Starz #TAkeTheLead in New Orleans
On July 2nd, Starz took on New Orleans with #TakeTheLead. “#TakeTheLead is STARZ's commitment to amplifying narratives by, about and for women and underrepresented audiences. We hope that by taking the lead and remaining fiercely dedicated to inclusion on and off screen, and throughout the company, as well as our commitment to bold, unapologetic stories and characters, it will inspire others across the industry," according to Starz.com. During the panel 6 of the actors from Starz hit show P Valley answered questions that the audience was waiting to hear!
During the panel, the actors and actresses were asked “What did you really want to bring to make sure that we got more depth”. Actress Gail Bean who plays Roulette answered with "I just honestly really wanted to bring a fresh authentic look of my character, what I saw and knew. I used to work in a strip club, I was a shooter girl, in Atlanta”. The crowd went wild! Ms. Bean gave a raw answer that many people can relate too. She also teared up as she began to explain that she was a fan of the show’s season one, and how proud she was to be on season 2. It’s safe to say, her words touched everyone in the room, as you can tell how genuine she was, and every word was coming from her heart.
Down in the valley where the girls get naked, so did the men. Lil Murda who is played by J Alphonse Nicholson, spoke on how important his role is to him, his wife and children. Nicholson plays an upcoming rapper who is sleeping with two men on the low. It takes courage, especially in today’s world for a married man to play a role like that and not care about what people think. In fact, Nicholson stated that his wife’s support helped him through this journey and gave her a shoutout, as she was standing amongst other guests during this event. The man Lil Murda was sleeping with on the show is known as Uncle Clifford, who is played by Nicco Annon. Annon puts on for the LGBTQ+ community and leaves no crumbs while doing so! During this panel, Annon said “I didn’t want to have to get into my Hollywood body” meaning that the character he plays is very similar to who he is, which is amazing because everyone loves them, like Uncle Clifford! He keeps it real, cute and top notch.
Brandee Evans, the iconic woman who plays Mercedes was also a part of this panel. Ms. Evans is one of the characters that keep the viewers on their toes as she takes no sh** and is about her money honey! She shared some news that fans didn’t expect to hear, like how she related to Mercedes by injury, meaning Mercedes has a bad shoulder, while Evan said, “It's Mercedes, shoulder but it's my back”.
Shannon Thornton who plays the infamous Keyshawn aka Miss Mississippi” teared up as she explained how much her character has impacted fans, has impacted her. Thornton went on to say that she has read DMs from fans that are currently going through or have left domestic violence for some. Now if you watch the show, you know Keyshawn has been going through this since season 1 and leaving was something that seemed almost impossible for her, but then she did. Domestic Violence is a sensitive topic for some, so the fact that she was able to portray a character going through it and helped other women during this journey is nothing short of amazing. Shout out to you Miss Mississippi!
Overall, the event was beautiful. If you haven’t watched P Valley yet, what are you waiting for? P Valley airs every Sunday on STARZ. See you at the Pynk!
