IN CONVERSATION WITH DIÊM CAMILLE

interview by JANA LETONJA

Ivorian/Danish actress Diêm Camille was last seen in Season 3 of ‘The Wheel of Time’, Next up, she will star in FX/Hulu series ‘Alien: Earth’, out this Summer. She will also star in ‘Washington Black’ for Hulu later this year.

You’ve had such a diverse career, working across different countries and languages. How has your multicultural background influenced your acting?

It just made me replay my career, and I’m now realizing that I’ve only worked internationally for the past two years, which is like what? And now all of it is coming out? Holy cheese tops. It has been so rewarding to travel around the world, and work in languages and accents from America and Britain, to Benin and France. It doesn’t always feel like work, if you stay curious about cultures, and I love to experience how we came from one people, and how we then became different. 

Many will probably call me pretty Danish, because I’ve lived in Denmark most of my life, but I feel different. I’m very proud of being born in Côte d’Ivoire, and raised with community values. My acting baseline is definitely shaped by my Ivorian roots, and that really comes alive when I play more optimistic, expressive or animated characters, because I’m a funny person, but I rarely get to do that in Denmark. The general acting style here is quite restrained. It’s pretty cool that I’m now at a place where I can do both, and move around in between. So, bring on the bleak, bring on the bombastic. I just want to be good at being a nerd.

You were nominated for Best Actress at the Roberts for ‘Bad Bitch’, a show you also wrote and starred in. What inspired that project?

Okay, that was a great day by the way. I was actually in Bristol, shooting ‘Alex Rider’ Season 3, when I got the news. The distance to my dreams totally knocked me out then and there. I was suddenly too close.

I’m so proud of ‘Bad Bitch’ and everyone on it. It was hugely inspired by the lives of my friends and myself. The inspiration came from different periods of my life. My childhood, which was for the books, and the fear I had then, of not being enough in such white surroundings, as well as the mask and the bling that I often wore as a teenager to fake freedom, plus the confusion of navigating my dual identity and my sexual liberation in my 20s. But I wanted to make it a fun show. I wanted to dive into the arena of an afro salon, which is such a proud pillar in black culture. I wanted to portray a young woman supressing her vulnerability, while her version of freedom is challenged by love, friendship and her dual identity. I didn’t want to feed the media by making a show about “the struggle”, but instead create a show about how beautiful it is to be black.

How did it feel to receive such recognition for ‘Bad Bitch’, both as an actress and a writer?

It was absolutely incredible and humbling. Women of all ages sent me so much love. I spent hours every day, in tears, just answering DMs. My partner would watch me at 3am, and was like “No one expects you to do this”. But they didn’t have to write to me, and still, they all chose to tell me how much they needed the show, so the least I could give them was my gratitude. To see people throw some diamonds on blackness and a great story, diamonds that we didn’t have to dig for, felt really important. 

My goal was to amplify black talents and new voices, and make a country of almost 6 million people realize that we have many more talented people than the usual 20 actors. I needed to create what I needed to see growing up. I wanted to show black excellence in Denmark. And we did that. The greatest success for me throughout the ‘Bad Bitch’ journey was to contribute to an easier path for the next generation of BIPOC filmmakers.

Youmost recently starred in the third season of ‘The Wheel of Time’ . What do you want to share about your character, and your reflections now that the show has wrapped?

I can’t believe the show has just ended. The existential dread is running at me, like the groundskeeper in ‘Get Out’. It’s been such a new experience being part of a fantasy franchise, having magic powers, wearing magnificent costumes, living in Prague and working with actors you truly learn from every day, both on and off set. As well as directors like Ciarán Donnelly, Thomas Napper and Marta Cunningham, who bring out the black panther in me, on and off set. You don’t expect to get new friends either, when jumping in on Season 3, so when you do, you should really appreciate it. It’s marvellous.

I felt so honored to be offered the role of Tsutama Rath by Ciarán and CD Kelly Valentine Hendry. Tsutama’s an Aes Sedai who’s The Highest of the Red Ajah. Her duty is to cage and neutralize men who can “channel”, before they cause death and destruction. It was my first time having magic powers, which I’ve wished for since ‘The Never Ending Story’, and still wish for every December 21st, so it was a dream playing such a powerful and smooth character. I truly felt like a black panther. Strong, but also very scared to lose my sisters. The moment Tsutama transitions from a Red to “a servant of all”, she proves that protecting your sisters doesn’t mean you should leave a man behind if he’s in danger. I really appreciate how the impeccable showrunner Rafe Judkins brought the icon Robert Jordan’s vision to life like that. The show's visuals this season are raising the bar in fantasy television, in my opinion. It's so gorgeous, but it's also violent. There's so much conflict between men and women, but in the end, it’s all about learning that violence never ends, until someone says “enough”, beautifully said by Perrin, portrayed by the brilliant Marcus Rutherford. 

