You may not be familiar with the name Youree Dell Harris, but if you were alive in the ’90s, you may remember Miss Cleo and her quintessential “call me now” tagline. A character created by Harris that she used as an employee of the Psychic Readers Network, Miss Cleo was on the listening end of callers confessing intimate struggles in hopes of receiving her seemingly supernatural guidance.
Harris became so intertwined with the reputation of the organization that when the Psychic Readers Network was exposed for fraud, she was deemed the guilty party. Not to mention, the Jamaican accent she adopted was allegedly not authentic, as her persona was exactly what it was — a character.
Robin “The Lady of Rage” Allen, the star of Lifetime‘s new biopic Miss Cleo: Her Rise and Fall, thinks the film’s format comes “from a whole different lens” than a documentary, which allows Harris to “seem human, because people want to hate her.”
“Her name has been stigmatized and demonized, so this gives her some type of, you know, ‘Ok, wow. She was going through that?’” she explained to DECIDER over Zoom. “People may have empathy for her, so I hope that this is what happens. That they rethink the thoughts that they previously had about her, and see that it wasn’t her. It was the powers that be that were behind her. And no one talks about them… It’s always Miss Cleo.”
For more on the Lady of Rage’s approach to the role, what she hopes viewers take away about Miss Cleo’s legacy, and what she thinks of her cousin Snoop Dogg‘s Olympics commentary, continue reading.
DECIDER: I wanted to kick this off by asking how much you knew about Miss Cleo prior to taking on this role. How familiar were you with her?
ALLEN: Well, I wasn’t that in-depth on Miss Cleo. Just what we saw on the television infomercials, what we saw on talk shows and things of that nature. So I didn’t really know much about her.
Using that level of familiarity, how did you approach this role?
Well, what I did was, I tried to go back to all of the things that were on social media like YouTube, and visited her prior infomercials, and just watched how she talked and spoke, and her mannerisms. Just trying to get a feel of her and her presence… I drew from those things to bring life to this character.
One thing that I found really interesting was there’s sort of a redemption story arc throughout the movie, with Harris doing whatever it takes to support her two daughters. How did you feel about this storyline and taking this on?
Well, I didn’t know, like I said. Going in-depth to what she did to provide for her family, the things that she endured, then to have to go through so much turmoil as far as the whole litigation and the whole scandal with the Psychic Readers Network and people thinking that she was the one that was benefitting from the millions and billions of dollars that were generated. She, to me, came out as one who perseveres, because she started out struggling, and she got a little glimpse of hope and a little glimpse of happiness, and some fame. She was an actress, which I didn’t know. She started out as an actress, so to see her get a little happiness, but then to go through the trials of what she went through, and then to eventually succumb and leave this world, it was bittersweet.
But through it all, the ever-present thing was that smile. You probably would never know that she had so much going on internally because her smile just took over everything. It outshined everything. So her smile was something that I think was something that she gave to us. I don’t think anyone thinks about Miss Cleo’s smile, but me watching her and seeing her, her smile was ever-present.
She definitely had such a cool and powerful presence. I know there was a HBO documentary that came out about her… Being that this is a biopic, like a little bit of a different kind of presentation of her life, do you think that this film will shine a different light on her than a documentary could?
I think it will, because it’s in a different set, it’s a different scenario. So the documentary is just people speaking on her and giving their viewpoints on her. This is from a whole different lens, and it kind of gives her some redemption, like you said earlier. It kind of makes her seem human, because people want to hate her. Her name has been stigmatized and demonized, so this gives her some type of, you know, ‘Ok, wow. She was going through that?’ People may have empathy for her, so I hope that this is what happens. That they rethink the thoughts that they previously had about her, and see that it wasn’t her. It was the powers that be that were behind her. And no one talks about them… It’s always Miss Cleo.
How do you think Miss Cleo would have been received today, like if what took place then was taking place now? Do you think what she was able to accomplish and what went down could even take place today?
I think that once she went through that hard part, I think we live in a society of second chances. She, I believe, would have received a second chance and could have thrived in this, you know, in the age of social media and things like that, I think she could have done well. I mean, social media is everywhere. She would have her own platform, so she would talk to people who talk about mysticism, or tarot cards, or beads, and the moon and the sun, and all of these things like that. So she probably would have been right in her element.
