Newcomer Mallori Johnson on watching Jared Leto improvise and starring in Octavia Butler adaptation Kindred
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Mallori Johnson is kicking off her career in a huge way!
The newcomer is the lead of Kindred, FX on Hulu's adaptation of Octavia E. Butler's iconic 1979 sci-fi epic. Some may have seen the San Diego-born actress in WeCrashed, but she landed the role of aspiring TV writer Dana before appearing on the Apple TV+ series. Kindred follows Dana after she moves to Los Angeles and begins traveling to the past in a twisty time-travel that is deeply emotional for viewers, Dana, and Johnson herself. "She's got an amazing amount of emotional range, depth, and intelligence," Kindred showrunner Branden Jacobs-Jenkins tells EW of Johnson. "I was interested in someone who felt contemporary and also not like someone we'd ever seen before on television because the thing about Octavia Butler is she's interested in singular people who you don't expect to be the heroes."
Get to know Johnson ahead of Kindred's premiere on Dec. 13. We spoke to her about why she wanted to be an actress, working with WeCrashed stars Anne Hathaway and Jared Leto, and, of course, what's in store on Kindred.
Tina Rowden/FX Mallori Johnson as Dana on 'Kindred.'
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: When did you first get interested in acting and performing, and what are your earliest memories of it?
MALLORI JOHNSON: I was always interested in acting. I remember my mom brought me to a play my brother was doing. It was The Wiz and he was playing the Scarecrow. She said that was the quietest she'd ever seen me when I was a kid. I sat through the whole thing and didn't talk. She said I was enthralled in the performance. There was never a moment where I decided, "I want to be an actor." I just always knew I wanted to be an actor. Thankfully my mom encouraged me and that really fueled that flame.
What stands out the most from your Kindred audition?
I do remember that it was at the time where I was learning a lot about how to audition at Juilliard. It was our fourth year, so they were preparing us for how to go into the real world of casting. I just remember going over and over all the scenes. There was one scene that's completely different now, but it was a scene where me and Kevin meet for the first time. That was the first moment that I knew this was going to be something special. I was such a fan of Branden when I first saw his play at my school.
When did you become a fan of Octavia Butler's work?
I became familiar with Octavia Butler the summer before I went to Juilliard because my mom showed me Fledgling. It's about this young Black vampire and I love science fiction. I had never heard of or seen a story that centered Black people in science fiction, especially something so expansive. I had always sen white narratives growing up, so as soon as I read Fledgling I was obsessed with her. Then a few years later I read Kindred, and was just in love. She's so brilliant.
What was your first professional project?
I would say the first thing I ever did where I got paid was this show called Our Lady of Kibeho. I did it at the Moxie Theater in San Diego. That was really cool because hey were scouting young girls and I went to a performing arts high school, so they came to our school. It was amazing. It was the first time I ever got to do anything creative with people who were professionals and I remember looking up to all of the people. It was the first time I got to see a world actually created on stage and I was in love.
You were previously on WeCrashed. What did you learn from that experience?
I was really grateful to be working under Anne Hathaway because I got to see how she handled herself as the number one on set. I already knew I was going to do Kindred by that time, so I watched her work and that was the highlight for me. I saw how graceful she was, how she was firm in what she needed and so skilled at going into a scene with a clear. Then Jared Leto. The way he plays on set is unlike anything I've seen. He was like improvising, talking to us outside of filming in his accent because he's method. It was cool to see their different processes. I didn't really have one because I'm really new and I didnt know what I needed to do in order to prepare myself for the longevity of each day of filing. Watching them really helped me understand that.
What is something you love about Dana and what's something about her that frustrated you?
What I really, really love is how resourceful, smart and strong she is. There were a lot of days where I was struggling. I was the youngest person on set and I felt insecure, so I'm so grateful to play a character that emulated decisiveness and strength. I really drew on that and tried to bring myself back to that level of power that she possesses.
What frustrated me is that she is a little stubborn. She wanted things her way and she had a tendency to not consider anyone else's opinion. She always brought it back to what she needed and wanted.
Tina Rowden/FX Micah Stock as Kevin Franklin and Mallori Johnson as Dana on 'Kindred.'
Dana and Kevin's relationship is central to Kindred. What is something you love about their dynamic?
I love Kevin and Dana's dynamic. There's something beautiful about the way that Dana really needs him. He's so essential to her survival, not only in the past but also in the present as well. Dana's just isolated; she just picks up her life and moves all the way across the country. She is not sure if she's in a good place with her aunt and uncle, which are the only family she had. Then there's this guy, who is sweet and willing to take her out to show her around town. He's a sounding board for her as she goes through this. It's so beautiful the way they find each other. They are both orphans and they find a kinship.
What's something interesting or surprising about recreating the past?
The most surprising thing for me was how connected I still feel to it. We have a tendency when we talk about history, or reflect on it, to see it as something that happened. This thing that we have distanced from as opposed to something that shaped us. There were a lot of moments of set where I felt that connection was extremely present with my performance and connection to what was being recreated. For example, we were doing this scene where it's extremely traumatic and I had an overwhelming sense that my ancestors were present with me. It surprised me because I never thought I would be affected by it in that way. I knew it would be difficult, but I never thought I would feel so connected to my history.
What did you learn about yourself while playing Dana?
I learned how resilient I can actually be. This was a long, long process. I tested my endurance. I was playing every single scene, every single day for five months. I've never worked that hard before. I had never done something for so long before. Juilliard was pretty rigorous, but it's an entirely different level of rigor on a set, especially when you're doing material that is hard on yourself physically and emotionally. It had this kind of insidious effect that the story had on me to be honest. I started feeling what my character was feeling and I learned that's something I love about it. I just learned that there's so much that I can take and that I want to take for the love of the art.
What are you excited for viewers to see from Kindred?
There's now an arc about Dana's mother being stuck in the past that becomes a driving force of not only saving her own lineage through Rufus but also saving her mother. When I first read it the addition of Dana getting reunited with someone she thought was long gone is a beautiful addition to the story. I'm really excited for people to see it.
Kindred premieres on Hulu Dec. 13.
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