And I don't think that people are always as accustomed to seeing queer people in that space. Mother, father, counselor, champion, cheerleader, lover, all of those things. Uncle Clifford is a lot of things to a lot of people. Their insecurities or their biases are being brought up. I think when you see a person walking in their truth, as I'm experiencing as people are witnessing Uncle Clifford, they are being called to action. And I think that the questions often come up because of the things that come up in you, in the person. Sometimes I think you might want to question it. Uncle Clifford, she could be an easy pill to swallow, but I think at first sight, because you're seeing such an audacious spirit, you're seeing so much and you're seeing everything. It seems like there's a lot of what you're talking about even in the character of Uncle Cliff, too, of persevering, despite being othered and finding an outlet that is somewhat unchartered. I saw art as my way out and a way to express a lot of the things and the feelings and thoughts that were going on in my mind.
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And she was like, "Well, I don't know how to get you there, but you can go to the dance class on Six Mile." So it was about just continuing to press forward in that journey. I told my mother necessarily, "I want to be on A Different World," the NBC show with Lisa Bonet. My mother and my father definitely always supported me, even in the uncharted areas of not knowing what gay culture could be like, or even as an artist. I just took that as a construct that exists in Hollywood and in the American theater, and I just chose to keep going till I found my way. The first half of my career, I did the thing that they said that you have to do: if you really want to make it, you have to be able to play straight, but honestly, I didn't take that to heart. And those same things I could say for characters written on the LGBTQ spectrum, specifically for people of color.
Literally, the first half of my career, be it on stage, be it through choreography, there were limited spaces that gave voice to Black characters that were full, that were complex, that were nuanced. One, the industry is actually in a place now where we are able to tell stories in a more authentic way and unapologetically so. This character definitely feels like a universe of difference from characters that I've played before. Having been, in a way, with the character then for quite a long time, longer than just filming, has it been a very different experience playing this character than past roles that you've had? The day after the show's finale, Annan talked to NYLON about Uncle Clifford's spirituality, the beauty of the Pynk Posse and hints at what's in store for season two: To see Uncle Clifford clearly catch feelings for Lil' Murda (and vice versa) allows us to see Uncle Clifford's heart, which ultimately leads to us seeing her soul." But it is the intimate Uncle Clifford that hits different. We put on different faces to different people, and the fact that we get to see Uncle Clifford interact with the mayor, her dancers, their customers, her grandmother, the sheriff, her boo-thang and many many more, gives us a kaleidoscopic view into a kaleidoscopic human being. We go beyond that funny face to tap into this complicated human being that is auntie, therapist, enforcer, and pimp wrapped all into one. "But, hunty, with Uncle Clifford, she is the show. "Historically, Black queer characters have been presented as the sassy best friend that's quick with a quip or a clap-back, and often peripheral and never the center of the narrative," Hall tells NYLON.
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And I don't think that people are always as accustomed to seeing queer people in that space." Annan worked with the show's creator, the playwright Katori Hall, to bring Clifford to life, back when the series was still in its initial stages. As Annan puts it, "Uncle Clifford is a lot of things to a lot of people.
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Played by Nicco Annan, Uncle Clifford is the rare on-screen LGBTQ character given the full spectrum of humanity they deserve. At once both fabulous and deeply flawed, the staff at The Pynk is led by Uncle Clifford, the club's nonbinary owner, who inherited the club from her grandmother. P-Valley's show's main strength - of which it has many, including its stylized, moody atmosphere and relatable yet rollercoaster of a plot - is in the vulnerability and humanity of its characters.
The Pynk Posse, as they've come to call themselves, tuned each episode of STARZ's P-Valley into a full blown event, even in the midst of quarantine and pandemic. Down deep in the Mississippi Delta, the fictional world of The Pynk, a sometimes up, sometimes down-on-its-luck strip club filled with a colorful cast of characters and home to its fair share of scandal, drama and redemption has captivated viewers every Sunday this summer.