Patina Miller might play the fearless New York City drag queen pin on television inspired by her 50-cent mother, but for a long time something has scared her.
“I thought maybe I wasn't good at it,” said Miller, 40, who plays the indomitable Rachel Thomas in the crime drama “Powerbook III: Raising Canaan.” (The fourth season will premiere at Starts on Friday.)
“I was always afraid to hold another person's baby because I thought I would break another person's baby,” she said.
But now she is a mother – along with her seven-year-old daughter, Emerson Harper Mars, and her husband, venture capitalist David Mars – she could not imagine her life in any other way.
“Sundays are comfortable and being with family,” said Miller, who also lives with 15-year-old nie Alana Miller. She added, “It's nice to sit down and talk to each other without making a phone call.”
Miller was born in Pageland, South Carolina and grew up by a single mother who encouraged her love for gospel music. She lived in New York in 2007 and moved from South Carolina after college, then won a breakout role as nightclub singer DeLoris Van Cartier in the Broadway adaptation of “Sister Act.” She won a Tony Award in 2013 for her performance as a circus artist in the music “Pipin.”
She has been calling her home on the Upper West Side for the past three years. Her family lives in Brownstone, between Central Park and Riverside Park.
I stand up and run, ideally try to sleep until 9am, but sometimes only until 7:30am or 8am. It depends on where you are in marathon training. Sunday is my long-term day and could range from 6-20 miles.
I woke up, sleepy, and I would make breakfast by getting up to make sure my daughter was ready. She loves oatmeal with some berries and bananas, maybe a yogurt pouch. She's a very simple girl in the mornings.
I can't eat a big meal before I run, so I drink a mixed berries filled with oatmeal, maple syrup and a bit of protein powder. I try not to use too much protein. This is because if you don't pay attention it will cause troubles in your stomach.
In 2021, Marathon Mindset, one of my trainers, Beth, ran the marathon from the limit, and it was like, “You should do that.” So I randomly signed up from blue and then it was like, “Oh my god, what did I just do?”
I remember walking down the blocks that I had cursed myself, “I can't do this,” and telling myself Pep, “I can do anything.” I kept it, and the next thing you know, I was running 4 miles, and I was running 6 times, and I was running 8, 10. And my birthday happened to be the same day as the 2022 New York City marathon. And about me, I love the challenge. Since then, I've just been like this: “How can I get better? How can I get faster? How can I get stronger?”
Conquering Central Park My archenemy is Central Park. It's very difficult to run. There are gentle hills and it's a very hard six-mile road. But that's very good for you. When I want to feel better about myself, I love running on the West Side Highway.
There is a character learning R&B Sunday Run playlist, but when you really need motivation, you listen to hip hop, rap, top 40, something with really good beats. Eminem's “Lose Yourself” is really good for Central Park. And sometimes I enter the character and use those moments to memorize the lines.
Bacon and eggs My daughter goes to an asphalt green swimming class on the Upper East Side. Then we meet my husband and nie for brunch. I love Friedman. Smith; ABC Kitchen. Order pancakes, bacon, eggs and avocados. My daughter's favorite is Shez Nick's butter and jelly biscuits.
Studio time I go to a studio called Invite only in my old neighborhood, Chelsea. I'm working on the EP and the weekend is that time when I can switch gears creatively.
I waited a long time to play my music, hoping to say something. There's Afrobeat, R&B, with a bit of rock, pop and soul. My sound is shown in the EP. I'm an artist, I'm a vocalist, I'm a writer. I can't wait for it to be completed. I'm obviously scared to put my baby out into the world, but I'm really having a good time in the studio.
Family dinner We usually eat around 7:30pm on weekdays. We are blessed with having a nanny because we can't cook when I work. I make really good salmon. My daughter is so noisy, so it's very easy. And steamed broccoli or roasted broccoli – she likes crunch – jasmine rice next to it. My nie also loves to experiment in the kitchen, so we love to taste all her food!
Movie nights My daughter is animated anything – she is an “elemental” girl. And she saw “The Dog Man” and “Moana 2” in the theater. I'll catch the movies as much as I can. She's a huge “blue” fan so we might be seeing it too.
For us, my husband and I like to sleep together with my daughter. We love to read to her and she read to us. Work sometimes bleeds over the weekend and you have to make sacrifices, but I always have enough time to spend with her.
And so is my nie. I polish her hair and she tells me what's going on and how excited she's to school the next day. She loves to make so maybe we'll work on something or sing a song together. I'm really trying to pour it into her.
Skincare and Stretch I take a hot shower and stretch. I'm really into skincare – I wash my face, put my toner and put on a mask. Put on moisturized serum, sit and pour another serum over it for spots. And I wore the oil – I love the beauty sandwiches, especially the sauces in their snatches. Their founder, Ivan Pol, has the most amazing facial. Whenever he is in New York, I see him – along with all the other actresses in Hollywood.
I'm crumbling and climbing to bed around midnight, but still not ready to fall asleep! I'm scrolling through my phone and looking at what else I can put in my Amazon Cart.
I finally get fluttering with the sound of rain. It's very calm.
