As it enters
its third season, the fantasy series American Gods continues
to push boundaries while it explores issues around gender, queerness, race, and
our rapidly changing world. The Starz original series tells the story of
mounting tensions between the Old Gods of mythology and our “New Gods” of
technology and modern life. With an already star-studded and diverse cast, fans
have been further blessed by the TV gods with the addition of Dominique Jackson
(Pose) as the latest incarnation of "Mr. World" — now Ms.
World, a beautiful and immaculately dressed Black woman.
The Advocate recently chatted with Jackson about the genderfluid role of
"World," which was originated by white actor Crispin Glover in the
series and will soon be portrayed by Latino actor Danny Trejo.
Jackson says
she was already a fan of the show when her manager called her about the part.
“I was just totally blown away and fascinated by it,” she says. And though the
talented Tobago-born beauty became known to most in her star-making performance
as Elektra Abundance in Ryan Murphy’s Pose, she admits she was
still a bit shocked when she realized she was being offered the
role, rather than asked to audition for it.
“For me, as a
Black trans woman who has struggled, who has gone through so much,” she says,
“for someone to just say to me, you know, ‘Here, we're going to give you
something,’ I was like, Wait a second. Is this real? Is it happening?”
Jackson also
says she couldn’t deny the parallels between the genderfluid character and her
own journey as a transgender woman.
“I realized
that it was a major character,” she says in understanding the power of the
part. “Mr. World becomes Ms. World, and at a time now that we're … realizing
that we need to be more inclusive of people. If our gods can transform, why can
he not transform into a woman? And it was just also really major that not only
was he transforming into a woman, but he was transforming into a woman who
embodies all of what gender is, because society told me that I had to represent
as male for some time. And then I had to reclaim and validate … and force the
world to recognize my femininity. So Mr. World becoming Ms. World, and Ms.
World being [played by] myself is very profound. It was something that I was
just like, OK, this is just the stars aligning right now, so I'm just
going to go with it.”
Jackson also
tied the timing of her character to real-world events with Ms. World choosing
the form of a Black woman to take the helm as the leader of the New Gods while
in the real world we swear in our first Black female vice president.
“Think about
how amazing it is that they thought about this before [Kamala was chosen as
Biden’s running mate],” Jackson continues. “It speaks volumes to the fact of
how television influences us and helps us. … It is because of the thought
processes of the folks that are actually writing and directing that they think
of these things that now influence decisions.”
She also
explains that, ironically, the fact that the character isn’t human
is actually relatable for her.
“Actually, no,
it was not a challenge for me to take on the feeling of an extraterrestrial or
almighty or powerful being, because it's what I envisioned as a child,” says
Jackson. “Growing up and being trans and being a part of this community, we
always look to characters like the X-Men to build larger-than-life characters.
And this is what we use — well, I can speak for myself —when I wanted to feel
safe and feel like I belong and be like, I was a part of something. I
didn't envision playing a mom on television … I wanted to play superheroes. I
wanted to play people that people would look up to and respect. Because in my
own life, I didn't have that respect.”
She also
confesses that one of the most fun and enjoyable aspects of playing Ms. World
was filming some of the character’s darker scenes. Without giving away too
much, there's one particularly violent scene involving a baseball bat. She says
the time of filming the scene coincided with the tail-end of a long and
mentally challenging period in her life. Due to a culmination of factors and
the built-up emotion that comes with that the scene was unexpectedly
liberating.
“I have gone
through a lot. You know, in the midst of rising to fame, I also went through a
divorce and found love all at the same time,” says Jackson. “There was a lot
coming at me … [and] I'm the type of person that when I am stressed out, I
cannot eat. … And when I went in to do the scene, and they showed me the
process and assured me the actor would be fine. … The process of filming it was
just very safe — and fun, actually, because like now I can really watch horror
movies and stuff and laugh. … But when they took everything away, and it was
just me trying to get that blood splatter with the bat, I felt this sense of
all the tension, all the stress, everything that I had been going through that
I had to bottle up and still walk around and let everyone know that I was happy
and appreciative of the blessing that I had — but yet on the inside, there was
so much going on. In that moment of doing that, I was free for a second.”
She adds that
the sense of release also brought back her appetite. With a vengeance. “Once
that scene was finished, I went outside to my now-fiancé and said, ‘Feed me. I
want food!’” she recalls with a laugh.
Despite the
fun and fantasy of the role, and her rising up through the Hollywood ranks,
Jackson is still focused on the protection and liberation of all trans
lives, especially those not privy to red carpets.
“Many times I
do turn down interviews, because these interviews are about, Oh, your
success! and all this — and they don't realize that it is not
successful for me until I can wake up in the morning and know that across the
globe, my trans sisters and brothers are not being murdered.”
She also notes
that, as a Black trans woman, even once you do achieve a certain level of fame
and status in Hollywood, you still don’t necessarily feel safe, nor is a
lifetime of trauma suddenly erased.
“I had the
amazing opportunity to meet Sarah Jessica Parker at [the premiere of Ryan
Muphy’s] The Prom,” says Jackson. “I introduced her to my bodyguard
at the time, who now became my fiancé. And I said, ‘This is my, my bodyguard’ …
and she looks at me and she said, ‘Oh, I don't have security.’ In that moment,
I thought to myself, That's because you don't realize the fear and the
dangers that me being public and being seen brings to me. … And you
know, I didn't say that to her, because she was very sweet — she was very
caring, loving, and everything like that. But in that little moment, it
reminded me that I am not what society considers normal. And I will never be
able to live that normal life.”
“I have to be
protected at all times,” she adds. “Because I don't know what someone is going
to do to me. And especially during the Trump era, it was a very fearful time.
For me also, being an immigrant [from] Tobago, I had people threatening me to
send me back to my country. I have people threatening me to do all kinds of
things to me. And so it was a fear. I did not have the privilege of feeling
like, OK, I'm in Hollywood, everything is fine. … Because as
long as there's one person out there who feels that trans lives do not matter
and Black trans lives do not matter, I will not be truly successful.”
Catch new
episodes of American Gods Sundays at 8 p.m. on Starz and the
Starzapp.
SOURCE: ADVOCATE
Interesting situation with SJP, thought all celebs had bodyguads but, guess not 😏🤷♂️ I do understand Dominique, though 😉 Liked her in POSE, didn't watch American Gods or whatever it is
ReplyDeleteThe show is a bit slow so I hope it makes it point this season though it visually stunning 🤩
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