Save this article to read it later.
Find this story in your accountsSaved for Latersection.
Spoilers ahead forSearch Partyseason three.
We have to start with Cassidys vocal fry, which is such a crucial part of her character.
It was in the character description.
I did some research on mother Google, and I discovered all this information about vocal dynamics.
But trying to bring your pitch lower than is normal creates this frying sound!
Which leads to Cassidy wearing these incredible over-the-top costumes.
He tailored everything to perfection.
That last look, the lace number that thing is everything.
He was like, She is about drama and aboutmomentsand statements.
I was like, This is ridiculous!
And he was like, Its amazing, and I was like, Its totally amazing.
Ive gotten myself into a lot of very funny but also ridiculous situations in my actual life.
So when I read the character description, I wanted to stay in the world ofSearch Party.
It is ridiculous and totally my world, as far as comedy is concerned.
Were there aspects of people you knew from New York that you brought into Cassidy?[Laughs.]
Are you trying to get me in trouble?
But then, I got burnt out.
I was going to all these parties.
I got invited to this magazine opening party it was a scene fromSearch Party.
All these people in BDSM gear, an art installation that was so derivative.
The person in charge of the magazine seemed like she was on molly.
But I did want to layer in, without judgement, that Cassidy means it.
She is truly in earnest.
I love laughter, so I learned about myself in 2018 that I require that.
For drama, I cant use all my tools.
Its inappropriate, actually.
Does Cassidy pop up in that fourth season?
I know theyve already shot it, too.Cassidy got fired!
And sheshouldhave, because at the end of the day, Dory had to save herself.
You talked about leaving your show.
For your career, you have to consider more than a couple things.
I dont have any family in the business.
I come from Virginia and Baltimore, nobody in my family does what I do.
I was the first person in generations to get on a plane.
Im flying by the seat of my pants, always.
If its a drama, it has to be something that I feel love for.
It cant just be a procedural.Theres more to life for me.
Why I wanted to do a procedural was also from a beautiful place.
Ive been to so many hotels across the country and seenLaw & Order: SVUand felt like thats home.
I know why I came into this, but I didnt think about all of it.
There are 30 other people involved in any decision.
One specific example of that comes up is how TV shows deal with Black actors hair.
From the time that youre in school, you are getting this lesson.
Its shored up with punishment.
Schools expel children or suspend children because of their hair.
WithNCIS, it wasnt just that the people didnt know how to do my hair.
The entire foundation of Black hair care is all trial and error, becausenone of our stuff is standardized.
Because of that erasure, when I got toNCIS, they were lost, because everyones lost.
Between season one and season two, I became a series regular.
Season one I did a couple of episodes, and I wore this straight-hair wig.
Some of my hair was out, but it was in its natural state.
jot down 4 hair like mine, in its natural state, our strands are very fragile.
If it put heat on it, it could break off.
For the next three years, I struggled.
When I came back for season four, I was wearing this helmet-head wig thing.
What was a dream job became a nightmare because of my hair.
The reason we had to reshoot that scene was because it was raining and the stunt couldnt happen.
I wasnt the only actor in that scene who would need their hair blow-dried for the shot.
It was all because, in their minds, a love interest doesnt look like that.
A love interest has straight hair.
Its all built around those assumptions, and I suffered because of that.
you’re able to transform, but just check that its manageable, by anybody.
There was no fear of me.
I changed the location of the wig on my head for different episodes.
There was no fear of me.
Also, they had real experience.
I think we should have teddy bears!
It was like an hour of back-and-forth.
But if youre just doing the speech in front of a mirror, it hits different.
When youre talking to the bears, you might get alive.
I wanted to boost up the highs, so the fall feels hard.
This interview has been edited and condensed.
