Ramona Young, who stars in “The Paper,” the Peacock show by the writers of “The Office” that debuted earlier this year, at first would not accept a multistrand set of pearls that her grandmother wanted to pass down to her. It just didn’t feel like her, she explained. She’s a casual dresser, someone who saves her jewelry for red carpets.
“I basically like to be really, really comfortable,” Ms. Young said.
But her grandmother persisted, and the actress gave in. Although Ms. Young doesn’t wear it much, the family heirloom provides her with another type of comfort.
Tell me about the necklace.
The piece of jewelry that I picked was given to me by my grandmother. Her name is Ming. It’s a pearl necklace. There’s probably four or five strands of just tiny little close-knit pearls that hang around your collarbone.
My grandmother currently is really, really sick. She’s 95, which is incredible, and she’s about to have another birthday this December. But she’s been bedridden for probably about three years now. It was almost like she maybe knew it or felt it. My grandma, she has such a strong personality, and during this time she basically tried to force things into my hands: “Here’s a jacket, you want this jacket? Here’s a sweater, you want this sweater?” And I’m like, “No, no, no.” And then finally I caved when she handed me this necklace. She’s the type of woman who will offer me food, and if I say I’m not hungry 10 times, she’ll ask me 11 times until I just take the food. That was kind of how she handed me this necklace.
Do you ever wear it?
I don’t wear it often, but I always have it. Sometimes when I feel nervous or anxious about going into something, I’ll hold it and touch it, ’cuz I’ll feel like she’s there. I feel like she’s comforting or protecting me.
It makes you feel connected to her.
It reminds me that she’s just there, and it makes me think of everything that she’s been through. She was around when China became a communist country. She basically walked from one country to another to escape communism. She’s a mother of six. And when I hold it and when I see it, I’m just like, ‘OK, if this woman can do this and basically be a single mom of six and hold her own’ … It helps remind me and give me perspective.
Are you worried that you’ll lose it if you wear it, or is it just not your style?
I am worried. When I go out on carpets, I feel like I kind of throw on a separate persona of myself. It’s more like an aura or an energy of someone with more confidence, and for whatever reason, this necklace just doesn’t seem to go with that energy. I don’t know, there’s something just kind of sentimental about it and something kind of more personal.
Did your grandmother say what it was about this necklace in particular that made her want to give to you?
I think it was one of her nicer pieces of jewelry. My grandma grew up really poor. She was a seamstress. She worked in factories, and she had six children to bring up. And so I think she gave me the nicest thing that she had. My grandma and I have a particularly special relationship. My mom is also a single mom. She’s a single mom of three; I have two brothers. And because my mom raised us on her own, my grandma would help and raise us as well. So she was like my second mom.
Did she wear it a lot?
It was a special occasion necklace. I think I might’ve seen her wear it maybe once or twice. She just kind of held onto it, but she’s had it forever.
Do you think you’ll want to pass it down some day?
It really hasn’t crossed my mind, but now that I’m thinking about it, if I have a daughter or when I have a daughter, I would love to pass on that necklace.
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