Written by | Ray Cornelius
Emmy-winning producer and acclaimed actress Niecy Nash took over Atlanta’s Regal Cinema Atlantic Station Theater Saturday evening for a sneak peek of CLAWS Season 2. The TNT original drama returns to primetime this summer beginning June 10.
Joining Nash for the advanced screening were her cast members – Georgia-born actress and one of my faves Carrie Preston (Polly) as well as Jimmy Jean-Louis (Gregory Ruval) and Jack Kesy (Roller).
Carrie Preston, Jack Kesy, Niecy Nash and Jimmy Jean-Louis
CLAWS follows Nash as Desna, the owner a Manatee County nail salon, where there’s a lot more going on than silk wraps and pedicures. She and her outrageous staff of working class women are trying to get by while navigating the luscious, absurd and extreme excesses of the crime world. Rounding out the rest of cast is Harold Perrineau, Jenn Lyon, Judy Reyes, Karrueche Tran, Jason Antoon, Kevin Rankin and Dean Norris.
While I can’t say much about the season 2 opener, I’ll tell you that it has just as many laugh-out-loud moments as last season but with a helluva lot more plot twists and turns. In other words, brace yourselves!
Following the screening, RC got a chance to talk with the cast exclusively about the show, their characters and much more.
Niecy Nash on Desna’s quick-witt:
“I feel like you have to go back to her genesis because she was raised in a group home. She didn’t really have parents and she had to take care of her brother, who had his own mental challenges. So trying to navigate that and taking care of him forced her to think quick and to find ways. She might be down but she ain’t out. You know what I mean? Like a palm tree in the storm, it may bend a lil bit but that thang ain’t gone break. She’s that girl and because she’s that girl, there’s always a way.”
Jimmy Jean-Louis on CLAWS alluring and unpredictable nature…
“It’s just good. I think its unexpected what we’re offering. The storylines are different. The characters are amazing and it’s stuff that you’ve probably never seen on television before.”
Check out the rest of my exclusive interviews with the cast on an upcoming edition of my arts and entertainment radio show, UPFRONT.
In addition to the CLAWS cast, a number of Atlanta celebrities were also in attendance including Snowfall actor Isaiah John along with his sister Acrimony actress Bianca John, Bravo reality stars Ben and Brooklyn Tankard, Saints & Sinners actresses Dawn Halfkenny and Marquita Goings, Too Close to Home actress Ashley Love-Mills and rapper Kore Stacks.
Check out all of the red carpet images below:
Carrie Preston
Jack Kesy
Marquita Goings
Isaiah John
Dawn Halfkenny
Ben Tankard
Brooklyn Tankard
Ashley Love-Mills
Kore Stacks
Bianca John
Photo Credits: RayCornelius.com