We caught up with Gbenga Akinnagbe and Dominique Fishback who both star in HBO’s upcoming show “The Deuce.”
They were attending the New York premiere of HBO’s All The Way. “I think it’s important to support because these movies and these shows that HBO’s putting out are important and people want to see them,” Dominique shared.
Richard Price (The Wire) and David Simon (Show Me A Hero & The Wire) are reuniting for The Deuce. The show is a look at life in New York City during the 1970s and ’80s when porn and prostitution were rampant in Manhattan. It also stars James Franco (Executive producer), Maggie Gyllenhall (producer), Gary Carr, Emily Meade (The Leftovers), Margarita Levieva (The Blacklist, Revenge, Allegiance) and Lawrence Gilliard Jr.
Tell me about the new show that you’re both on, The Deuce.
Gbenga: I’ve been describing it as a precursor to the porn industry. It’s about the lives of the bar owners, the pimps and the prostitutes in Hell’s Kitchen, and how things devolved or evolved depending on what side you’re on in the story into the early days of porn. Basically, before the sex and the drugs and the music could kill you. Then, eventually, it starts to … with the rise of the ’80s.
Tell me a little about the role you play on the show.
Dominique: My character’s name is Darlene and I’m his prostitute, so he’s my pimp.
Gbenga: That’s my prostitute.
Dominique: Right now, I actually don’t know as much. We just did the pilot and now we’re going to start shooting again. My character is a very young, sweet-natured girl but she to deal with the streets and how she navigates them is, I guess, what we’ll see.
How excited are you to continue on with the HBO family?
Dominque: I’m so excited. I’m so thankful. I just think about how HBO treats the actors and how, once you’re a part of the family, you’re a part of the family. I wasn’t expecting to be invited to the event. Now, I’m like, “What’s up?” You know? I’m just happy to be a part of it and happy to be on another David Simon show because I love his work and his voice as a writer and I’m ready.
You also have Independence Day: Resurgence coming out June 24, 2016. How excited are you to join that iconic franchise?
Gbenga: I’m very excited. I had a lot of fun shooting it, working with Roland and the cast. Now, we get to see all the stuff that we were pretending to shoot at in the desert all summer. It’s amazing. Everyone’s watched this movie. I grew up watching this movie. Now, to be a part of the sequel, hopefully many more, it fulfills the little fan boy inside me’s fantasy, so absolutely.
How was working with director Roland Emmerich? He’s a legend.
Gbenga: Yeah, he is. It was amazing to watch him. There’s a handful of directors who get a film of that budget. When you work with him, you can see why he gets films like that, they ask him to make films like that. He’s a great mixture of artist in general, the way you run a set with hundreds of people on it, and also make sure that you tell the story that’s there in front of you, but also with all your partners as far as the CGI guys and women around the world working on different scenes. It’s amazing to watch him work. It was masterful.
Speak about working with Vivica A. Fox, who is reprising her role.
Gbenga: Vivica was cool. I laugh because she made me laugh a lot on set. I’m remembering it now. She showed me some crazy things on Instagram that made me laugh. It was long hours, so she was very giving as far as an actress to work with. Liam was cool. Jesse Usher, Jeff Goldblum was hilarious, always singing on set, Brent Spiner. We had a great cast. It was fun to make this movie with them.
Anything else you want to share?
Gbenga: I do have a new vintage furniture line called ENITAN so you should check it out … re-purposed and vintage furniture that have been brought into the modern world in a really cool, African aesthetic. It’s really dope furniture from all over. You should check it out: www.enitanvintage.com
How did you get into that?
I guess, as an actor, we travel around so much, so I get the opportunity to look and go antiquing a lot and I sometimes rescue some pieces and then get to, maybe, create something in that process of rescuing and refurbishing some of these pieces. I’m having them done back here in Brooklyn and made some really cool, beautiful pieces that people loved. Right now, a lot of my pieces are on display in Williamsburg at 281 North 7th Street at the Okay Space. It’s part of OkayPlayer or OkayAfrica.
OkayPlayer is Questlove’s site.
Yep, Questlove and some other folks. That’s their music site. Now, they have a gallery space. We’re on display. The furniture pieces are on display and for sale with an artist named Jimmy Sheehan. You can check it out in 281 North 7th Street in Williamsburg.
