Written by | Ray Cornelius
WGN’s new series “Underground” aired tonight and from the looks of it, this is not your typical slave narrative. The one-hour program centers on a group of slaves planning a daring 600-mile escape from a Georgia plantation and features an all-star cast including Straight Outta Compton‘s Aldis Hodge, Law and Order star Christopher Meloni, True Blood’s Adina Porter, and Forest Gump‘s Mykelti Williamson.
Yours truly had the opportunity to chat with one of the show’s stars—Jurnee Smollett-Bell. We talked about her character RosaLee and why this particular story needed to be told.
Check out my 5-minute interview below:
RC: Tell us about your character RosaLee?
JSB: RosaLee is a young lady who works in the house on a plantation in 1857. She’s never stepped more than two feet outside the plantation and is deeply saturated in the brainwashing that says you are worth nothing and you have no value. She’s at the point in her life that most young women are where they are struggling with their identity and she’s questioning whether there is a better life out there for her. And those dreams and questions can get you killed in 1857.
RC: Do you and RoseLee have any similarities?
JSB: Absolutely! Sometimes I feel like I don’t fit in. Sometimes I feel like an outsider. I do feel like I am fighting against the system that tells me I’m one thing and I’m not. I think we all struggle with that where you try to define who you are for yourself and try not to believe them when they tell you you’re great and try not to believe them when they tell you you’re not great. Those are all of the things I have in common with RosaLee. She also fiercely loves her family and protects her siblings which I also do as well.
RC: What drew you to this particular project?
JSB: I was drawn to this because we’ve never heard this story told before. We’ve never seen the Underground Railroad story told through a television series. Inherently it’s riveting. It’s desperate and dangerous. And I wanted to see our story told. Not many of us know about the Underground Railroad except for Harriett Tubman and it’s such an empowering part of our history. I am in love with RosaLee who appears to be very fragile and vulnerable on the outside but she is so strong on the inside. I wanted to explore playing with that. She seems delicate like a flower but really she’s a black rose.
RC: What do you want people to take away from Underground?
JSB: We aren’t told these stories and we don’t get to celebrate or take ownership of them. There’s always such an element of shame attached to this time period of our history. For me, it was quite humbling to embody someone like RosaLee because of the bravery, courage and strength someone like her had during this time in our history. I hope people will become prideful in where we come from and what we’ve come through.
“Underground” airs Wednesday nights at 10 p.m. EST on WGN
Photo Credit: EOnline.com