Danielle Moné Truitt – Deputy

By: Jamie Steinberg

Q) We’re going to be seeing you in “Deputy.” Please tell us the premise.

A) “Deputy” is about the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department. The current Sheriff dies and then Bill Hollister (Stephen Dorff) becomes the interim sheriff. The show kind of follows his journey as Sheriff and I play Charlie Minnick on the show, which is one of the deputies. She’s a really badass training officer and deputy. She has her sights set on going to Major Crimes. She’s a hero and saves a lot of lives and arrests a lot of bad guys. The show is basically about the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department and seeing Hollister go against the grain and do what’s best for the community and for the lives of the citizens of Los Angeles. He doesn’t get caught up in a lot of the politics that goes on.

Q) What made you want to be a part of the show?

A) First, as an actress, we always want to work and we always want to work on good things. It has a good history of putting together great shows and the show is executive produced and directed by David Ayer. He’s a really awesome director and writer. He wrote Training Day and he wrote Suicide Squad as well. He has directed a lot of really cool films. So, this show definitely has weight behind it. And, like I said, Stephen Dorff is a really fantastic actor and he is the lead actor. So, being able to work with talented actors and to be a part of a project that has David Ayer a part of it was definitely attractive.

Q) What did you find challenging about portraying a deputy?

A) I think a lot of people who are not actors think that when you play a character you have to make up all this stuff that is so unlike who you already are. But, honestly, the best actors are finding things about themselves that they can put into their character which makes the character more believable and real. It also requires a lot of vulnerability on the part of the actor to be open enough to look at themselves and their flaws and their great points – all of the things about them – to kind of see how they are compared to the character they’re playing and allowing themselves to be kind of open to showing those things through their characters. I think the hardest part of portraying her is just making sure she is vulnerable. She is a badass. So, sometimes when you’re playing that kind of character it can be one note if you don’t give your character layers – like normal people. She definitely fights crime and saves the day, but she has a heart. She is heartbroken about certain things in her life. So, making sure that those things shine through was important to me.

Q) What kind of prep or research did you put into this role?

A) First of all, you have to learn your lines – what you are going to say when you audition or when you’re shooting. [laughs] Also, you have to kind of dig deeper with the words and you have to understand the story. You have to understand what your character wants out of the episode or out of the certain scene that you’re in. Then, you have to put yourself in your character’s shoes. I think a big part of it is making sure you don’t judge your character. Sometimes your character might do things that you wouldn’t do in your real life and in your mind you’re judging your character and making it seem like your character is wrong for something. Then, you’re not going to play it honest and truthful. So, I think getting into character just requires understanding the character you’re playing – how they think, why they do the things they do and having a back story for the character (like where they come from or what happened to them before they got to where they are at). I think that all plays a part into getting into character. I also love music. So, playing it on the way to set or on the way to an audition kind of puts me in the mindset of what I wanna portray with the character.

Q) Talk about working with costar Stephen Dorff.

A) He’s great. He’s a really nice guy. He’s very protective of the craft, of his art and of the set. Just making sure that we feel taken care of – making sure our lighting is right and that we get the right amount of takes so that we can have our best performance. He definitely cares so much about this show and about the art he puts into the world. He’s just a really stellar actor as well. The way he portrays Sheriff Hollister is so great and gritty and down to earth. People are going to really love his character in the way he’s portraying it. It’s been great. It’s been a really great experience acting alongside of him.

Q) What were some of your favorite scenes to film from the show?

A) I think in general we have so much fun on set. Me, Shane [Paul McGhie] and Brian Van Holt – we’re just having a ball on set. Spotify asked us to create our own playlist to help us get into character. So, we had to make videos publicizing our playlist. We just had a ball walking through set and making those videos and just being silly and playing around. The show is so serious for the most part, but on set were cracking up and teasing one another right before they call action and then everyone is super serious. It’s becoming a big family getting to know one another and teasing one another. We’re making the most of being in Albuquerque.

Q) What do you think it is about “Deputy” that will make it a fast fan favorite?

A) I think the performances by the actors are going to be pretty compelling and draw people in. Also, we have an amazing crew from cameramen to directors to the assistant directors and the director of photography. They are phenomenal from the way they shoot the show and the way the scenes are shot the camera angles – it has more of a gritty feel and is more like a film. There is a cinematic feel to it which people haven’t necessarily seen on television all the time. There’s so much action in it and the cases speak to things that are really happening in the world right now. They’re dealing with things that are happening right now, so I think people are really going to be able to relate to the characters and the cases we’re going to be solving. The way it is shot is just really, really cool and I think people are going to love it.

Q) You are a part of social media. Are you looking forward to the fan feedback you’ll be receiving to the series?

A) To a degree. It’s always cool to hear people like what you’re doing, like your work in the shows that you’re on. Then, there are always people who don’t have nice things to say. You kind of have to not care about what people think in general. Like whether they love you or they don’t love you, you have to make it about the work and be grateful for the opportunity that you had and that people are even watching it. Even if they don’t like it they’re still watching it and they wouldn’t know they didn’t like it if they weren’t watching it. [laughs] Some people don’t like stuff and they keep watching it every week. So, yeah, I have a lot of really amazing followers already and I look forward to whoever else jumps on board on this journey with me. I’m always really grateful for their feedback and just getting to know people and how the work that you’re doing affects their lives. I think that’s the thing that we don’t really realize. As actors you want to do good work and we want to work, but we don’t realize how much our work impacts people’s real lives and how much they can relate to these characters that we play. So, if I’m looking forward to anything, just seeing how the work that we’re doing on the show impacts people’s lives.

Q) Is there anything else you want to be sure we share with our readers about your time on “Deputy?”

A) It’s just been a great experience and, as an African American woman, it’s an honor to be able to play a deputy in the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department. And as a woman too! I’m the only female deputy that is one of the lead characters. We also have a non-binary actor that is on the show as well. Being given these opportunities I think is really, really important as well for women and people of color. I’m just really excited about the show.