Andra Day: 'I don't feel prettier after losing weight'
Andra Day replies "Hell no!" when people ask her if she feels "prettier" after losing weight.
The singer and actress landed an Oscar nomination for her performance as iconic jazz singer Billie Holiday in The United States vs. Billie Holiday, and despite impressing others with her new figure after shedding 40 pounds for the role, she's missing her curves.
"I've had people ask me, 'Do you feel prettier now that you've lost weight?' I was like, 'Hell, no! I liked being juicy! I was cool,'" she said in an interview with InStyle. "But I do like the way (the weight loss) feels on my body, I like the way it feels on my joints. You do notice a difference."
The 36-year-old star also believes there are many definitions of beauty, rather than being the perfect weight or height.
And Andra added that radiating inner self-confidence is always attractive to others.
"Besides, to me, there is no such thing as a classic beauty," she said. "Beauty takes on so many different forms, in different times and depending on the nation. It's just about being confident, loving yourself, and understanding your value."
Andra went on to reveal that playing Billie made her feel more confident than ever about her body.
"I definitely do. And it has to do with Billie," she replied when asked if she feels beautiful. "It was almost like she said, 'Sis, we're going to have to close this, because I have to survive.' She opened me up to valuing myself in a way that I hadn't fully before."
