‘Harlem’ Exclusive: Grace Byers And Shoniqua Shandai Talk Quinn’s Mental Health Journey, ‘There Are A Lot Of Misconceptions About What It Could Look Like’

If you’ve been seeing Season 2 of Harlem on Prime Video, it’s been rather the roller rollercoaster flight.

Source: Courtesy / Prime Video

.’s Sr. Content Director Janeé Bolden spoke to Harlem stars Shoniqua Shandai And Grace Byers ahead of the 2nd season. In the brand-new season, Shoniqua’s character Angie is experiencing some success as a starlet, however she deals with among the harshest truths of Hollywood when she lands in the chair of a stylist who doesn’t even try to design her hair. Shoniqua opened about how this onscreen experience mirrored far a lot of Black starlets’ real-life ones. She spoke with the value of expert makeup artists and hair stylists having the ability to deal with all complexion and hair textures.

“That’s absolutely an experience I’ve gone through,” Shandai validated, “Whether it be the, ‘Oh that looks ideal, you look great,’ or a small pat which’s it. It’s another reason that it’s so crucial to not just have more variety be on electronic camera however [also] behind the electronic camera and likewise that dark skin and coily hair be a requirement in training. I was simply speaking about this with Nimai my makeup artist. It simply doesn’t make good sense that you are a painter of skin and wear’t understand how to do all skin tones of skin if you are an artist, and it needs to be the exact same method with hair. If you are a hair artist you must have the ability to deal with all textures of hair and not simply be restricted to a hair type that appears like yours.”

For Grace’s character Quinn, huge life modifications produce a mental health crisis for her. Grace Byers discussed how those experiences can frequently manifest in unforeseen methods.

“It’s attempting to look into the parts that individuals might not see,” Byers informed .. “I believe there are a lot of misconceptions about what it could appear like.”

“There’s a scene where it comes out in a various method when she’s with a client,” Byers included. “I believe revealing the various colors of what that can appear like is truly crucial due to the fact that there might be some individuals who may be handling it who wear’t understand that that is what it is. It’s simply not one note when you’re handling a few of these mental health concerns. So I believe that’s truly crucial to be able to represent that and reveal all the various subtleties of what that can appear like. I feel really lucky to be able to have that journey for Quinn and to represent that for Quinn this season.”

Lastly, the starlets went over how at various points in the season, brand-new romantic relationships put a stress on their relationship.

“That’s simply sincere to what it is to be good friends in reality,” Shandai informed .. “I believe individuals will comprehend that. You enter into a relationship and you wear’t speak with your homegirl for a minute. She’s, ‘Oh they’re in the cupcaking stage.’ Once there resembles an understanding or similar to it controls, then they’re able to get all of their relationships. Then likewise like perhaps, not even that however the desertion of that however how it impacts the other buddy. What I like a lot is, you have Quinn going through something at that minute where she requires Angie most and she’s not there. Being able to see Quinn handling this in her privacy due to the fact that Angie is preoccupied with something however then constantly they return together.”

Season 2 of Harlem is streaming now on Prime Video.