Renika Williams | Photo provided by Renika Williams
Renika Williams graduated from Wright State University (WSU) in 2015 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in acting. Williams is currently filming for HBO Max’s new series, “The Sex Lives of College Girls,” where she plays Willow.
Background at WSU
Williams is from Dayton, Ohio, and grew up doing theatre from age 11. Her father would often take her to classes at the Victoria Theatre in downtown Dayton. Once she got into WSU, Williams participated in plays and interned at the Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park.
“The acting foundation that I got from my training at Wright State is solid. There are things that are different when you’re on screen versus on stage, but the foundation is there and it was a great experience that prepared me for this moment,” Williams said.
Since Williams has been out of college, she has been in two television roles. The first was a character in Amazon’s “Modern Love” and now she is filming for “The Sex Lives of College Girls.”
Williams plays Willow, a student-athlete who is a team player that brings everyone together.
“I just love playing characters that are really strong-willed. They know who they are and she is really proud to be Black and to be queer and I love that,” Williams said.
One person that helped Williams achieve her dreams was Marya Spring Cordes, an associate professor and head of the acting program at WSU. Williams met Cordes when she was 12 years old and it all came full circle when Cordes took her under her wing at WSU.
According to Williams, her college career at WSU was a full-time job and she appreciated Cordes always guiding her.
Advice for WSU students
According to Williams, students at WSU should try and do as much of their own work as possible.
“It’s important to take advantage of putting up your own plays, writing them yourself or doing a cabaret with your friends because when you graduate, you don’t have control over getting a job. Actors are at the mercy of someone else. You’re always auditioning and it’s important that you can create your own work,” Williams said.
When the actor was growing up, she wanted to be a doctor because she wanted to fix peoples’ hearts. She later found out that you can do that without actually treating them physically, but by creating art and playing characters that fix them all the same.
“You should appreciate every day and every moment because life truly is short and it makes you love people equally. I have such great people in my life who love me and have always supported me in doing what I love and I couldn’t imagine living life any other way,” Williams said.
Outside of work
When Williams is not on set or working, she finds time to practice yoga, cycle, color adult coloring books, hike, watch television and journal.
“I used to journal all the time and one day I just stopped,” Williams said. “But this is a chapter that I really want to journal and remember later on.”