‘Alien: Earth’ is an exciting new project. What drew you to the role in it?

I can’t disclose any details about my role just yet, other than the icon Kate Rhodes James cast me. However, what drew me to the project is the sci-fi. I’m such a fan of sci-fi. And I just feel so lucky to have the opportunity to work on a series inspired by the work of movie royalty Ridley Scott, and led by the legend in the making, Noah Hawley.

What can you tease about ‘Alien: Earth’?

I’m so excited, and I would love to tell you all about it, but I’m not able to share anything new quite yet. But it does premiere this summer, and the show is set in the year 2120. Also, it was filmed in Thailand, and you’ll soon see why everyone should film there, other than the fact that Thais are some of the nicest and funniest people on Earth. I really can’t wait for this beast to be unleashed.

Later this year, we’ll also be seeing you in ‘Washington Black’. What was it like working on that show?

That show means so much to me, especially because it was my first job overseas. I experienced a lifestyle I had only dreamed of, forcing me to break up with imposter syndrome. It was a show that takes place in my Motherland, which connected me to my roots on another level. The show made me so proud to be black, to be African, to be a woman who’s capable, wise, a protector and soft. I filmed in stunning Mexico with its stunning people, inside and out. All of it led to friendships that I still cherish. I’m so looking forward to this adventure, by the amazing author Esi Edugyan. Showrunner, Selwyn Seyfu Hinds, has done a fantastic job, and working with him and queen director Wanuri Kahiu was a blessing to my skills and my spirit.

As someone who has written and acted, do you see yourself directing in the future?

Yes, I already started. I’m working on a short film, as well as a show and a feature that I’m also writing. I'd rather try to change the game than wait for a phone call. Meanwhile, I'm a mentor at The Soulfuls, to guide, challenge and amplify young new artists to levitate in their field. Directing gives me an opportunity to directly make an impact, by hiring and boosting these new diverse voices. 

I’ve come to realize that acting is a portal to my heart and body, writing is a staircase to my soul and directing is how my brain works. When people ask me what I would choose, I simply can’t. Because I’m all of it. Because I’m an artist. It’s wild to grow up as an outcast, because no one gets you, which makes you question your existence, your place, your worth, and then suddenly you find something that not only speaks to you, but matches your mind, body and soul. Art saves people, so art must always be saved. 

What kind of roles or stories are you most passionate about telling?

I’ve moved a lot in my life, countries, cities, neighborhoods, so I have a natural urge to tell stories about the concept of home. How a hostile home can become healthy. How strangers can become your tribe. And how confusion can grow into confidence. You can feel at home in many places and in a few people. So, those will be the stories I’d like to tell. The roles I’d like to play are, much like a home, more than one thing. I may look “action”, but I’m not a genre. I want to play dynamic roles, multifaceted roles, complex women who can be powerful and playful, or androgynous affectionate a-holes, or wise Wall Street bad bitches. Honestly, just bring it on, all or nothing. 

If you could collaborate with any actor or director, who would be at the top of your list?

Viola Davis. Because other than my mom, she is “mother”, ever since she started. Such royalty. I’ve learned so much from her and I can’t wait to work with her one day. But I would feel wrong by not mentioning Morgan Freeman, because I need to tell him how much and why he has inspired me. And Denzel and Mahershala, who are very much welcome to play my dads, uncles, anything in anything. All of them possess such kindness and such craft. 

Christopher Nolan, because it's hard for me to put into words what his work means to me. You should have seen me scream when they announced ‘The Odyssey’. It gave me flashbacks to my favorite class in high school. I’m incredibly inspired by Nolan, and I've been such a huge fan since ‘Memento’. I’ve read Science Illustrated since I was a kid, and I love stories about relevant near future issues, wrapped in entertainment. Which is also why ‘Black Mirror’, and ‘Westworld’ by Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy are my favorite shows. 

It’s ridiculous, but it’s tough for me to answer a question like this one, because I feel like I’m letting someone down if I don’t mention them, even though they don’t know I exist yet. It’s simply because I’m inspired by many in very different ways. And at the moment, the ones that are expanding my mind are Nolan, Villeneuve, Bong Joon Ho, Scorsese, DuVernay, Coogler, Tarantino and Fargeat. Incredible artists. My dream is to work with someone I form a deep connection to, and become “partners in art” with, like Ryan Coogler and Michael B. Jordan. They’re the blueprint right now. I mean, just go watch ‘Sinners’. It's golden. They're such a great representation of black excellence, inspiring all of us to truly become physical manifestations of our dreams too, so it can echo into the next generation. That’s the goal, because that’s greatness.

CREDITS:

photography MARIE HALD
styling, hair and makeup STEPHANIE ASI BRIX