Isiah Whitlock Jr. is the lead actor on the new television series “The Kings of Napa.” He is also known for his role as Clay Davis on HBO’s “The Wire.” Whitlock has frequently collaborated with Spike Lee. Actress Ebonée Noel joins Whitlock as August King on the OWN series. Noel made her television debut in 2014 on “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.”
Tell us all about “The Kings of Napa,” your character, and who she is.
Ebonée Noel: It’s centered on a Black family who owns this vineyard in Napa Valley. Our father, Reginald, is a surgeon and started this side business. We’re all happily going along in our different areas of expertise within the industry and within the business. Then the first episode hits and there’s a crisis. Some secrets come out and the family is turned on its head.
So for my character, I’m the middle child. I’m the marketing genius of the family. When this event happens, it forces me to step up into a true leadership position within the company. You see “August” who is bold, creative, tenacious, and a little stubborn to take these talents that have served her very well in her previous lane. She levels up so that she can meet the challenge of managing people, and then, also falling down. How do you get back up again? How do you lead?
Isiah Whitlock: I play Reginald King, the patriarch of the family. I’m pretty much the driving force of this whole series. A lot of my secrets come to life during the show and it sets everything into motion. We get to see just what people are made of, how they deal with certain problems, and things that come up. I’m very happy because I see the characters burst out and you find that they have even more to say than what you see on the screen. That to me is impressive and in some ways, kind of important. You know that we have a problem, we can handle those problems.
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