Why Dear Edward's romantic lead is a game changer
Dear Edward episode 6 spoilers follow.
It's finally, finally happened! Adriana (Ana Uzele) and Kojo (Idris Debrand) are a thing.
Their slow-burning romance is at last roaring hot with some between-the-sheets action, and it's all the confirmation we need that they have taken things to the next level.
In an emotionally impactful show weighted by grief and the processing of loss, their tentative, respectful love story has been a refreshing lightness that adds balance to the sad beauty that is Dear Edward.
Lightness aside, Kojo and Adriana's union is just about the most exciting, titillating thing on the telly right now. And surprisingly, it has nothing to do with the sex.
What's most thrilling is the undeniable confirmation that Kojo is the show's romantic lead.
On paper, it doesn't seem like much.
Two people find love and solace in each other after the death of their loved ones. Big deal.
Yes, very big freaking deal, because this is one of the rare occasions in which the romantic lead in a mainstream show is African.
We're not talking of African descent or first-generation African in a Westernised country: we're talking fully-fledged, 'would eat fufu and okra stew the traditional way (with hands)' type of African — and that is deeply important.
Uzele herself was quick to echo this sentiment during an exclusive interview with Digital Spy.
"I grew up in a household with an African father, and I grew up learning about my parents’ love story. So for me, it felt very familial. It was like: 'Yeah, of course. Everyone falls in love.'
"But I think upon watching it, I realised: 'Oh, wow, we don't get to see African people with African accents placed in these positions of falling in love.' And how exciting! Because we all fall in love, and we're all deserving of it. These are stories that need to be told."
Dear Edward has taken its time with Kojo and Adriana. But as frustrating as it may initially have seemed to watch two people so connected not act on their feelings, the pace of their love story was just right.
Not only because it left space for them to navigate their grief, but also because this ‘rare phenomenon’ of an African man being placed centrally in a love story deserves not to be rushed.
From his clothes and his customs to his accent, Kojo is a proud Ghanaian man. This is something Debrand was conscious of portraying as authentically as possible.
"I'm of Nigerian heritage, which is one of the neighbours to Ghana, but they're very different," Debrand noted during an exclusive interview with Digital Spy.
"The accent is very different. I remember, even from auditioning for the show, when I first got the script and knew this character was from Ghana my initial thought was: 'OK, cool. I'm just going to play it like an African. What are they going to know? They're not going to be able to tell the difference.'
"But then I thought: 'Actually, I don't want to do a disservice to the people of Ghana.'"
He continued: "One of my very good friends, Amanda Ansa, she's British but she's very much into her Ghanaian heritage. [She] helped me throughout the whole show.
"We would take out a few hours a week and just be getting it down because I thought it was important not only to do a proper service to the people of Ghana, but as this is going to be my introduction to mainstream screen, I'm going to make sure I'm leaving no problems on the table. I've got to eat it up properly.
"So I did the due diligence, for sure."
That due diligence paid off. Debrand's Ghanaian dialect sounds so authentic that it is his British accent that we began to question.
But it was crucial: It played a key part in helping to bring Kojo to life in the most realistic way possible.
It was edifying to see the character of Kojo fully embrace his culture in a space that often doesn't allow for true authenticity to sit comfortably.
Not only did he come to America and not shrink into this 'otherness' role as is so easy to do, but Kojo stands out whilst simultaneously reminding people that he is no different to anybody else.
"Kojo is a regular person who just comes from Ghana," said Debrand. "He likes women, just like another man might like a woman.
"He's got charisma and charm, just like a guy from the Western world would have charisma and charm. I think the only thing that makes him different is his heritage and where he comes from."
Debrand added: "What I like is, he's brought a lot of his culture to America. He didn't leave it at the doorstep of Ghana, and I think that's important.
"Even for those who are watching, those who are African or even Caribbean, not necessarily from Ghana, but just seeing: 'Oh, wow. In an American show, you've got this African who brings his culture with him.'
"He's not an alien. He kind of just fits in. This is a character that a lot of people are warming to. That's also a positive."
Kojo wasn't originally in the book Dear Edward from which the show is derived. This means it was a conscious decision of creator Jason Katims and his team to create a joyful Ghanaian character and make him the main romantic lead. The importance of this should not be dismissed.
With Adriana and Kojo, Dear Edward brings to the forefront something that is so commonplace in everyday life but lacking in our mainstream media diet and it does so with beautiful subtlety.
“You're just rooting for the characters, and you don't see it coming,” Uzele reflects.
"You're just on their side. You just want it to work out the entire time. And later, you look back, and you say: 'Oh, that's interesting. That was a Black man. He had an African accent. I was on his side. I wanted him to fall in… Oh.'
"So it's this Trojan horse a bit, but I just hope it starts to pave the way in expanding what we think is possible. I don't know how else to say that but I want to see more of that, for sure."
It's a well-known fact that what we consume on the screen helps inform our thoughts and our realities. By no means does it shape us entirely, but it is an overwhelming influence.
Being able to see ourselves in favourable circumstances reflected back at us is so vital for self-esteem, for growth and for allowing us to be able to conceive of what's possible in our own lives.
Debrand's revelation on why landing the role of Kojo was a full-circle moment for him only confirms this.
"It sometimes reminds me of the character Simon Adebisi [Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje] in Oz – many, many years ago," Debrand shared.
"I think that was the first time seeing an African in a show, and I just always thought: 'OK, I'm really looking forward to the day that an African can be in a show, and is also one of the guys that can potentially become a favourite, and have his own arc, and a whole romantic story.'
"[Becoming Kojo] is definitely a full-circle moment. It's beautiful to see. Hopefully that encourages other productions and other TV shows and films to kind of go: 'Yeah, that's actually cool. That's actually something that isn't frowned upon. It's not weird, it's not strange. It's 2023. In real life, we see that all the time.'"
When it came to the big sex scene with Uzele's character Adriana, Debrand was aware of its significance.
"When I knew this was going to happen, I remember talking to one of my guys. I was like: 'Bro, as minute as this may seem, this is actually a big deal. This is going to be an African who becomes not necessarily a sex symbol, but might be seen in that light of things," he said.
The sentiment is undeniable: It's a surreal moment, one of massive gravity. So much so that Debrand was keen to put in the physical work to be seen at his personal best.
"I got my press-ups in, because I thought it was important to make sure that everything was making sense," he joked before adding more seriously, "I think it definitely will have a big impact."
And it does. Representation matters. Being able to see yourself as desirable, romantic, sexy and deserving of love — these are not things, emotions or spaces that are attainable only for a select few. They are for everyone.
And in the character of Kojo — this unapologetically proud and yes, sexy African — we are reminded of this.
Dear Edward is streaming now on Apple TV+ with new episodes arriving every Friday.
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