“What I loved about this is that Boots Riley gave us all an opportunity that so many people would be so afraid of. He found our talents and said, ‘You know, I hope we all share this because the thing you’re asking me to do, people have specifically said never do.’ And that’s freeing, liberating, and exciting to open up our imagination and creativity to how we relate to this world and to expand on that. I think it takes somebody really brave and confident to do that, and that’s Boots.”
So beams Olivia Washington, one of the many talented actors starring in Boots Riley’s highly-anticipated Prime Video absurdist comedy, I’m a Virgo. The new coming-age series attempts to shine the light on the way we look at the world while also tapping into today’s most pressing themes — from racism and activism to adventure and superheroes. With Emmy winner Jharrel Jerome (When They See Us) in the lead role, the series is primed to take off.
Meet Cootie (Jerome), a 13-foot-tall 19-year-old Oakland teen who’s suddenly freed from the protective enclave created by his aunt and uncle (Carmen Ejogo and Mike Epps). He meets comrades in the big world out there. Kara Young, Brett Gray, Allius Barnes, Walton Goggins, Craig Tate, and Juliette Lewis costar. Olivia Washington and Kara Young shared more about the show and their unique roles with MovieWeb.
Kara Young Plays Jones
Creator/rapper-turned-filmmaker Boots Riley sprinkles as much creative magic as he does absurdity throughout the seven episodes of I’m A Virgo. The story truly takes off when Cootie begins exploring life outside the protective shell he was raised in. One of the new friends he encounters is Jones, a driven community organizer. Tony nominee Kara Young explained:
What I love most about Jones is the fact that she truly sees and meets people where they are, no matter where they are in their journeys. Jones feels particularly strong about giving people the information they need in order to realize they have more power than they think they have, or what society has told them. What I like to bring to Jones is the power of hoping to shift consciousness in humanity, which I feel is a part of her journey as the series unfolds.
Boots Riley has been generating buzz for his daring creative strokes in the series. The hope is that it lands well with audiences. Sorry to Bother You was an absurdist satire that managed to grab audiences pre-pandemic in 2018. The world has changed quite a bit in just five years, though. And the absurdity has risen, too. So there’s that.
“You know, Boots […] as an artist, activist, musician, hip hop artist, just overall, is just incredible,” noted Young of Riley’s specific comedic bent. “Magical artists are radical imagination personified. In I’m A VIrgo, the aesthetics are out of this world. I do believe it’s something people have never seen before — a 13-foot-tall black man in Oakland. People are like, what? That’s a grand metaphor, I think, and it’s going to touch people’s hearts because it’s a fish out of water thing.
“It’s going back to the roots and the concepts of fables,” added the actor, “and that source of pure existence of being isolated in the world then experiencing the world at a very naive, pure state.”
Oliva Washington on the Show’s Grand Ideas
Olivia Washington, like many of her costars, is jazzed about the release of I’m A Virgo, mostly because the unique premise gives viewers an opportunity to expand their ideas about being in the world and accepting themselves. As Flora, the fast food worker taking on Bing Bang Burger in the show, she and Cootie eventually share a special bond.
“Flora has to deal with a lot of adversity by herself and navigate the world through her own perspective. She’s not on the same timeline as everyone she’s surrounded by, and she’s still not be hardened by that; she’s still soft, and finds areas of joy, love and giving love,” said Washington about what she loves so much about her character. “Even though she might not have love given to her, I love her ability to explore her desire and expand her world beyond what she can see in front of her.”
That hits close to home, actually. Washington, whose career is on the rise — acting family members include father Denzel, brother John David, and mother Loretta — wants to keep evolving as a creative person.
“It was important for me to be able to bring that into a space of reality in this series,” added the actor. “I mean, we’re kind of dealing with superpowers to a certain degree, and how do you connect that to a real human being going through real things, who has had tragedy in her life and finds love in her life? It was really exciting to explore that with Boots. It takes somebody like Boots to be able to do that. And do more. ‘Oh, you have disability? Like I didn’t know that about you… why are you not bringing that into this space we’re working in?’ That was so incredible.”
All seven episodes of I’m A Virgo will be released on Prime Video June 24.
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