“I love that Dawn is both the villain and the hero”: Deborah Ayorinde on Them – The Scare

A horror anthology seen through the Black lens, Them follows a similar format to that of the popular TV series created by Ryan Murphy, American Horror Story. Each new season focuses on a new time period, storyline and characters. The universe created by Little Marvin recently expanded into a second season titled The Scare, set in 1991. It follows LAPD detective Dawn Reeve who investigates a series of killings that shake the Black community of LA. As Dawn unravels the mystery of these murders, she also goes on a journey of self-discovery, trying to keep herself, her family and community safe.

The lead actress of this second season is Deborah Ayorinde who also played Lucky in the first instalment of Them, The Covenant. Now, she dons the role of Dawn, eager to once again collaborate with Little Marvin. Aside from that, Ayorinde has also starred in the ITVX series Riches and is about to open her upcoming play Wedding Band at the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre. The Upcoming caught up with the actor to talk about what people can expect from this season of Them, the research she had to do for her role as a police detective and Little Marvin’s work in exploring the Black experience through the medium of horror.

For this new season of Them, what can people expect?

People can expect some bittersweet nostalgia. The reason I say that is because, obviously, the 90s was such an amazing time for music, hair, fashion and all these things. But there were also some things that went on during that time that weren’t so sweet, and we do touch on those. We really wanted to stay true to the time period, we really wanted to stay true to LA in that time period – and I think we really did a good job! People can also expect a lot of really amazing and satisfying surprises. You don’t need to watch the first instalment to enjoy the second instalment. But I will say, if you’ve watched the first season, this second one will be much more satisfying!

Speaking of the previous season, The Covenant, which you worked on, what compelled you to return for The Scare? How did that decision come about?

Little Marvin is a genius, quite frankly. I love him as a person and I love him as an artist. For me, when I did the first season, I thought to myself, “Okay, we did an amazing, crazy, larger-than-life thing. We leave it there.” Because in my mind – unless it would be a continuation of the first story – I didn’t think I could come back and play a completely different character. I was essentially offered the role, and when I got the call, I was shocked. This is the first time that I’ve actually come back to a show. I usually do films, limited series, and stuff like that. First of all, it was an honour. Secondly, it was like, “Wait, am I supposed to bring any of Lucky from the first season to this character?” Little Marvin was like, “No. This is a completely different canvas, you paint on it completely differently.” It was an honour, it was amazing, and it was also a no-brainer for me, because I had such an amazing time working with him and the rest of the team in the first season.

Tell us about your new character, Dawn, the things you love about playing her and how you can relate to her.

I love that Dawn is such a badass and that she wears so many hats – in her family and in her community. I love that she’s both the villain and the hero; she’s trying to save her community, but also, people look at her like they’re wondering if she’s actually the bad guy. It’s such a fun role to play! I love the fact that she’s so incredibly guarded, and to just play most of the season with her fighting with herself is also really fun. It’s that going on a journey with her just unravelling, step by step, brick by brick – until she just hits rock bottom. How I can relate to her? As woman, just like her, I wear many different hats. I’m this but I’m also this; I’m a softie but I’m also a badass. Dawn’s like that. I love seeing characters – especially female characters – that are so multidimensional, and Dawn is definitely a character I hold dear.

Did you have to do any extensive research to get into the mind of a hardened detective like Dawn?

You know what’s so funny? We actually had some police officers and detectives on set. They showed me a lot about the intricacies of sweeping through a place, or how holding a gun a certain way can have someone easily smack it down. It’s the little things that you would not think of – the questions you ask, the energy or tone that you take with someone who is maybe deranged or upset in a situation like this. It really opened my eyes. I was grateful to have those people on set supporting [and providing insight on] the real-life experience of a day in [a police officer’s] life. I was definitely taken care of in that regard.

This season is a really well-done mix of horror and murder mystery, which of course, is an obvious marriage between genres. But the most interesting part is converging the real-life Black horror stories of racism and discrimination with the tropes of the gothic genre. What do you make of how Little Marvin combines all these little intricacies into the script and his creative vision for Them?

He is a genius, and he’s also a history nerd like I am. I love the fact that he does this thing where he tells the story as raw as you will allow him to,  because it’s true to the things people have experienced throughout history. I love exploring the idea of being “other” or being “them” through the lens of horror because it actually makes sense. Sometimes being “other” – whether it’s the Black experience or whatever that something is that makes them feel like they are “other” or “outside” – is an experience that can be quite horrific. The way he has done it, done his research – he’s really intricate and detailed about that. I think that this season does a really good job of showing the good stuff, the fun stuff and the amazing stuff about this time period. But also, the stuff that wasn’t so great; the trauma that we’ve gone through [back then]. Honestly, for me, it has just been such an amazing blessing to collaborate with him. Not only once, but now, twice. Hopefully, again and again.

Mae Trumata

Them: The Scare is released on Prime Video on 25^th April 2024.

Watch the trailer for Them: The Scare here: