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Deborah Ayorinde returns to Them: The Scare to play a brand-new character in Season 2 of the popular horror anthology series on Prime Video after her standout turn as Livia “Lucky” Emory in Season 1.
The new season moves from Compton in 1952 to Los Angeles County in 1991 and follows Detective Dawn Reeve (Ayorinde) as she investigates the violent murder of a foster home mother.
Dawn struggles to navigate challenges brought on by her personal life, her professional life, and the horrific case, as well as the community’s resistance to the LAPD following the assault of Black activist Rodney King.
“She’s extremely lonely,” Ayorinde says about her character over a Zoom call with Decider. “She’s surrounded by a lot of people, but she’s extremely lonely in her experience, and she doesn’t know why.”
She adds, “Also, being a woman and being Black in a space that’s not dominated by people that look like her is a challenge in itself. Being part of this community that you’re trying to save and do right by, but they see you as the enemy is a lot to juggle for one person. I went into it with great compassion for her and great understanding.”
Ayorinde spoke with Decider about her unexpected return for Season 2, her trust in series creator Little Marvin, working with co-star Pam Grier, and whether she’d return for a third season.
DECIDER: Little Marvin told me that he envisioned you in the role of Detective Reeve while he was writing the character. What encouraged you to return for a second season?
DEBORAH AYORINDE: Honestly, he is such a genius. I trust him in a way that I don’t trust a lot of people with my art. When you’re an actor, you do the work, you give it away, and you leave it in the hands of the creatives or the editors. With LM, I’ve always trusted my art in his hands. He’s such a joy to work with. He listens and I feel seen. He gets it. When he asked me to come back, it was a no-brainer. I didn’t expect it at all when I did the first season. I left it there. I was like, “Okay, we did that great thing. Leave it there. And let’s move on.” Because in my mind, I didn’t think that I could come back to the show and play a completely different character. But my limited thinking was wrong and we made it work. I’m just so honored, to be honest.
I was fascinated by your character in this season because she’s so different from your character in Season 1. Did you have any questions for Little Marvin when it came to taking on the role and digging into your character’s backstory?
I actually had those questions, too. Like, how much of Lucky do you want me to infuse into Dawn? The answer was nothing. [Little Marvin] wanted to make this character completely separate. That was challenging, but I was definitely up for the challenge. I’ve spent my entire career doing roles that go from A to Z. That’s why a lot of people don’t recognize me for more than one role at a time. They have a hard time realizing the same woman in Harriet is the same woman in Girls Trip is the same woman in Riches, and is the same woman in Them. That’s been on purpose because I want to show that versatility in my resume. Coming back to the show was a perfect way to do that.
The season spends a lot of time with Dawn and her mother. There seems to be some tension there, but also the foundation of love and respect. How did you build your onscreen chemistry with your co-star Pam Grier? Did you find that it came naturally?
It was definitely natural. From day one, [Pam Grier] embraced me. Some people are quite guarded and you feel like you need to earn their warmth or their love. That was never the case with Pam. I call her Auntie Pam. From day one, she just embraced me and it was shocking for me because I’m like, “You’re this whole living legend.” I expected there to be a wall, but she jumped into being so nurturing, kind, and loving. I just felt very safe with her.
What are some of the challenges that Dawn faces throughout the season?
Oh my gosh. Where do we even start? The first thing that comes to mind is she’s extremely lonely. She’s surrounded by a lot of people, but she’s extremely lonely in her experience and she doesn’t know why. You see her go on a journey of discovering the “why” but she’s incredibly lonely, just as Lucky was incredibly lonely. That is one of the main challenges. But also, being a woman and being Black in a space that is not dominated by people that look like her is a challenge in itself. Being part of this community that you’re trying to save and do right by, but they also see you as the enemy. That’s a lot to juggle for one person, so I went into it with great compassion for her and great understanding. She’s become a character that’s very near and dear to my heart.
Would you say you relate to Dawn more than you related to Lucky in Season 1?
Because I was alive during the ’90s, I think that aspect made the story and my character a little less removed in that way. But I can’t say that I relate to either one, more or less than the other. I understood both women tremendously. They live in my heart. That’s why it was so hard to leave Lucky behind. It was weird to come back to the Them universe and not bring Lucky with me. I will always have that character in me, and now Dawn is in me as well. It’s like when you have children. You have your firstborn and it’s your firstborn. And then you have your second one, and you don’t love either one more than the other but you have a special different love for both children — well, I would hope. This was a different love for both children. That’s how I feel about both of these characters.
So now I have to ask, what if there was a third born? Would you return for a third season knowing how emotionally attached you got to these characters in the process?
Short answer: Absolutely. I don’t know what LM is going to do, but I’m here for whatever he comes up with.
Them Season 2 premieres April 24, 2024 on Prime Video.
