebrity series, “We Are Family,” it was an opportunity to spend more time with her cousin, Evandia Penix, and boost Penix’s musical career. But she was not prepared for the outpouring of love she received during the first episode of the series.
After correctly guessing it was Williams behind the curtain, one contestant by the name of Deven became emotional. On the verge of tears, he explained how Williams’ work has inspired him over the years. The heartfelt praise led to Williams reflecting on her own career.
“You’re taught, don’t take all the praise, because the same people that praise you are the same that tear you down. But I was like, ‘I’m going to take this in,’ because it has been years of work,’” Williams told TheWrap. “I actually called some friends of mine and I said, ‘We made some impact on people.’ That’s what I saw. I even went backstage and told the producers, ‘This is bigger than just a cute new show. These are people who get to finally say, ‘You made an impact on my life.””
“It’s helped me literally open up my heart to accept the flowers. I can’t hear them when I’m six feet under,” Williams added.
That’s the surprising heart of at the center of Fox’s latest reality series. Hosted by “Black-ish” star Anthony Anderson and his mother Doris Hanox, the singing competition show spotlights three performers. The twist? Each one is related to a different famous family member.
By using clues and a curtained performance from their own celebrity relative, a panel of guessers have to figure out the celebrity relative of each performer. Each right answer earns them thousands of dollars and the chance to win even more.
When Fox reached out to Michelle Williams about who could join her on the stage of its new singing competition series, the singer and actress had one name in mind: her cousin, Evandia Penix.
“Perfect pick. Evandia has been doing theater and has been doing a lot of amazing shows,” Williams told TheWrap. “In our hometown, in Rockford [Illinois], there’s a theater called Starlight. It’s kind of legendary when you can get in those productions. She’s been so consistent with what she’s been doing it was like, ‘OK, she’s got to do this.’”
The whole experience was “very exciting” for Penix. “Just to be on a platform in front of so many people watching was a lot of pressure, but ended up being a lot of fun,” Penix told TheWrap. Though she admitted she was nervous, the “nice and welcoming” vibe of the set helped calm her nerves.
“Just being able to do it with my cousin was also a very great thing,” Penix said, “because she was helping guide me and teaching me like all the things that happen on set.”
Penix even got a taste of show business chaos. According to Williams, the duo were supposed to perform on a certain day, but filming was pushed back due to people getting sick.
“She even had to stay in Atlanta a few days extra. So she kind of got a taste of the business and how things can change, just like that,” Williams said.
New episodes of “We Are Family” premiere on Fox Wednesdays at 9 p.m.