Deborah Ayorinde is back for season two of “Them: The Scare,” but in a different role than she was in the first season. Ayorinde is set to play Dawn Reeve, an LAPD homicide detective who is assigned to a new case: the murder of a foster home mother that has left even the most hardened detectives shaken. As Dawn is determined to stop the killer and draws closer to the truth, something unpleasant grips her and her family.
Ayorinde spoke with rolling out about what people should take away from this season and what makes her character special.
What do you want people to take away from the season?
In the second installment, we’re in a period that isn’t as far removed for a lot of people, so a lot of the things that were going on at that time, people were like, “I actually remember that”, “I was there for that,” and “I could tell you what I was doing on that day.” I think, by way of that, a lot of people will feel a lot of bittersweet nostalgia because the ’90s was such a cool time but some very real things were happening, so I hope that people just allow that bittersweet nostalgia and I hope that by watching this installment, people can see the first season with a new set of eyes because I think that this installment will make a lot of the things that happened in the period of the first installment make a lot more sense.
What makes your character special?
What makes her special is that she is a woman like I know women to be in real life, but unfortunately, oftentimes are not portrayed that way on screen. I feel like she’s a strong woman, but oftentimes, when strong women are portrayed on screen, they’re portrayed to be a bit masculine-leaning. While that can be true, that’s not always true for a strong woman; it’s almost like saying that strength and masculinity are synonymous when they’re not. You can be feminine and be strong. I feel like that is something that I just feel so strongly about Dawn, and I want to continue to play characters that show that. I also love the fact that her whole existence doesn’t revolve around being a mother. She’s so many different things and wears so many different hats like the women I know in real life, so I love the fact that Little Marvin has created this character that just feels very authentic.
What’s a short message you’d give to those women?
I would say you’re not alone. I would say it’s OK to receive help. It’s OK to receive love. It’s OK to say you don’t know and that you’re scared. You’re not crazy for being not perfect. You’re not an angry Black woman for getting upset. It’s OK to be authentic, loving, and kind as long as you’re not hurting anyone. It’s OK to just show up [as] yourself, and that’s something that I will say, I see modeled in Pam Grier. One thing that I really look up to her is she’s just so authentic, and the same her that shows up in interviews is the same person that shows up in her private life and I love that. It gives me more permission to show up [as] myself.
