Stay curious and don’t be afraid to dream.
Those are just some of the messages from Hulu’s new series, “Washington Black.”
Set in the 19th century, it’s the coming-of-age narrative of a young boy named George Washington Black. Born into slavery on a plantation in Barbados, he possessed an innate curiosity about life and a passion for science.
At the age of 11, he managed to escape with the plantation owner’s brother, who became both his mentor and guide. Together, they embarked on an adventure that took them across the globe.
Eddie Karanja and Ernest Kingsley Jr, who play the younger and older versions of Wash told On The Red Carpet what they loved about this character.
“My favorite thing is just his knack for science, really. Like, you know, he, this is genuinely enjoyable to him,” Karanja said.
“Playing a character with such an expansive journey, who endures so much hardship yet continues with grace and fearlessness, is truly a gift,” expressed Kingsley Jr.
As a young adult, Wash encounters a man named Medwin Harris, played by Sterling K. Brown, who becomes another mentor.
“What I love about Wash is like, he just needed this opportunity, he was always a creator, he was always engaged in his imagination. He always saw the world as being something bigger. He was a dreamer,” said Brown.
Brown also serves as executive producer and took special care to look after his young cast.
“Sterling K. Brown was a huge, huge, huge, huuuuuge mentor to me. Like just not only being able to like act alongside him, but just off set, you know, the level of like brotherhood he brought and love and grace,” Kingsley Jr said.
“I love working with actors. And I love sort of helping to create an environment in which people are happy to be there,” Brown added. “The days are long. And they can be arduous, more so if you’re like, ‘man I gotta go do this’ instead of ‘I get to go do this.’ And so I try to stimulate an environment where everybody is excited and gleeful to be in the space to help tell the story.”
The series is based on Esi Edugyan’s fictional 2018 novel of the same name. “Washington Black” is streaming now on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+.
The Walt Disney Company is the parent company of Hulu and this ABC station.
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