FX's 'Kindred' Shows We're Not 'Far Removed' From the Trauma of Slavery

"To me, the only way that you can go forward, is to go back."

As a society, the horrors of slavery can still be felt and one of the ways we process these vitally important stories from history is through projects like FX's Kindred (December 13). Based on the bestselling novel of the same name by Octavia E. Butler, the new limited series stars Mallori Johnson in a breakout role as Dana, a young writer pulled from the present day to a 19th-century plantation. "To me, the only way that you can go forward, is to go back." Though difficult, it's the "only way that we're able to reconcile with ourselves and our place on this land...have those conversations and look at what brought us here, what brought us to this point." To Johnson, the "show poses something that's really beautiful, which is that we all have this kindred connection in a way." Told "from an historical perspective" that offers a "fresh look at slavery," one of the things that stood out to Johnson were the similarities between present-day and the past: "The way that [Dana] reacts is not that far removed from the way her ancestors had to react and deal with that trauma."

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What most enticed you about playing Dana?

Oh, my God, so many things. When I first read the book, I felt that there was something so charming and rich and powerful about Dana's connection to her own ancestry. This story is told from an historical perspective that gave a fresh look at slavery, essentially. And to not only watch a show or see a story, or a book, or a narrative that was a historical viewpoint on slavery, but actually a girl who could have her hand in her own ancestry and change it, that was so interesting and cool to me. She's so clever, she's so resourceful, she's so witty and intelligent. I fell in love with her. She's so fierce and strong. I want to embody that in my own life.

In recent years there have been a number of projects that have explored the legacy of slavery and how we're still dealing with it's impact. What were your thoughts on that when approaching this project?

There's so much I could say about this. We're not that far removed from what happened, we're not that far removed from this horrific tragedy that affects us culturally, to this day. And I think that's what's so beautiful about the show, is that it shows that direct connection. I see so much conversation and discourse in our communities—in the Black community and in the community of America—that shows that there's still unrest. Historically what happened has affected us so strongly that we are still dealing with the echo of what happened. I think the only way that we're able to reconcile with ourselves and our place on this land is if we go back and we have those conversations and we look at what brought us here, what brought us to this point. To me, that's the only way that you can go forward, is to go back. One of my castmates said it's almost like drawing an arrow, the only way that you can actually launch yourself forward is to pull yourself back.

In many ways we're still dealing with the collective trauma of slavery, because we aren't that far removed from it.

Absolutely. And the way that she reacts is not that far removed from the way her ancestors had to react and deal with that trauma. She's still reconciling with that in her own life in the present day. There's just a lot of parallels between what we experience now and what we experienced then. I don't think we should try and forget.

The balance between sci-fi and historical and thriller is fascinating. Did that stand out to you?

I agree, I cannot pin down the genre of the show. I think that's the coolest thing about the show to me, it's a mystery, it's a trauma, it's a science fiction, it's a horror, it's a rom-com, it's all these things, all in one. That's exciting, because there's something for everyone in this show.

Your career is just starting, and to be starring in a mini-series is not a bad way to kick things off. Were you at all intimated by such a high profile role?

It was terrifying. It still is. This was one of the most challenging things I've ever done in my life. First of all, I was just coming out of school, so I was still feeling like everyone was my teacher. When I first got on set, I just struggled to understand my place, particularly when you're number one on a set, everyone's actually looking to you to lead. I didn't know that, and I didn't understand that until halfway through the process. And then I really was able to kind of step into that role, but it took me a while. I was really unsure of myself. I was one of the only people on set to never really have had experience on a set. It was really intimidating and there were many days where I doubted myself.

It must be so different from theater, where it's very collaborative, but on set you're number one on the call sheet.

It was terrifying. And I was in 90 percent of the show. I was there pretty much every single day and every minute of that day. Work-wise, for me, that was the first time I'd ever worked like that for six months straight. My body was tired. My brain was tired. I was going through it for real, but it was all so rewarding in the end.

For a project like this, I imagine it's probably taxing emotionally. How do you find the balance between getting it right but also taking care of yourself?

I didn't. I wish I could say I had a process, I really did not. I do now through putting myself through the wringer of that. Now in my other projects, I'm like, we got to take a second, we got to take a day, we got to make sure we get to bed early. I wasn't doing that at all. I was purposefully putting myself through it and, actually, I hate to say it, it's so unhealthy, but it really did help my understanding of this character, because she's going through it. She's not sleeping. She's trying to figure out what is happening to her. And I felt that way, I honestly think the show was kind of playing on me internally. Toward the end, I just would go home and be sad and anxious and not really understanding why or not knowing how to deal with it.

What's something about Dana that you related to most, and what's something that was so different from you?

I relate to Dana in so many ways. Just the fact that her family doesn't really understand her. She's kind of this chaotic girl-on-the-move, trying to become an artist and do things her own way. I understood her journey, in that sense, her need to try and become something that not everyone around her understood, and her isolation with herself and her sporadically meeting this guy, I just got it. I think what was so different from me—which I loved and I drew on every single day—was her strength. I really admired the way she was always determined. She was always resourceful. She was always trying to find a way to figure out what was going on with her to get through what was happening to her. She had this strength that I wish I had in my own self. I feel like I'm a strong person. But, especially during that time, I needed that.

What do you hope people ultimately take away from Kindred?

I hope people take away so much. Mainly, I hope people take away that there's an importance in us continuing to tell our stories as Black people holding a candle for the voiceless. And to me, the voiceless being all of our ancestors who had experienced those horrifically traumatic things that we cannot forget, in the same way that we cannot forget our brothers and sisters who have fallen in the Black Lives Matter movement, it's the same thing for me. That candle for those voices. At the same time, I also think the show poses something that's really beautiful, which is that we all have this kindred connection in a way. Everyone in the world, everyone who has experienced time on Earth, there's this weird tie that we all have through history, through our energy exchanges with each other that I don't think ever dies. I think that it's something that lives on and lives through us. I think that's why we have this domino effect on each other throughout time, throughout history, throughout lineage. So I think that's one of the most beautiful things about the show. I hope people really connect to that.

What do you have coming up next?

I'm working on this show called Genius that is really, really cool. It's about Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. I'm really excited about the character I play in the show. It's a character I've never got to act out before and it's really different from anything I've done. So I'm excited for people to see that.

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