Anika Rose: "Them" Deals With The Trauma Of Terrorism And How It Changes Us

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Source: Courtesy Amazon Studios / Amazon Studios

BOSSIP’s Sr. Content Editor Janeé Bolden spoke with Anika Noni Rose about her role as Ella Mae in “Them,” and why it’s important that audiences tune in to watch the show, despite all the trauma that’s shown.

Rose said “Them” was the last job she wrapped before the pandemic, but she loved doing it because it was something so different from anything else that she’s done.

“It was giving space to a woman in a situation that we don’t often get to see, ” Rose said. “Dealing with the trauma of terrorism, giving a face to it and how it can affect us and change us irrevocably. It makes you think about the people who make it though that. It could have happened in the ’50s, could have happened last week. I was interested in how that affects people psychologically and seeing it in a way that we don’t usually. This woman has been deeply damaged and hurt.”

Rose also spoke about how the characters’ resilience and fight mean so much for audiences to witness.

“Yes we are watching trauma and yes we are seeing terror but it’s not terror porn and we do get to see a heroine in this. We see a refusal to be extinguished. That’s important to look at. We’re not looking at people who are downtrodden, we’re looking at people who are determined and are like, “I deserve more. I expect more, I will find more.” Rose said of the characters.

She also spoke of the need for non-black audiences to watch “THEM,” noting that the horror lens will draw people in and also make them realize “yes this was the 1950’s but it could have been Wednesday.”