Teen Vogue had a chance to chat with Nafessa after the premiere, which closes with Anissa making a huge discovery about herself (and at the cost of a kitchen sink). She opened up about the show's poignant issues, whether we'll see Anissa end up with her canon love interest, what's it like coming out with superpowers when you've already had to come out in the traditional sense, and much more.Even without some very special gifts, Anissa is already a bonafide hero.
She's an older sister who knows how to give her sibling some space but also when to come down on them for making bad decisions. While balancing med school responsibilities, she also teaches part-time at her dad's school. In the pilot, she brings a 100 gang member to his knees when he comes after her sister Jennifer on campus...
TV: In teen sci-fi and fantasy, talking to parents about your superpowers are usually metaphors for the coming out of the closet conversation. But since your character is already out, is there sort of a parallel with Anissa coming to terms with this other aspect of who she is?Nafessa: As you'll notice in the first few episodes, and you got a hint of it at the end of the first, Anissa is struggling with the discovery of her powers. When you're discovering something about yourself, sometimes you keep thinking to yourself, "Am I a freak by being a superhero? Is anyone gonna believe me? Where is this coming from? How do I tell anyone? Are my parents gonna be okay with me being on this journey?" I would like to think that those are the same questions that you're having as you're discovering your sexuality and coming out with it to people. It's one thing when you accept it on your own, and you're coming to grips with it, but then there's a process of having to be open about it and share it. I think that would be the parallel between the two of those.
TV: In teen sci-fi and fantasy, talking to parents about your superpowers are usually metaphors for the coming out of the closet conversation. But since your character is already out, is there sort of a parallel with Anissa coming to terms with this other aspect of who she is?Nafessa: As you'll notice in the first few episodes, and you got a hint of it at the end of the first, Anissa is struggling with the discovery of her powers. When you're discovering something about yourself, sometimes you keep thinking to yourself, "Am I a freak by being a superhero? Is anyone gonna believe me? Where is this coming from? How do I tell anyone? Are my parents gonna be okay with me being on this journey?" I would like to think that those are the same questions that you're having as you're discovering your sexuality and coming out with it to people. It's one thing when you accept it on your own, and you're coming to grips with it, but then there's a process of having to be open about it and share it. I think that would be the parallel between the two of those.
In Nafessa Williams's first scene on Black Lightning, she rolls in just like thunder: with a bang. The first time we see her character Anissa Pierce on camera, she's being released from the police department after having been arrested at a protest against the 100, a dangerous gang that has caused trouble in the city, Freeland. Sure, she has to apologize to her father Jefferson about getting into trouble right before a big school fundraiser being held in his honor, but she's not sorry about sticking up for what she believes in....
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