“It humanizes Black women.
We don’t do that often in art.”
Queenie follows the life of a 25-year-old Jamaican woman named Queenie Jenkins as she navigates life living in London.
What has this adaptation journey been like for you?
Candice Carty-Williams:It’s been a very long journey.
It’s been eight years!
It’s changed my life in a really nice way.
Was there any part of the book that had you worried about how it would translate on-screen?
CCW:In terms of Queenie’s world her family and her people no.
The protest was similar to the Selma March, but we didn’t have a Selma budget.
Did that happen for you at all as you brought your book to screen?
CCW:So, I didn’t actually read it after I wrote it, ever again.
I just didn’t want to [laughs].
She was mainly in my head; the stuff that happened and the politics were all in my head.
I don’t really understand it."
When she feels she’s seen, it’s very uncomfortable for her.
I wanted to be able to explore that properly.
Therapy, particularly in the Black community, is sometimes looked down upon.
Knowing that, why was therapy an important factor for you to shine a light on?
It was really important to show that it can be helpful and it can be good.
It’s good to find the right therapist, as well.
We need to get it out of our systems.
What has been the most challenging and the most rewarding part about playing Queenie?
Things picked up [a lot for Queenie] in block two because it was very gradual.
And the most rewarding would probably be when we finished that bout of shooting all the really mentally-heavy work.
Queenie is such a flawed yet beautiful character.
Despite some criticism about her self-sabotaging ways, why are characters like this more relatable than people might realize?
DB:She is a bit of all of us.
Your twenties are normally about growth, choices, and cultivating your personhood.
It’s such a raw and transformational time.
in your twenties, it’s like the same thing happens, but nobody tells you.
That’s how it’s gonna happen.
I think you do self-sabotage a little while trying to figure that out.
That transformation isn’t just a period in your life, it’s an ongoing journey.
After learning that for yourself, what advice would you give Queenie or even younger you?
DB:Give yourself some grace.
Try not to take yourself so seriously, there’s no need.
And go out a bit more….experience life more.
Bellah, you’re a singer/songwriter stepping into your first acting gig.
How did you learn to turn yourself off and embody your character?
Bellah:Heels [laughs]!
No, I’m joking.
I’m here for the comic relief of it all.
Nothing is ever that serious.
It’s serious but it’s neverthatserious, you know what I mean?
So, it was an honor to just be really comfortable in that.
We’re all funny [laughs].
This series does an excellent job of dissecting the importance of friendship.
How has community shaped you into the woman you are today?
Bellah:Sisterhood, community…it saved my life.
It’s made me who I am.
It literally changed my whole life.
We’ve been stuck to each other ever since.
It means the world to me.
I love having women that are like me, around me.
I think we’re all geniuses.
To just sit down and listen to each other’s ideas is mind-blowing.
It inspires me daily.
The reason I do what I do is for people like me.
Black women are clearly at the center of this story.
Bellah:Because it’s humanizing Black women.
We don’t do that often in art.
We’re expected to be strong and put-together.
I’m glad that Queenie can be the poster child for messiness.
you might stream all eight episodes ofQueenieonHulu!
