The following reveals major plot points for Season 1 of HulusQueenie.
Best-selling authorCandice Carty-Williamsmet with 15 production companies to discuss adapting her bookQueeniebefore the award-winning novel was even published.
Their 8-episode collaboration is available to stream now via Hulu.
L: Queenie’s mother Sylvie (Ayesha Antoine) and Queenie (Dionne Brown), R: ‘Queenie’ author and showrunner Candice Carty-WilliamsLionsgate/Latoya Okuneye, Disney/Ramona Rosales
When they did, they said, I think youre onto something, Carty-Williams told Deadline.
When it was published, it was quite a shock.
You dont get any training for that so you just jump in.
Dionne Brown as Queenie(Lionsgate/Latoya Okuneye)
DEADLINE:What was most important to nail down from the book in the show?
CARTY-WILLIAMS:It was Queenies world and her politics.
But as soon as it gets to the screen, people can shout No, turn it off!
and you have to convince them that you still need to say what it’s crucial that you.
So, if people do turn it off then you dont want them to be watching it anyway.
So, I had to rewrite most of her voiceover and re-record it with Dionne.
It was a nice process because we got to build a shorthand.
It felt instinctive like, What would I do as a person?
What are the things going through my head as someone cool about the things that are affecting me?
which I think a lot of women are.
I think thats one thing that historically all women do hold everything in.
I thought What are the things that she would be saying to herself about every situation?
The thing I love about Queenie is shes not mean.
I never wrote her to be mean.
Shes not an unkind person.
She doesnt comment on peoples personalities or appearances.
Shes very much like This is you and this is the effect youre having on me.
DEADLINE: You wrote Queenie at 25, and then worked on it for a long time.
What has this revisit to the story made clear to you?
I thought, Oh, Ive grown up and it was all in my head.
No, those things are still true and continue to hold me and women like me back.
The politics are almost entirely the same as before the dating world, same thing.
A lot of things have stayed the same.
What was that supposed to signal?
CARTY-WILLIAMS:I spoke to the set designer Gini Godwin about this a lot.
We went back and forth about what that phrase should be.
Everything is changing inside her but, everything is staying the same externally.
A much better place.
Not a perfect place.
But a place where she can be a lot more of herself.
It was the first time she was seen by someone.
It was fun to play with what it meant that Kyazikes cousin was doing this.
Franks a great character for a few reasons, and Samuel Adewunmi brought something special to that role.
But I think we understand who that person is.
It wasnt too hard for him.
I wanted to write an episode set in the past to show their origins and how joyful they were.
He said it felt like when Sylvie arrived.
Grandma is very against therapy and has to go get Queenie from therapy and shes irritated about it.
Not just because shes had to make the journey but also because politically we dont do those things.
Theyre recognizing it in their 70s that thats what Queenie does.
Shes disruptive but in a good way.
This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.
