Jahi Di’Allo Winston – Everything Sucks!

By starrymag | March 23, 2018

By: Lisa Steinberg

 

 

Q) “Everything Sucks!” is riddled in love, light, and lessons.  What has it meant to you seeing the series become such a beacon?

 

A) I’m really grateful that the show is doing what it is. We wanted to create something that would give hope, laughter, encouragement and all things positive!  The fact that this is what’s happening…I’m just very grateful.

 

Q) What is it about your character Luke that has resonated with you and what was his initial breakdown like?

 

A) A lot of things about Luke resonate with me, but I would say his emotional evolution was the thing that resonated with me the most and that was something that wasn’t in the breakdown. Initially in the breakdown he was, in my opinion, the high school protagonist that was in every high school story until I saw the relationship with his father. Then, that’s when I was like, “Ok, there’s flesh here.”

 

Q) When continually reading the scripts, what is about the writing that was really striking and stood out to you?

 

A) The one thing about the writing that stood out to me was how well they displayed Luke and Kate’s (Peyton Kennedy) relationship. I think that they did a really good job of showing why these two characters coming into their own is so hard for them and how they rely on each other for emotional support.

 

Q) How does Luke’s view of his father form and influence his look at love, romance, and the interpersonal relationships in his life?

 

A) Like a lot of young boys and girls who grow up without a father figure, Luke really doesn’t have any concept of what real love should look and feel like. Particularly young black me, who have this very strained look on love and it shows throughout their life. It was important that we handled situations like this correctly and to not be disrespectful to people who don’t have father figures in their life. Luke’s missing a huge part of himself because of his father’s absence and he doesn’t know what to do with those feelings, so he takes it out on other things and you see what happened.

 

Q) Kate and Luke’s relationship has its complications but there is this beautiful evolution between the two that balances so much heart and humor. What do these two learn and take from each other that end up bringing them closer? 

 

A) I think the fact that they’re both heavily misunderstood is what brings them closer and the whole season we’ve been watching them miss each other emotionally and mentally. So once both of their world’s kind of center, it’s easier for them to hear each other and once they do hear each other, they finally know each other.

 

Q) Which scene was the most challenging to film and why?

 

A) The scene where I get off the bus after seeing my dad and I lash out at Kate was the hardest because it’s always a journey to get to that emotional place. Sometimes it happens fast, sometimes slow, but it’s never easy.

 

Q) A lot of times the cinematography and lighting can really help set the tone, can you talk about what that brings to the series?

 

A) That was definitely something we always talked about on set.  Mike [Mohan], Ben [York Jones], and Ry [Russo-Young] would always explain to us how big of a role the cinematography plays in the show and, in my opinion, it made us respect the show a lot better. It also bring nostalgia and angst to the show.

 

Q) Music is a huge part of the movie, what artists and songs would be on your 90s mixtape?

 

A) The artists and songs that would be on my 90’s mixtape would be The Notorious B.I.G., Tupac, TLC, Jay Z, Dj Kool and Mariah Carey. All of their music on repeat… I’m all good!!!

 

Q) Watching the series as a viewer, what moments moved you the most?

 

A) I loved when Emaline (Sydney Sweeney) and Kate kissed for the first time. That was just so powerful and full of emotion and the realization in both of them that, “This is who I am,” was just magical.

 

Q) What was your favorite Behind The Scenes moment that has stuck with you?

 

A) My favorite BTS moment that stuck with me was when we wrapped and we were in the middle of the desert telling each other how proud we were of one another. What we made is truly magical and in that moment we all knew it, so that moment above any other one stands out.

 

Q) What messages do you hope fans take away from watching?

 

A) So much, but I hope our fans take away that the road to finding out who you are is one that is emotional, confusing, sad, and so difficult but in the end it’s always worth it.