“Star” is a production of 20th Century Fox Television in association with Lee Daniels Entertainment. Lee Daniels and Tom Donaghy are the creators and executive producers of the series.
Academy Award nominee and Emmy Award, Grammy Award and Golden Globe Award winner Queen Latifah stars as Carlotta, a surrogate mother to the young crew (Jude Demorest, Ryan Destiny, Brittany O’Grady) that also includes Cotton (newcomer Amiyah Scott). Emmy Award nominee Benjamin Bratt plays Jahil, a down-on-his-luck talent agent looking to revitalize his career, who’s taken a certain interest in Star. The series also features guest stars Grammy Award winner Lenny Kravitz and supermodel/actress Naomi Campbell.
Joining the show for season 2 is singer Luke James and veteran actress Michael Michele. We caught up with pair to talk joining the show.
The Knockturnal: Did you guys get a chance to watch the show before you joined the cast this season?
Luke James: I had seen it. Yeah, I had definitely seen it. I mean, I needed to understand the tone of the show anyway, so I went back and watched more of it. But I had seen them when it premiered. I didn’t see every single episode at the time, but I had seen almost every episode of Empire, so I knew Lee Daniels’ world. And what this world was as well and still learning. I didn’t want to know too much about Star.
Michael Michele: I watched it a little bit after my first meeting with Lee. He asked me to watch it. I hadn’t watched it and I went back and I watched a little bit of the episodes, of course, to understand the tone. But, a lot of it, I honestly didn’t want to know a lot about it just because the character doesn’t know a lot about the other girl. So, I wanted to just have this honest feeling of finding our fate.
The Knockturnal: So you guys are new to the show, obviously. Tell us a little bit about the characters you play. What can you tell us without spoiling too much?
Michael Michele: So, Iyana Floyd owns the label and everyone, all the artists, the girls- I’ve actually signed his character. So, Noah is the artist I want badly. Badly, over and above everyone else. I want Noah Brooks on my label and there’s a bit of contention because Carlotta’s saying: “Why not my girls? I want my girls to do some of the things you have your other artists doing.” So, it’s very real in that way, where artists and managers are fighting for their time with the boss. And, we’re exploring all of those things that happen between the person who owns the label and the artist. And so she’s powerful; the operative word I’ve been told is Machiavellian, which, that puts a whole other spin on it. So there’s a lot of that but Machiavellianism paired with sexuality. So, I think it’s important to say that because often times when you play strong women, they’re missing their femininity. They’re missing their sexuality, and I built my career playing those types of women, but they were often missing the femininity. They were missing their sexuality, they were tough cops, tough doctors, or tough lawyers, but then they were almost like men wearing dresses. Whereas Lee’s women are women. They’re strong but they’re also women. So it’s one of my favorites, if not favorite, parts I’ve ever played.
The Knockturnal: Luke, tell us a little bit about your character Noah.
Luke James: Noah Brooks, he’s an Atlanta native. He’s an artist. Basically, a breakdown: Noah, had a critically-acclaimed album that came out three years ago, let’s say. He got into some trouble and he got out of it, but kind of got blacklisted in the label to the business world. To the fans and everyone, everything is beautiful, everything is going great. And he’s this great artist but he has this weird temperament and whatnot, and his people that are around him are maybe not so good, or whatnot. He gets quoted to be signed to Midtown Sound.
The Knockturnal: Both of you guys said that you didn’t really watch because it’s better to go in that way. Can you explain?
Michael Michelle: Well, because I want to be honest. I don’t want to be thinking when I read the script: I know this happened and I make my choices upon what happened before. But then again, at the same time, that can hurt too. Not knowing. Because it’s a very creative space environment, which things can be drawn in at the last minute. We can have an idea: maybe if you wore this and he said this and can we switch this and then come in this way. I feel like the character can do that, and it’s that kind of thing and you would want to know what’s happened before so that you don’t repeat it again. But I just want to have a fresh view of this show, and plus I’m new to acting and stuff. It just works for me.
The Knockturnal: You mentioned you’re new to acting and you’re working on a show with so many greats.
Luke James: I think “Well, oh, God, I’m at the veterans table.” So now, of course, the first interview they said veteran so now I’m going to go vouched.
The Knockturnal: What have you learned from these seasoned actors?
Luke James: You just need to be spot-on. Because everyone else is bringing their A-game, and just be as honest as possible, because everyone else is really truthfully being honest. As a new actor, you can still try to understand how to be an actor. Sometimes, you can get lost in this idea of mimicking or it’s just the work ethic and what not. It’s just different. I feel different around everyone because they are so seasoned and it makes me level up.
The Knockturnal: Well, I have a question. What have you learned from the new actors?
Michael Michelle: I can’t remember what the operative word was, but Lee referred to Benjamin Bratt and I had actually worked together. We were partners when they crossed over Law & Order and my series Homicide: Life on the Streets. So, Benjamin and I knew each other when we had partnered as cops, and so Lee said something about ” You know, you and Benjamin, you guys come from these procedurals, and I’m just letting you know you’re working with the young people now and they may say what’s on the page and they may say some different shit.” And I was like “Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, we changed script all the time on ER” and he’s like ” No, no, no, it’s some different shit.” He was right, and so when you come from procedural serialized television, you’re married to the words. You may change an “and” or, the “or” but, but you come on now and it may be a completely different paragraph. And you’re like “Oh, that’s my cue.” So in the same way that he says it, his game has changed by working with people more seasoned. I think my game is changing a little bit as well because you have to be more spontaneous. The spontaneity may come from their learning somewhat, but it may also come from a different approach to the work.
