Being an actress is far from glamorous all the time, but while some leave the grit of the job on set, others choose to immerse themselves in it to deliver a more authentic portrayal on screen. Such is the case with Aida Osman who stars in Issa Rae's new HBO Max comedy Rap Sh!t alongside KaMillion.
"This girl moved to Miami and moved right in the trenches," KaMillion tells ESSENCE, speaking to her co-star's commitment to the role. "I'm like, you got all this money girl, you could be living in a... and she lived right around the corner from where we were filming in the projects just so she could relate to the character."
Defending her choice, Osman, who grew up in Lincoln, Nebraska, interjects, explaining, "My character lives in Little Haiti, I'm not about to go to Miami and live in South Beach when my character lives in Little Haiti. I'm not messing this up for Issa," she adds, laughing. I'm gonna be there with the little Haitian grandmas."
Osman and KaMillion star as Shawna and Mia, former high school friends who reconnect and embark on a journey to become rappers -- each with different motivations -- in the series. And for Florida native KaMillion, there couldn't be a more perfect part.
"I get to represent the legacy of the women in my family," KaMillion says of her role. "Everything they worked so hard for. Everything they fought for. Everything that they didn't believe could come true. My mom wanted to be in show business but her mom didn't believe it. She didn't understand that stuff. My mom never pushed me to do anything I didn't wanna do, but all those sacrifices...she sacrificed so much for me."
When it comes to her hopes for the series, the answer is simple for the actress who's a rapper in real life. "To really get into and respect the artists that come out of Miami. There are real girls on this real journey hustling to make it who should be respected in the game."
Rap Sh!t debuts on HBO Max today. Check out our full interview with Aida Osman and KaMillion in the video above.