*Growing up in one of music’s most famous families introduced Tracee Ellis Ross to cultural icons at an age when she was still trying to make sense of the world around her. Looking back now, she says those early encounters left very different impressions.
During an appearance on “Baby, This is Keke Palmer,” Ross reflected on the celebrities she met as the daughter of Diana Ross. While many of those memories are fond, she admitted that meeting pop artist Andy Warhol was unsettling as a child.
“Andy Warhol painted me and my sisters,” Ross recalled, PEOPLE reports. “I met him. I was not star-struck. I was actually frightened.”
Asked what caused that reaction, she pointed to his unmistakable appearance. “Well, probably the look. He had a very distinct look,” she said.
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Ross explained that it took years before she fully grasped why Warhol was considered such a groundbreaking artist.
“I did not understand what was happening,” she said. “I mean, I realize so much about Andy’s work now as an adult that I didn’t understand as a kid. And this kind of satirical, reflective thing that he was always doing … creating pop culture in art and mixing them in a way that is, it’s kind of extraordinary.”
The encounter stemmed from a 1981 portrait session at Warhol’s New York studio, The Factory, where he photographed Ross, her mother and sisters Rhonda and Chudney. One image was later selected as the cover for Diana Ross’ 1982 album “Silk Electric.”
Ross’ stories offered a glimpse into a childhood that may have included extraordinary celebrity encounters but, as her memories show, still came with the wide-eyed reactions of an ordinary kid.
Watch Tracee’s conversation with KeKe Palmer below.
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