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(Meili and members of the NYPD havemaintainedthat Reyes could not have acted alone.)
Moonlights unexpected success was one thing.
But you anchor a good portion of this highly anticipated series.
It was all a shock to me.
I guess Im doing the best to prep myself here.
I come from the Bronx, where none of this was even thought of about three years ago.
You know, my moms not helping me.
Shes worse than me.
Ive read that acting wasnt on your radar at all until just before high school.
But I also saw that you didlocal childrens theaterin the Bronx.
While I was in eighth grade, I hadnt even stepped on a stage or done a play.
I just knew I was a dramatic person in general and loved telling stories.
It was about four months where I was figuring out what a monologue even was.
Imagine two people who dont know what acting is in general working on a script?
It took at least ten strong, independent women to make this happen for me.
My entire team is women my two managers, my publicist, my mom.
My teachers were women.
To me, thats what art is.
I dont have all the opportunities in front of me.
I dont have the chance to pick whatever I want.
Im inspired by Denzel and Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer, who are so fearless.
If I can acquire some of that fearlessness, thats the reason I started this in the first place.
I just went out for young Korey.
Hes a man whos trying to figure out who he is in a world that will not let him.
I had a lot of facial hair [at the time, forMr.
That was the issue.
Ava was begging to shave my face.
She was like, What the hell?
With your facial hair youre at least 35, and without youre at least 5.
The real intense stuff was arguably when older Korey was in solitary.
Youre a musical person.
So for Korey, I did create a playlist, and it was all old-school hip-hop.
I spent a lot of time on set staring at a blank wall.
I remember finding this piece of gum in the corner of the cell one time.
I grabbed it and started picking it apart.
I think there was this unspoken trust between me and him.
Speaking with him was always light, it was always love.
He would always look at me and go, You Korey Wise, you the king.
This is the show about these five men, so that fills my entire psyche.
I dont have room to think about anybodys negativity, whatever our lovely president is going to say.
Im sure backlash will happen.
Im sure therell be controversy.
Ava even said it best.
Somebody asked her, What do you think when Trump sees it?
And she said thats the last thing on her mind.
She didnt create this for him.
He just happens to be a part of the story, and thats his own doing.
Its about bringing these black men up, not taking this white man down.
