Laverne Cox has a “24 Hours with” video with Vogue that’s a lot of fun. Laverne is promoting Inventing Anna. She recently admitted that she’s been cagey about her age for years and is about to turn 50. IMDB figured it out in 2019 and after Laverne admitted her age in public she realized that she’d been internalizing an ex boyfriend’s ageism for over 20 years. In her video with Vogue, Laverne gives us a glimpse at her incredible New York apartment and takes the camera crew with her to a voice lesson and shopping at Patricia Field. She tries on so many wild outfits and gets nostalgic about her decades of living in the city. It was a joy to watch. Here’s some of what she said.

On her gratitude and manifestation process
Many years ago, an acting teacher suggested we start our day writing down five things that we are grateful for and five things that we’re manifesting. First thing on my gratitude list would be my boyfriend. I’m feeling really grateful for my team today… I believe in the power of manifestation though. Write it down, write down the things that you want to happen in your life and take concrete action. If it is meant for you, it will happen and it will happen on God’s time, not your time.

She used to work at Patricia Field’s store
Many people know Patricia Field, because she was the costume designer for “Sex And The City” and so many other shows. I know Patricia Field, because I used to work at her legendary store on 8th Street back in the day, and Amanda Lepore also worked there at the time. Mona Foot worked at Patricia Field. Joey Roland worked at Pat Field, Dana Davis, Candis Cayne, Perfidia, like legendary New York night-life worked at Pat’s store.

When I think of Pat, I think of all of that and all these really great memories of New York City. It’s a New York City that doesn’t exist any more and it makes me sad and things change, but it was an incredible time to be alive and to be in the city.

On moving to NYC in 1993
I was sort of gender nonconforming. I started wearing girls clothes like culottes and bell-bottoms and eventually I advanced to dresses. I was always sort of an outcast. I was bullied because of how I dressed and how I looked. And when I arrived in New York City in 1993, I didn’t have to wait to get into Disco 2000. If you were one of the kids, if you had a look, you went straight to the front of the line and they let you in. You could be different, you could be trans, you could be gender non-conforming, and there were places for you to go and work and make money. Patricia Field and her store was sort of the epicenter of so much of that.

No matter where I live in the world, I’ll always be a New Yorker. It’s not just a state of mind. It’s a state of mind, body, and soul.

[From Vogue on YouTube]

I would have loved to have seen Laverne working out! That was either a rare day off for her, or the camera didn’t film that part but I want to learn more about her workout regime. (She actually did a few sessions, pre-pandemic, with the personal trainer she played on Inventing Anna, Kacy Duke.) You know she doesn’t look like that at almost 50 by just walking around NY and shopping. Also, did she go out somewhere incredible for dinner?

A friend moved to NY City after college and I have some memories of the city in the early 90s. We stayed on Fire Island and went to Pride in NYC in 1994. It was amazing. The costumes, makeup and just general vibe were so positive. The queens were absolute stars and as Laverne is saying many came to New York to escape rural towns were they were ridiculed for being themselves.

As for her manifestation process, I try to do this too. Back in the 90s we called it creative visualization and goal setting was a part of that. It’s just imagining what’s possible for you. I like her perspective on it, that it will happen if it’s meant for you and it will be on God’s time. That attitude has helped me a lot with acceptance.

Photos credit: Instar