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- Hi, my name is Mallori Johnson,

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and I played Dana on the show, "Kindred."

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I'm here with the AV Club.

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(upbeat music)

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"Had you already read
Octavia Butler's book

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or did you read it all

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after getting cast to
prepare for the role?"

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Yes, I had already previously read

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Octavia Butler's work.

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Actually, the first book

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I had read by her was "Fledgling,"

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and it was really cool

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because I had never seen a science fiction

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or fantasy world that
centered black people.

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So that was really new to me

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and then I read "Kindred"
and I fell in love.

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"'Kindred' tackles some really heavy

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and intense themes.

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What is it like to be in the space

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while filming the show?"

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It was really heavy.

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I mean, there were some days where

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I really could feel the
history of the land.

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It was very palpable,
and it was difficult,

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it was not easy portraying

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what it was like to be an enslaved person

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in the 1800s of the Antebellum South.

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So there were definitely days

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that were filled with tears.

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But at the same time,

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I was on a set that was very conscious

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and aware of what they were doing

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and what the actors were going through.

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So I always felt like I could

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step away at any time,

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which I'm really grateful for.

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"What's the most important advice you got

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as you were preparing
for filming 'Kindred'?"

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Oh my god.

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Laura Linney, I actually
haven't talked about this yet.

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She taught me how she
breaks down a script.

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She actually puts everything

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that happens in a scene on a board

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and writes it down manually

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and hangs it up in her apartment.

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And she told me to do the same thing.

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And when I tell you,

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that actually did help so much

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because when you're shooting out of order,

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it does help you to kinda

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know where you are in the story

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and always actually see it all in one,

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it really helps, and she...

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I can't even believe Laura Linney

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was talking to me, so
that was pretty awesome.

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(upbeat music)