'Your story matters': Kerry Washington, 'UnPrisoned' cast share new show at SXSW

Kerry Washington doesn’t need an introduction, but she’d like you to meet her latest character, Paige Alexander. Paige — a therapist who is the daughter of a formerly incarcerated man — made a big splash on March 11 at South by Southwest via a 10-minute trailer from the new Hulu show, "UnPrisoned."

"UnPrisoned" is a homegrown story. Show creator and producer Tracy McMillan drew on her relationship with her formerly incarcerated father to create characters Paige and Edwin, played by Delroy Lindo, a daughter-father duo who struggle to establish their new normal in this 30-minute dramedy. Hulu released all eight episodes of Season 1 for streaming on March 10.

Paige’s teenage son, played by Faly Rakotohavana, and Paige’s childhood self, played by Jordyn McIntosh, are prominent characters, along with Edwin’s parole officer, Mal, played by Marque Richardson.

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Washington joined a panel of actors from the show that Saturday morning to discuss "UnPrisoned’s" themes, filming experience and impact with film critic Valerie Complex. These are highlights from their panel that covered race and identity, prison reform and rehabilitation efforts in the United States.

'UnPrisoned' creators hope to spark incarceration reform through humor, humanity

Not everyone in the United States can relate to being in prison or having a family member in prison. Yet, incarceration impacts more people than most think, Washington said.

“Eighty million Americans are living with a criminal record,” said Washington. “So many of us have been part of the system, or loved someone who was in the system, and many people who have experience with the prison system don’t speak up about their experiences out of shame.”

The showrunners hope to change all of that with their show about Paige and Edwin’s experience.

“America needs to know what’s the real cost of our criminal incarceration in this country,” McMillan said about the way she told her adapted story through "UnPrisoned." “I just knew people would love (my father) if they knew him. They wouldn’t know him as a felon, a criminal, they’d know him as a really nice guy."

“This is our collective story, and we haven’t been telling it, and it’s just time,” Washington added. “If we don’t get to see our own story, we can believe that our story isn’t important, doesn’t matter, and isn’t worth being told. Your story matters, and you are not alone.”

Lindo agreed with Washington and McMillan, calling the appeal of the show “a credit to the writers.”

“All of the writers in the room did such an extraordinary job building out this really special tone that feels so human,” Lindo said, “because (the show is) funny and human.”

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Washington praised Lindo’s “impeccable timing” and seasoned experience for infusing his portrayal of Edwin Alexander with the charm necessary to help the audience relate to his character.

“I knew we had to find an actor who could be sexy, smart, charming, charismatic — but who you could also believe was a career criminal,” she said to peals of laughter from the audience.

“I hope ('UnPrisoned') leads to policy change,” McMillan said. “That’s the next step.”

Racial identity is complex, and the Black experience is diverse

“Colorism is a real thing,” said Deadline film critic Complex, who moderated the all-Black panel, referencing Hollywood’s tendency to favor actors with lighter-colored skin. “Was there colorism in mind when casting the show?”

There “absolutely was a consciousness about race and identity, but not necessarily to have people look a certain way,” Washington said, emphasizing “there was an openness about what that would look like but with more clarity around racial identification.” The writing team deliberately crafted a show narrative where Paige and Edwin are not exact replicas of McMillan’s personal experience, she said, because McMillan is biracial and Washington is not.

"Even though I was going to take on Tracy’s story, I was not going to be a biracial woman,” Washington said, so she drew on personal examples to find “ways to identify with the experience" without presenting herself as a biracial woman.

“Every Black person in America is on a journey, and we’re trying to figure it out in stages,” McMillan said.

“At one point (Edwin) says (to me), ‘Defending your Blackness to other Black people is one of the Blackest things you can do,’” Rakotohavana said about his onscreen grandfather.

“I have never felt more validated” as a result of hearing Lindo’s line," Rakotohavana said, referencing his light skin as a factor in his audition and casting experiences in the industry. “There’s a lot of roles and opportunities that I have missed out on because I’m ‘not Black enough,' so to be a part of this show and to have (Edwin) as part of my generational family has definitely helped me in my journey of finding my identity” outside of the silver screen.

At its heart, 'UnPrisoned' is a story about everyday people

“The thing that was the most powerful (about this show) is the family,” McMillan told the audience. “It’s that family relationship at the center that actually resonates and makes everything else powerful.”

“I pray we have future episodes, because we have so much more story to tell for this family,” Washington said. “Please watch ('UnPrisoned'), post about it, call a friend, watch with the people you love. This is how we keep centering families that deserve to be in the spotlight and not marginalized.”

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This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Kerry Washington, Delroy Lindo talk 'UnPrisoned' Hulu show at SXSW