She’s a woman of infinite strength, a woman full of raw emotions and power. Though her past is filled with confusion and controversy, she did not allow her environment or her circumstances hinder or deter her. These are just some of the things you should know about “The Fosters” star Daffany Clark. The character Daphne is very much a parallel to Daffany’s real life and in some instances the two seem to mirror each other however, there is an undeniable strength in Daffany’s heart that propels her forward.
For reasons out of Daffany’s control, she and her sister were raised by their aunt at an early age. Daffany grew up in a predominately white neighborhood and never knew race to be an issue until a little girl in her kindergarten class was handing out invitations to a party and failed to give Daffany one. She asked why she didn’t get an invitation and the little girl’s response was “Because you’re black”. Daffany went home upset and her aunt (whom she refers to as Ma) sat her down and explained to her the same thing that made her different from others made her unique. Daffany took her aunt’s words and allowed the to fuel her every move from that day on.
At 18, Daffany moved out and put herself through college. “It was terrifying but it was worth it. You know, I moved out really young and thinking about it now I probably should’ve stayed home for an extra year or two but I did it. I ventured out on my own and it wound up almost preparing me for living on my own in LA.”
Since moving to Los Angeles, the city of big dreams, Daffany had to take on several jobs to stay afloat while still taking acting workshops and courses. Choice Skinner became Daffany’s friend and mentor when it came to acting. In 2012, Daffany and Choice worked together in the Award winning webseries “The One Percent” with Choice directing while Daffany acting.
Since joining the cast of “The Fosters” Daffany has been able to hone her skills and the experience has changed her life. “A year ago I never would’ve thought that me being on a show like The Fosters would be that big. People can relate to my character Daphne. She’s a seventeen year old girl with a child and all she really wants is to be loved and a little understood. But people continue to hurt her so she puts on this tough girl facade to kind of deal with it all… I love this show. It’s impactful. We’ve literally broken boundaries for television. We’ve touched on topics that were sort of like taboo in this industry and people love that. Being on the show has been a true blessing but I would’ve never auditioned for it if my friend Vanessa Giordano. She actually submitted me for the audition and I love her for that.”
Daffany’s road to stardom definitely doesn’t stop here. We look forward to seeing her on the big screen!
Article by Monique C. Tillman
