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And her father Anthony (Kirk Jones, a.k.a.
It can be really intimidating working with these people, says Dodson, who received her M.F.A.
from the Graduate Acting Program at Columbia University earlier this year, of acting opposite Jones and Johnson.
Im working with these heavyweights in the culture and holding my own.
Youre born and raised in Brooklyn and youre of Caribbean descent, two qualities that overlap with Zayna.
How much of Kristin is in Zayna?Probably a good 60 percent.
Zayna reminds me a lot of myself when I was in high school.
My moms side is from Saint Vincent, and my dads side is from the South.
Growing up, you have two very different cultures at the same time.
I feel like I got more leniency from my dad than I got from her.
My dream is to see Zaynas parents together in an episode and what that does for her.
Shes messing with Zayna because she doesnt speak Creole and doesnt know how to cook the food.
I know I felt like that growing up.
Are you fluent?No, I am not.
Ive been trying to take lessons on my own.
It doesnt end so great.
It got dark for her.
She ends the relationship with Desmond on her own terms.
It was very important to make her feel cared for.
This was not an opportunity to be gratuitous or overly sexualize her.
I was happy we got a chance to embrace her curves.
You see that pure innocence and joy.
Do you think Zayna has any regrets about ending her relationship with Desmond?No.
But that scene was so hard to film.
They had me do it so many ways: a comedic way, a more dramatic way.
It was heartbreaking, like,Damn.
And then you leave me?
I was so frustrated doing that scene.
I remember talking to the director, like, I dont like whats happening!
Am I reading the same script as yall?
We cant do this to this girl!
This feels really traumatic!
We need some justice for her!
That was improv, too.
Me and the actor, Joshua, we hated doing that shit.
We were like, I dont want it to be this way.
It was so intense for us.
But I dont think she regrets it.
If anything, she felt really let down in that moment.
I would love for her to not feel that way in the future.
I want to see her come out on top in terms of relationships, particularly with men.
Her relationship with Drew, he never could do right.
He be trying, but it always falls short.
Now, with her dad in the picture, Im sure there will be some growing pains.
Sometimes you have to learn how to shift your perspective.
And I think thats why she didnt want to leave:Leave everything that I know?
Leave my uncle, no matter how much he gets on my nerves?
I dont want to do that.
It was not traumatic.
I didnt have to be snarky.
This is a moment where I can be the child and allow myself to be vulnerable.
It was so sweet.
You mentioned Dan and Kevin encourage improv on set.
Which moments made it into this season?Man, heres the tea on that: Theres always improv.
A lot of thatBuffy the Vampire Slayerstuff with Drew was improv.
We are just able to [snaps fingers] bounce off each other so naturally.
Or well get the Showtime cuts out of the way, and after that its nothing but play.
I would love to see her focus on,What do I want?
Not take a gap year No.
I dont want to do that.
I know exactly what I want to do.
Choosing herself is learning how to set boundaries, especially with the adults in her life.
I just want to be a kid right now.
I dont know if theres an opportunity for her to do design and work underneath someone.
Or Unique Expozzure by Jeff Karly.
We see a ton of his stuff in the first season.
I love that they included these young Black artists in the wardrobe.
I hope to see more of that.
The costumes for Zayna were really fun this season.
Her denim outfit in the finale is great.That outfit is from Broken Land.
Janai Wrays a young designer in Brooklyn.
I was so impressed by everything that they pulled.
They chose a lot of Black, Brooklyn-based and Harlem-based designers.
There was always the fear, We dont want Zayna to grow up too fast.
We want to hold off on that right now.
But it was hot.
That reminds me of a 90s Mya look.Thats what we were going for!
Slash a little Rihanna-inspired.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
