'Copper' on BBC America: Actor Ato Essandoh shares experience playing a black doctor on hit Civil War drama
The Ghanaian-American thespian shared with us what it was like to portray a part of black history that is rarely seen -- and how 'Copper' speaks to political issues that persist today.
As a piece of entertainment, what is the aspect that will draw viewers to watch Copper again and again?
I think what’s really fun about it is that things that you don’t expect the characters to do, they just do. It’s one of those sort of page-turners where you want to see what happens next, and on top of that you’re getting this sort of intricate historical costume drama on top of it. Then they put in a procedural cop show. I remember reading one of the episodes, and when I got to the end, I threw the script down and started jumping up and screaming, because I was like, “oh, no, no, no they did NOT do that, no way.” It just keeps you engaged in the show. That’s what’s fun about it to me: the storytelling.
Is your character like a black Sherlock Holmes?
He’s sort of turning into that. What I love about the character other than that is that he’s a great black character that is multi-dimensional. He has a real scientific, distinct curiosity to figure out what the truth is and that’s what drives him to work in these kinds of dangerous situations where he’s working with white people who could turn around and kill him, or if they find out what he’s doing could lynch him and his wife who he loves very much.
You’ll see in subsequent episodes, he’s also doing things to save his community and protect not just his community but the entirety of New York. So there’s a great, honorable thing that he’s doing and unfortunately it’s not recognized, or it’s too dangerous to be recognized.
You’re using your ability as an artist to illuminate this part of black history and doing it so lovingly. Do you feel comfortable speaking to the challenges of playing a black American from this time even though your ancestors did not experience that history?
By my history growing up in America, I definitely, always felt like I was between both worlds. When I go back to Ghana and visit my parents and my family and so forth, I’m American, even though I’ve grown up deep in Ghanaian culture. When I’m here in America, I’m still in some circles considered from somewhere else. So I think people like me – and I’m not saying this from an ego standpoint – have a unique perspective on this duality of what it means to be black: where you’re from and the entire curiosity from both sides of the ocean about what the other is doing and what it means to be the other. I’m sure there’s somebody out there who would say, “well is he qualified to play a part that is not the history of him?” I would always say yes to any actor, because that’s what we’re supposed to be doing. But, that is a fascinating question, and I wish that there was a forum in which we could have that conversation. I could go on for hours with this, with my own experiences growing up black, and growing up dark black, growing up with a funny African name, a lot of stuff that you wouldn’t expect I’ve experienced from my own people, whatever side of the Atlantic they are from.
What do you hope that audiences will take away from the show Copper?
I just hope they’ll take away that it’s a great piece of storytelling. I think that’s what’s most important. They will be taken away into this world and learn a little bit of something about the history of one of the greatest cities in the world, but also be transported into some great storytelling.
Follow Alexis Garrett Stodghill on Twitter at @lexisb.
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