Aisha Hinds – Under The Dome

Q) What are the recent projects you are working on?

A) I did a project about a year and a half ago for BET with Reggie Rock Bythewood called “Gun Hill,” with Larenz Tate and I work with his wife Tomasina Parrott (who is known for Love and Basketball and The Secret Life of Bees) on a movie called Beyond The Lights, which is coming out in November. I also did a wonderful film with Chloe Moretz and she is so awesome! It is called If I Stay. I’m doing quite a few film projects and still dipping “Under The Dome” when I can.

Q) How was your character on “Under The Dome” originally described to you?

A) Initially, they had this family who brought their daughter Norrie (Mackenzie Lintz) down to Chester’s Mill to go to a camp. Many of the characters of the show are native to the area and we were the only set of outsiders. They let us know that we were representing the people who were the outsiders and even the outcasts. For us to be a lesbian couple and an interracial couple, there were a number of things that set us apart from what they were used to seeing. We represented that part of the population and we sort of served as a voice for that community and brought that image to screen.

Q) What was it about the role or show that drew you to the project?

A) What I loved about it was that it was really close to some of my own sensibilities in that you can be so driven and caught up with trying to create life in a perfect way. For Carolyn, she and Alice (Samantha Mathis) were doing everything they could to create this perfect life for Norrie. One was a physician and the other was an attorney. Of course, they are coming from cerebral backgrounds and trying to create as much structure as possible to create a perfect life for Norrie. Low and  behold, Norrie is completely rebelling against all of that because one of the things that was illuminated for us when we got to Chester’s Mill was how important it was to sort of peel back the layers of that kind of structure and remember what it means to be a family at the core. Some of the values of a family are loyalty, love without borders and being a protector and provider. Being in a circumstance that sort of takes all of your comfort zones away, you are faced with a reflection of who you are. That was one of the things that was really intriguing to me because I am such a homebody person. I love to be in my home and in my comfort zone. I can conquer the world from my homebase. You take me out of my comfort zone and I feel a little frazzled at first. So, it really intrigued me and what would happen now if you were taken out of your comfort zone. You don’t know what can happen. You don’t know where this dome came from or what could you really find out about the world and life, about people and most importantly about yourself. That was one of the things that really, really appealed to me about the show.

Q) When the cast began working together were you quick to bond or did it take some time for chemistry to develop?

A) There was an instant chemistry because I think we all had a couple things in common, which was a unified intrigue for this world and what it would mean to be in this world. We all had complete reverence and geeked out love for Stephen King. Then, the last thing was that we were all happy to be a part of this project and because we were shooting it far from our respective homes we bonded. It’s almost like we made Wilmington, North Carolina (where we shoot the show) our Chester’s Mill. It was our place where we would all bond. We would gather together on Sundays and Rachelle Lefevre is a wonderful, gracious host. She hosts a lot of gatherings and will cook. She has a great boyfriend who was on “Top Chef.” We gather and eat, bond and discover the city together. It was an incredible bond right away.

Q) Did you do any research into same sex marriage in order to portray this a sincere look?

A) I did very little because when I approached it (which we discussed very early on before we shot the pilot) we had several opportunities to talk to each other as actors playing this family. Myself, Samantha Mathis and McKenzie sat down and talked about it. It was less about trying to research same sex couples and marriages and just playing what it is honest about them. They are a family. At the end of the day, what is the difference between researching a heterosexual family and a homosexual family? Love is really the bond that keeps them all together. We didn’t want to absolutely have this overt message of playing homosexuals. That’s not what we were there to do. We were there to tell the story of people who loved each other and who loved their daughter.

Q) How hands on has Stephen King been with the storyline and on set?

A) He is so amazing and he’s so funny! If he could have his way, I’m sure he’d have peoples’ heads cut in half every episode. But he was great! He came down for the pilot last year and was there with us. Everyone got the chance to talk to him and pick his brain. This year he wrote the first episode of season two. He’s being kept in the loop and stays in the loop. He’s been super supportive of the show, the story and the evolution of it. It must be amazing to him to see it evolve as a series because, for the most part, the series has finished already of what the book has talked about. You kind of have to now create after you’ve already written the end. For him to have written the first episode of the second season, it gives him a unique opportunity to add an addendum to a book and story that has already been told. He can revisit that and just elaborate on that from his perspective. That was pretty cool.

Q) What can you tease is in store this season on “Under The Dome” and with Crystal and her family?

A) There is a lot to discover and the minute you think you know something, you don’t. Family is a huge, huge part in this series.

Q) What have been some of your most memorable moments from filming the show?

A) I think some of the effects scenes are really, really special. Even in the first episode where the truck is supposed to hit the dome was really amazing. Then, we started off this season even with the cow that was cut in half and we started off with the magnet that was making the fridge and the furniture fly all over the place. Just seeing how they rig these things, how they work and creating the energy to match it has been incredible for me to watch and be a part of.

Q) You are a part of social media sites. Are you enjoying the instant fan feedback you get when the episodes air?

A) Yeah, definitely! It’s like you are all sitting in the living room watching together and you can hear everyone going, “Ooo! Ah! Wow! Whoa!” You hear all the questions and it’s great. It’s a great way to watch TV now.

Q) What about the show do you think has captured so many viewers?

A) I’m going to say that because there is a representation of so many different kinds of people that I think there is a little bit for everyone. Every person can sort of see themselves in someone in the series. Then, they can immediately put themselves in that predicament and you sort of get roped into, “What would I do in this circumstance?” You want to help them out. It’s sort of like playing a video game when you go, “No! Go through that door over there!” I think that it’s just one of those accessible stories.

Q) What would you like to say to your fans and supporters of you and the show?

A) I’m so, so grateful! I’m so grateful and so happy. We certainly didn’t know what was going to happen when we started this journey, but we’re super happy that everyone has come on board and decided to go under the dome with us, even though we don’t know when we are getting out!