For Henry Simmons, the answer was simple: He was in, 100%.
For Simmons, best known for portraying tough guys in ABC’s “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.”
“Let’s be real.
When Ava DuVernay, when Oprah Winfrey want you for a project?
You are going to say yes.
I don’t care who you are,” he said.
You play half of a high school couple that drifted apart and came back together.
Can you tell me about the dynamic that attracted you to the project?
What was challenging about it for you as an actor?
I got a call from Ava DuVernay, and I was told that she wants me for this role.
I was like, “Really?
I’m listening.”
And the second thing was it’s a romantic lead.
I had never played a romantic lead before in my life.
Most of the things I’ve done have been men that are strong, using their fists.
They’re aggressive, things like that.
I’ve done comedy, but I’ve never done anything [that] was a love story.
It was an opportunity to be vulnerable, and I’m extremely attracted to that.
So I was like, “Absolutely.”
Let’s be real.
When Ava DuVernay, when Oprah Winfrey want you for a project?
You are going to say yes.
I don’t care who you are.
That’s what I did.
I went into this with an open mind, and I loved it.
There’s a lot going on underneath.
This character was a little bit different.
It was very different, a very [much] lighter note for me to play.
So it was quite interesting, and I loved the challenge.
It was a lot of fun.
It’s got a 50% female crew [and] 18 female department heads.
What was it like for you, knowing that you’re contributing to that kind of gender equity?
I was so happy.
I actually prayed for an opportunity like this.
I prayed to work with not just people of color but women of color.
There aren’t a lot of Black people in Los Angeles on the crews, for whatever reason.
It’s very hard, I guess, to get in crews.
I don’t know what the deal is.
Yes, there are people.
And not only can it be done, it can be done at an excellent level.
So my prayers were answered in that regard.
I was extremely ecstatic when I walked on set and saw everyone.
[Ava] confirmed everything that I believed, that there are people out there.
It’s just that they’re not being used as often and as much.
Can you take a moment and reflect on that experience?
What it’s like contributing to this bigger discussion of race and gender and expanding visibility?
If I say the name “Ava DuVernay” or “Oprah Winfrey,” you think of excellence.
You think of champions in terms of diversity.
You think of women who are trailblazers.
You think of women who pull other people up.
[They’re] women of such pursuit.
Watch “Cherish the Day” Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on OWN.
This interview has been edited for clarity.
