WATCH: Cast members Rutina Wesley, Kofi Siriboe, and Dawn-Lyen Gardner on the impact of ‘Queen Sugar’

• Share on Facebook
• Share on Twitter
• Share via Email
• Copy Link

  Link Copied

[griojw id=”OdHuO0ON” playerid=”GqX43ZoG”]

As fans gear up for the highly anticipated new season of Queen Sugar, theGrio caught up with the “Borldeon siblings” to discuss what fans can expect and also touched on how their roles are God’s work and the impact in the Black community.

Kofi Siriboe: It’s only God’s work. I feel like right now, the socio-political climate we live in –especially as Black people– it’s so important for us to have a strong concept of identity. We have to challenge what identity has been and meant to us. And for the show to be able to unpack so many conversations but in a way where it is edible — you can still just watch it and enjoy it and be entertained– but also it is therapy and there is transformation happening. It doesn’t feel like it, but it’s just God’s work. We’re showing ourselves back to ourselves but also being honest with the duality of the experience and I feel like that’s transformative and it allows us to re-imagine where we’ve been and where we want to go. It’s powerful.

READ MORE: ‘Queen Sugar’ season preview shows Bordelons fighting for survival and love

Dawn-Lyen Gardner:I think that it is absolutely healing work and that to me is of God, always. I do feel like…like Kofi said transformation is at the center of the show for every character. I definitely speak for Charlie. She’s in a conversation about who she is and who she’s becoming and I think every character is in that conversation and that is, at its core, a spiritual conversation. I think it’s also a universal conversation. I think it’s just a real accessible deep conversation that every human is in at some point. So, I think that’s always of God.

Rutina Wesley: I think it’s sort of a self healing. It’s made me look at myself in ways that I haven’t looked at myself and really sort of look in the mirror and embrace all of me. I think sometimes we just embrace parts of ourselves and parts that we like. Playing Nova has really made me look at it all and love it all and not apologize for who I am. I’ve met women who see themselves reflected on the screen and feel like they are finally seen in the world. They feel healed in a sense and complete and whole because they feel like they have a place in this world. Which is so sad to me, that for a long time a lot of people feel like they have no place, and to see someone play a character that you see yourself in, that makes you feel whole, I think to me is really beautiful. Now a lot of women are living full lives because they feel like “I’m Nova’’ and they are embracing everything about themselves and I think it’s nice to be a part of that and a positive reflection of ourselves in our community.

Queen Sugar returns for its third season with a two-night premiere event on OWN Tuesday, May 29, and Wednesday, May 30 (10 p.m. ET/PT each night). The series will regularly air on Wednesday nights at 10 p.m.

Check out the full interview below:

[griojw id=”BJJeBrfP” playerid=”BqxyiSkR”]

Bordelon sibling trivia:

[griojw id=”puMQwBBF” playerid=”BqxyiSkR”]