The Cast of ‘UnPrisoned’ Talks About Hulu’s Latest Comedy – Interview
Kerry Washington is back with a new comedy called UnPrisoned.
The story follows Washington’s character, Paige, as she adapts to her new life after her father (Delroy Lindo) is released from prison and needs to move in with her. The pair’s dynamic is the main relationship at the heart of the show, giving them time to heal wounds created during Paige’s youth, and some others formed after Edwin is out of jail. A family’s love is the most important theme for this new comedy, which was created by Tracy McMillan. Three different generations are affected by Edwin’s circumstances, prompting the entire family to lash out in different ways to express their repressed feelings.
Geeks of Color had the opportunity to speak with the cast of the show, which included Washington (Paige), Lindo (Edwin), Jordyn McIntosh (young Paige), Marque Richardson (Mal), Faly Rakotohavana (Finn) and the show’s creator, McMillan. All of them ere eager to discuss what the series meant to them, as well as giving audiences a different perspectives regarding the new characters they played. Their unique energy made evident why UnPrisoned is a show you can’t miss, dealing with a sensitive subject that is rarely seen in Primetime Television.
When asked about the challenges his character had to face after being released from prison, Lindo said, “How do I make some really ghastly mistakes from my past–how does one begin to make that right and correct. I don’t want to say bad behaviour; missteps, profound missteps that have been made. How do you begin to correct those things?”
Regarding the same question, Washington added, “I love that question ’cause I think that’s so much of what the show is about. You know, we have in this country, there are 80 million Americans who are living with a criminal record, and to ask the question of what’s hard when you come out? And I think the show does such a great job exploring and kind of excavating what’s hard for Edwin emotionally, but also what’s hard for Edwin in terms of the systems that are in place. How it’s hard to get a job, how it’s hard to get a social security number, how it’s hard to create a life both on the inside and the outside. I think that in a lot of ways, that’s the question we’ve exploring in the show.”
Rakotohavana shared with us how his character, Finn, would have to adapt to his new life now that his grandfather has moved into his house. The actor explained, “It’s going to affect them in many different ways. He hasn’t got to grow up with figure like Edwin in his life so, just to have that literally appear on his doorstep is going to affect him”. On the other hand, Jordyn McIntosh, who plays a young version of Paige in the series, listed the three things she wanted out of an acting career in Hollywood: “Say spicy language, work with one of America’s biggest actresses, and cake.”
Tracy McMillan, UnPrisoned‘s executive producer and showrunner, took an opportunity to point out how this family and their relationships are at the core of the new comedy. McMillan said, “This is a story about a family that we’ve never seen before. My dad’s been in and out of prison my whole life. I’ve never seen a show about our experience. How do you put the family back together after mass incarceration? I naturally wanted to explore that subject if only to work it out for myself.”
Paige is always assisted by the ever reliable Mal, who is played by Marque Richardson. The actor spoke about his experience of reading the script and being introduced to the most prominent aspects of this story. Richardson said, “When I first got this opportunity. One: It said Kerry Washington. Two: It said Delroy Lindo. Three: It said Tracy McMillan, Yvette Bowser. These are all people that I love and respect. And there’s my other option. If it wasn’t for this show, I would be doing OnlyFans!”
All episodes of UnPrisoned are currently streaming on Hulu!
