August 21 - 27, 2022 BY GEORGE DICKIE
Patina Miller
OF ‘POWER BOOK III: RAISING KANAN’ ON STARZ Did Raq’s appearance with the hair, makeup and clothes help you find her voice?
Steve Toussaint stars in “House of the Dragon,” premiering Sunday on HBO and HBO Max.
Oh totally. The first thing I wanted to do was find Raq’s voice and it’s a very specific voice and I wanted her to sound unlike anyone you’d ever heard. I wanted there to be a lot of experience in her voice, like this woman has been through a lot and so I really tried to find what that voice was. So I did a lot of research on YouTube, I worked with a dialect coach to finesse the Queens accent and just kind of give it that life, give it that resonance, that gravitas that she has. ... And being able to go to your dress fitting and feel like you’re not putting on a costume ... it feels easy. So once I started putting the hair and the clothes, my Raq really came to life and it just set me off to be able to dive in to telling her story because ... it just allows you to do your work. Do you have to breathe her out at the end of a season? Is it sad to let her go?
‘House of the Dragon’ — ‘Game of Thrones’ prequel debuts on HBO, HBO Max
You know, Raq takes a lot. She’s a lot (laughs) but she’s so exciting, and so it’s both. I love playing a character who has resonated with so many women. I mean, just what I hear, the feedback from women on Instagram, my DM, from people who stop me in the street, like she’s resonated with so many people. She is powerful but she’s three-dimensional. She’s not just powerful. She’s vulnerable, she’s sexy. You know, she’s a dreamer, she’s smart. It’s super fun to play a role like this and to how it’s impacted not only women but men as well. So to play a part like this for a season and then have to put her to bed, it’s kind of sad because you’re like, “Oh no, I want to just keep going because she’s so interesting.” But I always think having a break is a nice thing, to kind of go away and then come back with something fresh and new and to be able to attack again.
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