Some of this, some of that

An all-around performer, Vanessa Williams is something of a throwback to the days of hoofers and crooners, when “entertainer” meant a little singing, a little dancing, a little acting and a lot of heart. As she’s found success as a pop singer, Broadway performer and actress in television and film, the Miss America scandal that once had thrust her into the spotlight has long since been left behind.

Following her Tony-nominated role in a revival of the Stephen Sondheim musical “Into the Woods,” Williams, 41, recently appeared on the critically lauded television series “Boomtown.” Turning now to a family-oriented movie comedy, she can be seen in “Johnson Family Vacation” as a smart, tuned-in mom opposite Cedric the Entertainer’s daffy dad.

I read that while you were performing on Broadway in “Into the Woods” you didn’t see your husband, Los Angeles Laker forward Rick Fox, for nearly three months. That must have been difficult.

It wasn’t quite that long. It might have been two months. The glorious part of that year was that while I was on Broadway, [the Lakers] ended up being in the NBA Finals in New Jersey. So I’d finish the show, jump in a car and be across the bridge at the Meadowlands in a matter of moments. The night they won the championship, I had a show, he won, I finished and got a chance to meet up with him at the hotel afterward to celebrate. It couldn’t have been more convenient to me. In terms of being committed to a Broadway show, it was ideal. In the beginning, our out-of-town [run] was in L.A., and he ended up having the championship practically across the street in New Jersey. But we’ve been married almost five years and together for six. We’re so used to it.

You became a successful singer and actress at a time when people weren’t necessarily doing both. It’s interesting that Solange Knowles and Bow Wow, who play your kids in “Johnson Family Vacation,” are both straddling those worlds as well.

I think it’s cyclical. People love to label you in terms of “Well, what do you really do?” And I grew up doing it all. A lot of people back in the day were expected to have that depth of being dramatic but also dance and sing. Frank Sinatra was a crooner who sang in front of thousands of people, and he also did dramatic films and he would tap dance in musicals and it was fine. When my first album came out in ’88 it was on the heels of the singer-songwriter, where people wrote their own material. Now it’s reverting back to being expected to be able to do more than one thing. The bottom line for me was that I had training in all areas.

Pop singer, dramatic actress, musical theater, television and now comedian -- you’ve shown a real knack for maintaining your career by reinventing yourself.

I don’t know if it’s reinventing myself; it’s getting a chance to show who I am. I think I became famous very early on at age 20 as a symbol of something that was not wholly me. The image of a beauty queen I was not. Whatever the labels have been -- scandalized pop star, newcomer to Broadway -- to be pigeonholed as anything, all those labels are just something to quickly sum up an image or a career. I’ve always had the talent and wanted a venue to show it. Nothing much has changed in terms of my outlook on life or who I really am as a person. I’ve always been a fighter, I’ve always been somewhat of a rebel, I’ve always been outspoken and pretty comfortable with who I am. It’s just a matter of getting an opportunity to show it.

Considering the tabloid scandal that marked the earliest part of your career, you’ve done a remarkable job of keeping a low profile.

There’s nothing left for me. All my skeletons came out when I was 21. Now, 20 years later, it’s not that interesting. I’m raising four kids, I’ve got a husband who’s faithful, we’re managing two separate houses and it’s relatively normal.

-- Mark Olsen