Nafessa Williams In Disney+’s ‘Rivals’ [Interview] – Essence

Nafessa Williams is commanding attention in a role that combines power, complexity, and unapologetic confidence. The Disney+ series Rivals, set in the bustling media world of 1980s London, draws viewers into a world of passion, betrayal, and ambition. At the heart of this Jilly Cooper adaptation is Cameron Cook, an ambitious American TV producer brought to London by Lord Tony Baddingham to shake up his company, Corinium. Cook navigates a predominantly white, male-dominated industry while maintaining her poise, charm, and signature red lips—a representation of the boldness and confidence of Black women that Williams was determined to portray authentically.

Known for her breakout role as Anissa Pierce in Black Lightning, Williams has built a reputation for bringing depth and dynamism to her characters. In the show, she takes on a role that uniquely mirrors her own experiences. As the only Black character in the series, Williams brings her Philadelphia roots and personal journey into Cameron’s story, highlighting the dual challenges and triumphs of standing out in an exclusive space.

Through meticulous research, collaboration with the show’s stylists, and a curated playlist featuring icons like Whitney Houston and Vanity 6, Williams breathes life into Cameron’s ambitious and unapologetic persona. In this interview, she opens up about stepping into her character’s power suits, representing Black women on screen, and how she made this character her own. With Rivals, this talented actress is proving once again that she’s a force to be reckoned with.

ESSENCE: First off, congratulations on Rivals, you’ve put on an amazing performance. How did you come into the role of Cameron Cook?

Nafessa Williams: Yeah, so I auditioned for it. It was an audition that came through and I actually chose not to work that year. That previous year, I had just finished wrapping the Whitney movie in 2021, and I was just like, I knew whatever I did after that, it just needed to be elite and it needed to be next level. And I was getting scripts and I had all these things coming through all 2022 and it just didn’t feel right. And I just told God, I’m going to just hold out until I get across the job for me.

And as soon as I read the Rivals script, I was like, “okay God, this is what you helped me out for. This is what I waited all year for.” So I read it and I instantly knew the way they wrote the script, the writing was amazing.  Cameron the character, I was like, “I have to give my voice over to this character.” Just how strong and bossy, and how beautiful she was. The only black cast member, the only black character on the show. Also, just the fun of it, all of her coming from America and being recruited from New York to go to London to become this powerhouse of a producer was just something I had to get my voice over to. So that’s how that came about. And yeah, it’s been that from there.

So you spoke about her being the only black character on the show. In terms of the portrayal of it, how did you bring that perspective to life in this predominantly white male environment?

You know what, I just stayed true to the writing and I stayed true to the character. I’m from Philly, the character is from New York, so it’s almost one and the same. So I just wanted to make sure that I brought that authenticity of a black woman, of a black woman who’s from New York, of a black woman who’s ambitious and confident and secure in who she is. So I just wanted to make sure I brought all those elements to it and just be true to who black women were in the eighties at that time, how we wore our hair, what our clothes looked like, and just wanting to make sure that I was authentic to that moment.

Actually, I’m glad you spoke about the 80’s and everything, because one of the coolest things about the show for me is the 80’s fashion. How did the fashion and the style choices of that time help you step into Cameron’s character and how did they affect how you portrayed her on screen?

Yeah, I think a lot of our 80’s fashion spoke to confidence and just making sure for one, she’s just on her own, clothes or not, she’s just a very confident woman. But I think the fashion helped us situate and tell her story. I love the 80s fashion too, and just making sure that I stayed true to what I saw as a little girl in the late 80s and in the 90s, seeing my mom, grandmom, aunties and their friends being dressed up and the red lips and the red nails, making sure that the hair was authentic too. Also being the only black character on the show, representation is everything to me. And also too, how other black women when they watched this show, whether you were around in the 80s or not, it’s a true depiction of what we really looked like, from the French rolls to the slicked back ponies to the pumps and the curls and just making sure when we tune in, we see ourselves.