True. I wanted to ask about what your experience was like working with the rest of the cast on this film.
It was… wow. Surreal, because I’m working with big names. I’m working with Tim Reid who’s directing, and I’m working with his wife, Miss Daphne Maxwell Reid. I’m working with Shane Johnson and Ian Bohen, and both of them have been on successful television shows. I’m working with Cocoa Brown, who is an outstanding comedian. I’m working with Stevie Baggs Jr., he’s a former athlete. So I’m working with many people who… I’m like, I’m rubbing shoulders with these people, and I’m the lead. Wow. So it was just an amazing opportunity for me. It’s something that I’ve always wanted to do. I’ve wanted to show my range, and that’s what I want people to take from this when they look at me. Most of the roles that I’ve done prior have been like the bully girl, the tough girl. And I’ve always just wanted to show that I’m more than that. And I think this role gives me the opportunity to do so.
What are you hoping people take away from this film, whether it be about your portrayal of Miss Cleo, or just the overall message?
I hope they take away the fact that Miss Cleo was human, and Miss Cleo did what anybody would probably do to provide for her kids. She went through ups and downs, and we as humans do that. Now, it may not be a popular vote to do it the way she did it, the way people think she did it. But once again, she’s working for a company. Miss Cleo read from a script. But Miss Cleo was a character that Youree Dell Harris did create in high school, and because of the character that Youree Dell Harris created, Psychic Readers Network was able to reap the benefits of her character. I want people to know that she was not the one, once again, who benefitted the most. It was the powers that be. And just, you know, give her legacy a chance to breathe. Just rethink those thoughts, like, wow! I didn’t know that. I didn’t know that, you [were] just quick to point the finger and say, ‘Oh, she did this.’ But once this comes out, I think people will rethink what they previously thought of her.
I know that one aspect of her character was the Jamaican accent, and the argument about appropriation of this accent. I was curious how you felt about this, especially now in the context of 2024, or just also in the context of how it went down then.
Well, I would have never known. Just back in my time, when I was watching her it seemed real to me. Reading this script, I didn’t realize she got as much flak as she did because people felt that she was not authentic, she’s not actually Jamaican, she’s appropriating this accent to make money, and things of that nature. So I just, as far as the accent, I understand that she did have some Jamaican heritage. I understand that she did speak in a patois. So I really can’t speak too much on it in regards to the accent. I just know a lot of people said it was a bad accent. So for me, that’s a good thing, because I didn’t really have to, I just — I’m not Jamaican, so I can’t speak the patois. So being that she had a bad accent, it worked for me because now I’m just doing a bad accent of a Jamaican patois. So that worked out for me. But as far as her accent and all the other things that people pointed the finger about, I think it was a character, and she was playing a role. But I think she played it so well, that people believed that she was this, when she was portraying a character.
What are you currently streaming?
The Olympics. That’s what I’m currently watching. Outside of that, I don’t watch a lot of television. Well, I do. I watch a lot of crime [programming]. Snapped, Fatal Attraction. I like Naked and Afraid. And that’s about it. I try to stay outside a lot. I’m in nature a lot. So when I am in front of a television, that’s probably what it is, some show like that. Crime, murder mysteries. More realistic things that have happened.
I know you mentioned the Olympics. Have you been watching Snoop Dogg, your cousin, make commentary in the Olympics, and what do you think of his work?
Of course! I love his work. And I told him. I think he did some commentating some years ago, and I told him he was good at it. And I think, you know, everybody else felt that he was good at it. That’s why he’s over there, because he’s good at what he does. And he’s just a person that everybody tends to draw to. He has such charm and charisma, and his personality is so big. So he’s just easygoing. And it fits right in, so I’m happy for him. I watch him, and it puts a smile on my face. I get to enjoy him living his best life, so it’s a wonderful thing.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
Miss Cleo: Her Rise and Fall premieres on Lifetime on Saturday, Aug. 10 at 8/7 c.
The post ‘Miss Cleo: Her Rise And Fall’s Robin “The Lady of Rage” Allen Wants Viewers To “Rethink What They Previously Thought” About The Infamous TV Psychic appeared first on Decider.
