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[King] Sharon Rivers represents that true parent
that will do anything for their child,
the love is just so deep.
And Sharon and Joe Rivers, their children,
they come out of an enormous amount of love,
and you see that when you watch Tish and Fonny.
You meet Sharon and Joe and you go,
"I think Sharon and Joe was a Tish and Fonny at one time."
"What's the special occasion?"
"You the man of the house. Stop worrying."
[In a French accent] "Oh, but of course, madame."
[King] In the part of the film when Sharon goes to Puerto Rico,
she's on her way because the woman
that's wrongfully accused Fonny of rape
has fled to Puerto Rico,
and of the family, they have agreed
that Sharon is the best person to go
and try to convince this woman to come back.
And especially when you look at the time period,
it's not common for Black Americans
to go to another country.
Most Black Americans that are travelling to another country,
it's usually Jamaica, one of the West Indies—
it's the country that their parents are from
or their grandparents are from,
so they're going to actually visit family.
But to go to another country as a Black American
in the '50s, '60s,
and not speak the language,
not have any family there, have any friends there,
just shows the lengths Sharon would go,
this family would go for each other.
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We were having conversations
of how Sharon was going to wear her hair in the film,
like what hair represented Sharon,
and I told him just how big wigs were then —
they're still big now, they've just come a long way,
they have evolved — and what did he feel about
this wig is almost like your suit of armour,
like your costume, you know?
And we felt like, in that moment,
does the armour really feel like armour?
Are you really feeling protected?
What is it like when you're really all alone?
It felt like there is a moment where she's getting ready —
she goes to get the wig with the intention
that, "Oh, I'll put on my armour
and it doesn't feel safe, it doesn't feel secure,"
and Barry [Jenkins] felt that that was to be
looking dead into the camera,
which is the mirror, but right down the lens,
and to show how vulnerable she was in that moment.
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After she's made the decision
that "I am gonna put on my armour,"
and finds her way to the woman she's come to see,
there is this moment, I think,
that Sharon is trying to appeal to her.
And every angle that she tries to connect with this woman,
it doesn't happen, and I think it's really strong,
the moment when they're speaking, and she says,
"One thing I can tell, lady:
you ain't never been raped."
[King] That's one thing Sharon never thought about,
and that's the most terrifying moment, I think.
It's really right there, when
all I have left is faith
and religion and daughter,
and she goes to touch her heart,
she goes to touch the cross.
"Daughter, in the name of God— "
"Get off of me!"
[King] In that moment, I think Sharon's heart was like,
"Wow.
This woman was raped."
And that's all she can hold onto,
that's all this woman can hold onto.
She's trying to live beyond it,
but, um...
man, it's heavy.
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