Hurricane Katrina was one of the worst natural disasters in American history.
As a result, conditions rapidly deteriorated and evacuation efforts were slow and difficult.
During the crisis, LifeCare was under the oversight of Diane Robichaux.
Why did you want to portray her?
[Executive producer, writer, and director]John Ridleyquoted Mark Twain at our very first cast meeting.
He said, “History doesn’t repeat itself; it rhymes.”
Sadly, Katrina happened 17 years ago but is insanely relevant in our world right now.
What was it like to film those scenes?
The fact that it’s based on true events deserves that.
My character as written deserves it.
John Ridley and [fellow executive producer, writer, and director] Carlton Cuse deserve it.
We all saw the exciting images on the news of Katrina.
And if you haven’t seen it, it’s available for you on YouTube.
By humanizing the story, I hope people can connect to what that really means.
That takes such an extraordinary person.
She also leads with such a beautiful combination of compassion and grit.
Did the fact that she was pregnant influence your performance and how you chose to portray her?
There was something about the prosthetic belly, which was 12, 13 pounds and had weight and hung.
Our costume designer, Deborah Hansen, did a beautiful job making that feel real for me.
Every decision you make, you suddenly realize, “Oh, there’s two of us here.”
A pregnant person needs about twice the amount of water as a non-pregnant person.
I didn’t know that.
So severe dehydration would set in much sooner.
That has physical ramifications that I really tried to incorporate into the performance.
So [at] every level of understanding Diane, I have such overwhelming respect for the character.
She’s just extraordinary.
We all took a deep dive.
We all wanted to live up to the story.
We all wanted to live up to the artistry of Carlton Cuse and John Ridley.
Understanding Diane’s choices without judgment
Your character has to make impossible decisions.
How did you understand her choices and her perspective on what was happening?
The best it’s possible for you to do is really put yourself there.
The show does a really excellent job of showing each character’s perspective in a holistic way.
I would not presume to judge anyone in that circumstance until walking a mile in their shoes.
I don’t think you’re free to possibly know what you would do until you’re there.
Your character was at odds with characters played by Cherry Jones and Vera Farmiga.
What was that experience like?
So does Vera; so does everyone.
I’m so sad that it’s a limited series and we’re done shooting.
This interview was edited for clarity.
