Y&R's Victoria Rowell launches podcast and signs on to direct BET Her film

The Young and the Restless' Victoria Rowell (ex-Drucilla Winters) is launching a juicy new podcast called Secrets of a Soap Opera Diva, and she has joined a BET Her initiative that will feature four female-centric original short films.

Hot on the heels of the news that The Young and the Restless' Victoria Rowell (ex-Drucilla Winters) will be hosting a new home improvement series called Trash vs Treasure comes word that the actress has two other exciting projects in the works: a gossipy new podcast called Secrets of a Soap Opera Diva and a short film that's part of a BET Her initiative that features African American talent and stories.

Rowell took to social media with the news about her podcast, which she teases is "an entertaining and enlightening diversion from the serious topics of the day -- lights, camera, calamity, claws, and especially the secrets of daytime television!"

The actress shared a short teaser snippet from the podcast that addresses the continuing controversy over mixed race storylines in daytime. In it, Rowell says, "Mixed race storylines came into play, I think, around the 70s and 80s. Ellen Holly [Carla Gray, One Life to Live; Judge Frances Collier, Guiding Light] is a queen. She's one of the first Black actresses in daytime. And with mixed race storylines, there was a lot of controversy. Still, there can be a bubble up around mixed race in daytime. You would think that in the 21st century, this would not be an issue."

Fans can find Rowell's Secrets of a Soap Opera Diva podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Stitcher.

In addition to her podcast, Rowell shares that she has teamed with producer Tressa Azarel Smallwood of MegaMind Media, who is working with BET Networks on a new BET Her initiative to produce four female-centric original short films. The films are being directed by prominent African American Hollywood stars, including Rowell, Sheryl Lee Ralph (Sister Act 2), Kim Fields (Living Single), and Vanessa Bell Calloway (Coming to America). The 20-minute dramatic shorts will cover vital topics to today's Black families, ranging from breast cancer to mental health. They will live under the BET Her "Her Stories" franchise, a platform to empower the next generation of Black women filmmakers.

According to Deadline, Rowell is directing a short called Everything is Fine, written by Dez White. Starring Charmin Lee, Malachi Malik, and Vernon Davis, the film shows the charmed life of an affluent Black family that seems to have it all but faces a challenge with their estranged son who struggles to hold onto reality with the confidential help of his younger sister.

Rowell, who shared on Instagram that she began shooting her film this week in Maryland, says she's proud to be working on the BET Her project as it is "Black women collectively making cinematic history w/ @viacomcbs #bethertv black showrunners, EP, directors, writers, DP, department heads -- unapologetically writing our own stories."

Adds Lorisa Bates, BET Her VP Content Strategy, Co-Productions, and Multiplatform: "BET Her is dedicated to telling stories that support and celebrate Black women in front of and behind the camera as well as bringing awareness to important issues directly affecting the Black community. We are proud to be the platform for these powerful stories and of the work that our female talent has put into these projects that are ever so timely."

Everything is Fine is slated to air on BET Her Networks on Saturday, July 25.

Rowell will also host a home makeover reality series called Trash vs Treasure, which transforms the spaces of deserving families. For more on that project, continue reading here.

What do you think about Rowell launching a soap opera podcast and also signing on to direct a short film for BET's BET Her initiative? We want to hear from you -- so drop your comments in the Comments section below, tweet about it on Twitter, share it on Facebook, or chat about it on our Message Boards.