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with what was happening. Allison: Were there signs you would get from her? Brooklyn: Obviously, her music follows me everywhere. I would show up somewhere and there was a song playing. I would think, “Okay, I know I’m supposed to be here in this particular moment.” She passed away on May 17th. We had been working on this film for so many years and when HBO gave us our air date and our air week, it was the same week as her passing. Another sign was when my hairstylist on the day of the premiere for the film started singing, “Someone to watch over me...” I asked her why she was singing that song, and she said, “I don’t know. I don’t even know why I have that song in my head.” I said, “My mom would perform that song on stage as one of her standards that she would sing, and that was part of her set for many, many years.” It was a little wink from her, like, “Hi. I’m right here with you. I see you.” Allison: What do you feel you have mastered in your life at this point, and what remains a work in progress for you? Brooklyn: I think that life is a journey. When I was younger, I would be looking more for destinations. Now I’m much more content in my journey and knowing there is an ebb and a flow, and peaks and valleys, and they are all valid and useful to our growth. Allison: And what remains a stumbling block for you? Brooklyn: I used to be someone that struggled with depression and anxiety. I feel like I have to be much more okay with the unknown. I think, for me, it is about bringing my faith to the next level and accepting that I many not know what is going to happen two or three months from now. We are in the middle of a writer’s strike and I’m an actor. That’s another unknown that brings up a lot of stuff if I don’t really try to stay grounded and take it one day at a time. I have to catch myself and go back to the basics, and remind myself to focus on what is right in front of me, knowing there will be enough light to take the next step when I get there. Allison: What do you think your mom, Donna Summer, mastered during her lifetime, and what continued to be a work in progress for her throughout her life? Brooklyn: She mastered her gift (referring to her mother’s voice and musical talent). She understood that her gift, her voice, her creativity and her artistry was a gift from God. She knew that very early on, that it was something that came with a responsibility and she took that very seriously. I think that is why her voice continued to get stronger over the years. She mastered how to use her gift to reach people. I think that is one of the things that made her a genius in her own way. One of the things she was still working on was having to receive love without having to give; to just sit and receive. During her illness and that period of time, that was something that she really had to just release. She had to just sit and understand that just being her was enough. That was a big part of her journey in her last year. Love To Love You, Donna Summer is now streaming on HBOMAX. Follow Brooklyn Sudano @brooklynsudano. Images Courtesy of Warner Bros./HBO and Brooklyn Sudano Listen to or watch the extended interview on the Allison Interviews Podcast and on YouTube.