Atsushi Nishijima/Netflix Niecy Nash is making waves with her portrayal of Delores Wise — the mother of Korey Wise, one of the Exonerated Central Park Five — in the Ava DuVernay limited Netflix series When They See Us.
Prior to becoming Mrs. Wise and taking a “deeper dive” into the Central Park jogger case, Nash reveals she felt connected to the project because she “knew that there was injustice.”
“I had felt like for years I was carrying a burden for people I did not know,” Nash tells ABC Radio.
However, before the star of TNT’s Claws was able to officially take on the When They See Us role, Nash says she first had to reach out to director and producer DuVernay and shoot her shot.
“[W]hen I found out that Ava was doing the project — honey, listen. I slid into her DMs, I text her,” says Nash. “I was like, ‘Girl, let me send you a quick little message on Twitter. I don’t know where you can find this message, but I need you to know that I have a heart for this story and I want to be involved in it in some way.’ And what came my way was Delores Wise.”
Once she got the job, Nash says DuVerney was extremely helpful to both the cast and crew, and made sure Nash herself was perfectly prepared for her role.
“Ava’s really great about making sure that you have all the resources you need to complete the job,” Nash said. “So not only did I have reference material, but I was actually able to speak to Mrs. Wise prior to filming and had the opportunity to meet her son.”
When They See Us is now streaming on Netflix.
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