Christina Anthony – Mixed-ish

By starrymag | February 9, 2021

By: Alexandra Gil M

 

 

Q) What can you tease is new this season on “Mixed-ish” and with Aunt Denise?

 

A) Aunt Denise is at a crossroads in her career. We’ll see her more at work and Dee Dee will definitely have to decide if working for Pan Am is still for her.

 

Q) What do you love most about playing Aunt Denise and working on the show?

 

A) I love how she loves the culture. She IS the culture (Black culture). Aunt Denise is unapologetically Black.

 

Q) In what ways do you relate to your character and how are you different?

 

A) I am also an aunt who is obsessed with my nieces and I also love being Black. It’s never a burden and always a gift. That’s where it ends. If I said half the stuff Dee Dee did, my family would not be having it.

 

Q) What challenges you about portraying this character?

 

A) Because some of Aunt Denise’s opinions are rooted in past trauma, it can be difficult. She has flaws for sure, like in the “Let Your Hair Down” episode from Season 1. She really focused on the nieces’ hair looking “neat” and pressed. But that was because Dee Dee didn’t feel like she could wear own natural hair and move up at her job. Society put that pressure on her and now she’s putting it on the girls.

 

Q) Going into this new season were you looking to share more scenes with someone(s) in particular?

 

A) Not in particular, but fans of the show definitely picked up on the chemistry between Harrison (Gary Cole) who plays the kids’ grandpa and Aunt Denise. They are frenemies for sure and back at it this season!

 

Q) What episodes are you looking forward to fans seeing this season?

 

A) “Just the Two of Us” (206) written by Jesse Esparza and directed by Shiri Appleby is very special. It’s about being the only Black person in the workplace and the thrill of another Black employee finally arriving at your job. I think so many Black people can relate to being the only “chocolate chip in the sugar cookie” at work or school so this is for them. I hope they love the episode.

 

Q) What have been some of your most memorable moments so far filming Season 2 of “Mixed-ish?”

 

A) My roots are in sketch comedy and improv. This season there are more short scenes (tags after the episodes) that feel like sketches. I loved shooting those. Look out for them!

 

Q) What has it been like to film with the pandemic? What are the biggest changes and how will it affect the show?

 

A) “Mixed-ish” has the BEST crew. So, while it was different (and at first) nerve wracking, our crew worked so hard to keep us safe during COVID. We couldn’t have large groups or go on locations, so you’ll see the family at home and in more intimate scenes. No big crowds at school or the mall like we used to film.

 

Q) How do you think the show balances so well comedy around important conversations about race?

 

A) Our talented writers do it all! They bring personal experience to the stories and it shows. After the table read each week, we also discuss the material and do a gut check with the director and each other. Our writers revise and mold it again. There is so much thought that goes into “Mixed-ish” before we ever shoot a scene.

 

Q) I know you have an extensive background in theatre and comedy, how do you think that prepared you for the show?

 

A) Live theatre and live audiences helped me hone my comedic voice and build a strong sense of what was funny and when to move on from a joke. I think it serves me well on “Mixed-ish” so that I am able to “find the funny” in fewer takes. Or not. I may need a lot of takes. Yikes!

 

Q) Do you have any other upcoming projects you would like to let your fans know about?

 

A) I can’t say yet, but really soon!

 

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

 

A) Thank you! So many people have supported me way before I was Aunt Denise. You are truly the best. And to my newer fans, I say “Welcome to family!”