When Xavier Mills joined me on The Buzz to talk about the upcoming film Is God Is, I expected to learn more about the movie itself.
What I didn’t expect was for the conversation to turn into this deep discussion about purpose, manifestation, imposter syndrome, Black excellence, and what it really means to stop shrinking yourself.
“You Might Need a Seatbelt”
The first thing Xavier said about Is God Is immediately changed how I was looking at the film.
The movie follows twin sisters who are sent on a mission by their mother to find and kill their father. But as Xavier explained it, this isn’t just some straightforward revenge story.
As the sisters search for their father, they start uncovering the damage he’s left behind — the lives he destroyed, the families he impacted, and the trauma connected to him.
And I’m not gonna lie… hearing Xavier explain it completely reframed the movie in my head.
At first, I thought the violence and chaos were things the sisters were simply running into during the journey.
But the way Xavier described it?
No.
The violence is the father.
The trauma follows him everywhere.
That immediately made me lean in harder.
And then Xavier hit me with this line:
“You might need to come in there with a seatbelt.”
The Conversation About Imposter Syndrome Hit Me
One of my favorite parts of this interview was hearing Xavier talk honestly about walking onto set and seeing people like Sterling K. Brown and Janelle Monáe for the first time.
Because instead of acting like he had it all figured out, he admitted something that I think all creatives deal with at some point:
“Do I really belong here?”
And that hit me because I’ve felt that before too.
But what I loved was how he reframed it.
Instead of letting imposter syndrome consume him, he started studying. Watching. Learning. Paying attention to how these artists moved, how they transformed once the cameras started rolling, how they understood the technical side of performance.
That’s growth.
That’s somebody understanding that the room isn’t there to intimidate you. The room is there to sharpen you.
And I think so many people need to hear that.
“Be Where Your Feet Are”
There was another moment during this conversation that genuinely stayed with me after we wrapped.
Xavier said:
“Be where your feet are.”
Simple.
But powerful.
Because so many of us spend our time worrying about the next thing, the next opportunity, the next milestone, the next level, that we forget to actually live in the moment we once prayed for.
That line felt personal.
Especially as somebody building something creatively myself.
Sometimes we move so fast that we don’t even stop to realize:
“Wait… this is what I asked for.”
And when Xavier started talking about purpose, manifestation, and trusting what God already placed inside of you instead of constantly second-guessing yourself, I completely understood where he was coming from.
The other line that stuck with me?
“Never shrink yourself.”
That one hit hard too.
Seeing Your Family Watch the Dream
One thing I really loved hearing Xavier talk about was bringing his parents to the New York premiere.
There’s something different about your family seeing you in your element.
It’s one thing for you to know the work you put in.
It’s another thing entirely watching your parents sit there and witness your dream happening in real time.
You could hear how much that moment meant to him.
And honestly, hearing him describe watching his dad react emotionally to the movie made me smile because those are the moments creatives really hold onto forever.
Not the headlines.
Not the social media posts.
Those moments.
Black Excellence Isn’t Just a Phrase
Something I appreciated about this interview is that when we started talking about Black excellence, it didn’t feel performative.
It felt lived-in.
Real.
We talked about the importance of celebrating Black voices in this industry — not just actors, but creators across every lane.
And when Xavier started discussing It Takes a Village being selected for the American Black Film Festival, what stood out to me wasn’t just the accomplishment itself.
It was the preparation behind it.
The confidence.
The vision.
The boldness to walk up to somebody and say:
“I have something special and I want you to be part of it.”
That matters.
Because too often, people underestimate what Black creatives bring into rooms before we even open our mouths.
But one thing I’ve learned?
When we know our craft, we KNOW our craft.
And Xavier carries himself like somebody who understands exactly where he’s going.
Why This Conversation Meant Something To Me
By the end of this interview, it stopped feeling like a press run conversation.
It became two creatives talking about purpose.
About growth.
About trusting yourself enough to stop apologizing for your ambition.
And honestly, those conversations always mean more to me than surface-level promo ever could.
Because at the end of the day, I want people to see somebody who looks like them doing the thing they love and think:
“Maybe I can do that too.”
That matters to me.
And hearing Xavier talk the way he did throughout this conversation?
I think somebody out there is going to hear this interview and feel exactly that.
Is God Is premieres in theaters May 15.
After this conversation… the seatbelt is strapped!
Watch the full interview with Xavier Mills by clicking on the player above.
