UnPrisoned is back and includes the nuances of the journey to healing and building a better family.
Edwin (Delroy Lindo) stole viewers’ hearts during the first season of Hulu’s Onyx Collective show, and as he returns in the second installment, Lindo said his character is still searching for how he can show up better for his loved ones.
“I talk about having to make some changes. I talk about being present for my family in a way that I have not been present in the past, so I feel that the North Star is somewhere under that umbrella,” Lindo told Blavity’s Shadow and Act. ahead of the show’s return. “I don’t know what the specifics are, but I feel that it’s something to do with that. So, the North Star is figuring out what is that North Star. What does that look like? What does it involve?”
The show, inspired by the life of creator and renowned author Tracy McMillan and her relationship with her father, also gives a glimpse into the unique relationship between a grandparent and their grandchild through Edwin’s connection with his grandson, Finn (Faly Rakotohavana).
“That whole relationship in itself is kind of a big risk for Finn; he’s not used to that at all,” Rakotohavana said. “He’s not really used to any type of human connection. He doesn’t do that very often, so the fact that he got so comfortable with Edwin so quickly, kind of just speaks miles for Edwin; he’s just such a genuine guy, and he’s got answers for a lot of the questions that Finn has that his mother cannot answer. You know, especially when it comes to the life of being a man. Finn is transforming; he’s growing up, and so to have Edwin come into his life is such a crucial moment. He’s a 17-year-old kid. This is when s**t hits the fan. This is when things go crazy, so to have another source of guidance is good for Finn, and I think people at home are going to really learn to appreciate their father figures and the people that they look up to in their lives because they’re important.”
For Lindo, the unique relationship between him and Rakotohavana’s character is the complete opposite of the one he has with his daughter, Paige, played by Kerry Washington.
“I’m not connected to my grandson in the same way as I’m connected to my daughter if that makes sense,” he recalled. “And so perhaps I’m able to embrace his issues much more efficiently, and therefore come up with what some of the answers may be of what’s occurring to right now. He’s a young man. It might be different if it were my granddaughter, but it’s my grandson, and he’s a young man.”
He also spoke about how Finn has dramatically impacted the relationship Edwin is aiming to restore with his daughter.
“Finn is a bridge between my daughter and myself, a necessary bridge, really, because I’m not sure if left to our own devices, Paige and myself, whether we could figure it out in the same way. The fact that my grandson is there as a bridge between the two of us is not only a lifesaver in terms of my ability to connect with my grandson as a family member in a deep-seated way, but it also functions as a connection from me, through Finn, to my daughter.”
He added, “And then there’s the actor, Faly, a wonderful young actor who has grown so much in the work and the process, just to the act of working with him. All of those processes kind of blossoming and growing contribute to this relationship between myself and my grandson being one of the highlights of this work of what audiences notice and respond to. So, it’s become a really vital component in this journey.”
Season 2 of UnPrisoned is now streaming on Hulu.
