What's life like for the famous Popeye's lady?

Almost everyone has seen the commercials. A Southern lady with a big smile and even bigger personality is talking about Popeye’s fried chicken and her latest spicy chicken creation to hit the market.

The character, Annie, could be anyone. She could be your mother, grandmother, a chef, maybe a cashier or the CEO of Popeye’s. The fact that you really don’t know is deliberate, said Popeye’s global brand manager Dick Lynch.

“We leave it vague,” Lynch said. “It is really in the eye of the beholder. But we want her to represent Louisiana culture.”

Annie is played by award-winning actress Deidrie Henry (“The Riches,” “Criminal Minds,” “Justified,” “Glee” and the new series “Game of Silence.”)

Henry landed the role of the Louisiana, down-home Popeye’s spokesperson after trying out for the part.

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Recently, she and several top executives from Popeye’s Louisiana Kitchen were in Lafayette for an employee meet and greet.

We got a chance to sit down with the actress, who shared some astounding facts about the woman who plays Annie and how different she is from her character.

TDA: So you play a Louisiana lady, chef or cook, who creates all of Popeye’s newest and spiciest chicken dishes. Are you from New Orleans?

Henry: No. I’m from Barbados. But my family moved to Atlanta when I was 10.

TDA:  Is Annie married?

Henry: She is. They gave me a ring, so we established that she is married. I think she has kids. I remember shooting one commercial with kids.

TDA: What about you?

Henry: Yes. I’ve been married one year. His name is Douglas Dickerson. I met Doug, and we started going out.  We dated for six years. We met in December, and (right after that) I got the role (in Popeye’s commercials), and then my whole life just exploded.

TDA: Do you eat Popeye’s?

Henry: Not that much. I will eat Popeye’s, but I’m also health conscious. But I do indulge. I have to stay in shape for my career, so I don’t eat a lot of fast food. My husband and I throw a crab shack (party) every year in California, and we invite a huge group of people, and we always have Popeye’s at that.

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TDA: Where do you live?

Henry: We live in Los Angeles.

TDA: Do people recognize you now that you are all over  television?

Henry: People don’t recognize me, and that doesn’t bother me much. They sometimes recognize my voice though.

TDA: So the global brand manager said Annie could be a cook, a cashier or the CEO of Popeye’s. Which one do you think she is?

Henry: I would be the CEO. Annie takes ownership of everything she does. She tells people how to do their job.

TDA: There you go. Do you cook? Are you a good cook?

Henry: Yes. I think so. I cook a lot of West Indian food — curry chicken, peas and rice.

TDA: Peas and rice, like red beans and rice?

Henry: No. These are pigeon peas. They are a round, brownish kind of pea.

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TDA: Is there a Popeye’s in Barbados?

Henry: No. I don’t think they’ve made it there yet.

TDA: So you’ve said Annie is married and maybe has kids. How old is she?

Henry: I don’t know. 

TDA: How old are you?

Henry: (Silence) I’m not saying. But I think I’m younger than Annie.

TDA: I hear you. So what is the most surprising thing about you that people would be shocked to learn?

Henry: That I fly planes. I’m a pilot. I have a degree in aeronautical science from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida. 

TDA: What? Annie is really a rocket scientist? Literally?

Henry: Ha ha. Well, flight scientist. But yes, I wanted to be a corporate pilot. But when I graduated, Eastern Airlines had just folded and the market was flooded with all of these experienced pilots, and I couldn’t find a job. A friend of mine had started a theater in Atlanta, so I moved back home and did that. Then one thing led to another and I moved to New York and did that for a while. I lived in Paris for a year and traveled around doing Shakespeare.

TDA: And that’s how you got into acting? Wow. What does it take to get a degree in flight science?

Henry: Well, you have to love math, physics and science and do well in that.

TDA: So if this acting thing doesn’t work out, would you ever go back and be a pilot?

Henry: No, that’s the last thing I’d want to be. That field is more like a job. This is more like ... fun. 

TDA: Well, your career seems to be really taking off, skyrocketing, so I guess you won’t have to. Maybe when you get really big and famous you’ll have your own plane, and you can fly that?

Henry: Haha. Maybe.

TDA: Thanks so much for sharing your story with us. You really blew us away. 

Henry: Thank you.