The stylist on the show was very open to my ideas because I know what that looked like, right? And I know what that looked like in America. So just making sure she brought that American flavor, that New York flavor to her. He was very open to my ideas and it being collaborative. And if there’s never a time you’ll see Cameron unless she’s waking up in the morning without a red lip. And I think that also speaks to her boldness and her confidence. Red lips, red nails is her signature, and it’s also a signature of the 80s. So just again, making sure we bring those elements to it so that it feels as real and nostalgic as possible.

And I also think it’s interesting too because I think Cameron’s journey and just where she is mirrors black women in the entertainment industry as well too. What similarities do you see between yourself and the character of Cameron? How did that come out?

Yeah, there was a time I would find myself in this situation where we’re speaking of where I’m the only black cast member or I’m the only black woman on set. And I think what I know I’ve exuded and I’ve always carried throughout myself is confidence and knowing that I’ve worked and I’ve owned the right to be in the room, and that my talent is just as amazing and as important, and my story is just as important to tell.

It’s just walking in with that confidence like I know I’m supposed to be there. Another thing too is one thing that mirrors both her and I is ambition. When Cameron wants something like myself, I don’t take “no” very easily. If I set my mind to something, it’s getting done and she has that same quality about herself. So yeah, it’s just kind of going in knowing you’ve earned the space and you worked hard to be here and going with your head held high knowing that your ancestors sent you. Go do it. Go get the job done. So I wanted to make sure that he exuded that too, and that was very important for me to showcase.

When people portray a character or they film a movie in a “different era,” did you do any preparation outside that in terms of understanding what life was during that time? Did you do a lot of research from a historical aspect for your character?

Yeah, I always go back and do research to make sure that I’m serving that era properly. And for me, it was just kind of going back and watching the women that I saw, maybe glimpses of, that I wasn’t too familiar with as a kid, but who were popular in the 80s. A lot of Diahann Carroll and Pam Grier. And watching a bit of Phylicia Rashad and making sure that I bring that funky, sassy, sexy, but smart attitude to the character.

Also too, music helps me a good bit to get into character. I always create a playlist for every character. It just really helps me get into that time and get into the mind of the character, what they’re thinking about, “How do they party? How do they dance? What is their wardrobe like?” So studying a lot of that, I’ve been telling everybody because it has always got me right in the zone for Cameron. “Nasty Girl” by Vanity City. You remember Prince’s group?

Absolutely. 1000%.

Yes. Yes. So “Nasty Girl” helped me get into the mind of Cameron and just to the boldness and the confidence and the attitude of who she is. So yeah, just going back and watching again, taking Diane Carroll, and she was very strong, Dominique Deveraux, she was very strong in who she was. When she appeared on-screen, there was no denying her energy and her essence of a black woman. So that was some of the research that I did.

That’s interesting because I definitely want to know now, when I think of the eighties, I think of Whitney Houston, I think of Cyndi Lauper. Tell me, who was in your playlist when you were putting together your music list for this particular character?

For sure. A lot of Whitney Houston, a lot of Teddy Pendergrass. I’m from Philly. So I come from a huge musical kind of a culture. A lot of Teddy P., a lot of Barry White, a lot of Sadé. Sadé was on the playlist too when she was getting into those just sexy vibes, kind of laid back, at home, relaxing. A good bit of Madonna was on the playlist. Prince was on the playlist, the Jackson Five. I also thought about, “who was Cameron when she was a kid? Who was she listening to?” Not even just as an adult, but I like to think when she was an adult in the 80s, in her teenage life, her earlier life, she was listening to a lot of Stevie Wonder and a lot of the Jackson Five, a lot of Michael Jackson, and Janet Jackson.

So those were some of the songs, or the artists, rather, that were on my playlist, that I would just play throughout the day, play in my trailer before I go on set and just walk out and be ready to own it.