On Friday afternoon (July 1), the cast of Underground and the show’s director Anthony Hemingway, gathered on the Center Stage of the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, kicking off the first official day of the 2016 Essence Festival. Jurnee Smolett-Bell was noticeably missing from the stage as she’s preparing to have a baby, so the rest of the recurring cast held down the interview on their own.
“What can I share with y’all about season two without getting sued?” Aldis Hodge quipped.
Hodge, who plays Noah in the breakout series, stated that being a part of a show like Underground carries much significance. “It’s the true essence of being together. To have this dream of being together.”
“The way in which [the characters] are separated, with some being in the house, they were going to naturally, culturally be separated,” he added. “That bigger picture speaks to the essence of what love really is and how much are you willing to risk or go through for love?”
Alano Miller, who plays Cato, offered this about season two: “They left a brother behind but I got money now! Cato got money…”
“No one’s perfect,” Amirah Vann, the actress who plays Ernestine, insisted. “They’re all very human characters. Even in season one, we’d be texting each other like, ‘Ooh Alano, did you read this yet?’ He’d be like, ‘Nah.’ Then I would say, ‘Well call me when you’re done.’”
“The real question was, ‘Are you dead yet?'” Hodge joked. “Because it was like The Walking Dead on there.”
“If you were anxious before, then make sure that you have your pressure balls and your oxygen tanks, your wine, your whiskey or whatever else you need to get you through. There’s nothing I can help you with for season two,” Miller shared with a grin.
Season two of Underground will begin filming in the fall.
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