Cherrelle Skeete - If We Hold On Together
Writer and actress Cherrelle Skeete is best known for her spellbinding performance as Tina Flournoy in the play The 47TH. Yet, it was also her expectation-defying performance in THE 47TH that pivoted her to star in the recent sci-fi Sky series THE MIDWICH CUCKOOS. In our interview, Cherrelle breaks down her most captivating and daunting moments on set, her transition from theatre to films, and her current writing project.
Cover: Cherrelle Skeete in Paco Rabanne by Santiago Franco Schicke, styled by Sylvester Yiu, make-up by Hannah Wastnidge, interview by Can Rusen
We’ve heard that you will be starring in the Sky series THE MIDWICH CUCKOOS this summer, could you tell us more about the project?
CS: So, the Midwich Cuckoos focuses on a community of people on the outskirts of London. One day, there is a blackout that eventually leads to a medical collapse of its inhabitants. The zone is barricaded, but then the women wake up and realise that they are all pregnant. They give birth at the same time. The government then decides to run tests on the babies, and wonders why these children are there. The whole series revolves around the mysterious arrival of these children. The responses of the inhabitants also differ: some enjoy the experience whereas others are petrified by these extraordinary children. I play the MI5 agent Bryony Cummins, who has been sent in as an outsider from Whitehall, London. She sets parameters, observes, and oversees the project of these children. She then goes on her own journey and is trying to understand the position she is in. However, there is still a lot of mystery about her person. Over the course of the project, her sentiments grow more ambivalent about her position as an agent representing the government. While she is in support of the work, she is also questioning her work as an agent. So overall, the series is an interesting comment on personal relationships, individuality, and the evolution of choices.
Was there anything daunting about filming a science fiction series that deals with a rather disturbing subject matter?
CS: It wasn’t as daunting at first. The daunting aspect of the series only dawned on me when I first arrived on set and started working with the child actors. Their performances are simply amazing, yet very creepy. You are genuinely creeped out by them, their movements are just fantastic. It also helped me to play the truth of the scene, and ultimately we are looking for the truth in any performance. We are sharing this experience, which on paper might make you wonder: okay, how could this work? So that was also a daunting aspect. Anytime I turn up to a job, I have to believe in it because I want to sell the truth to everyone that is watching.
It must be quite a contrast to your role in the comedic play THE 47TH, how does your role in The 47th compare to your role in MIDWICH CUCKOOS ?
CS: Interestingly, over the past couple of years, I have played such a wide variety of authoritarian roles. The chief of staff in The 47th and now playing a character who is part of the MI5 (laughs). It is interesting that I am being cast in these types of roles. Maybe I am giving off that energy? But ultimately, they are representing the state. It is for the good of the state and for the good of its people. Needless to say it means that you sometimes end up taking questionable decisions. It is the state versus your own moral compass. I find it very interesting because there are people in society who are police officers, who are members of the parliament, who are leaders representing the law of the land. But inevitably, there will be point where you want to revolt against it. So when do you say yes and when do you say no? Do you act on it or not? So playing these characters is very interesting to me. You know what, the world of the Midwich Cuckoos is actually not that far away from the 47th. I mean Trump being possibly back in power is very similar to the alien children running around the village. It does not feel that far away. It is kind of scary, but comedic at the same time verging on the world of horror. We have got very similar themes and there are subtle comedic moments in the Midwich Cuckoos connoting that life is hilarious even in the most tragic moments.
Do the characters you embody ever influence you on a personal level?
CS: I really love the job that I do because human beings are just fascination. And ultimately, you’re connecting to the humanity of a character. You are trying to understand their decisions, and sometimes you do not understand it at all. It applies to life, too. We too make decisions that we don’t necessarily understand. Getting to connect to some characters is always reactionary, even if they are people that I wouldn’t even rub shoulders with in real life. So yes, they do impact me. Bryne’s character is also very interesting. She is making such big choices, but is making herself very invisible. I definitely see similarities with Tina Flournoy. She has been in the white house for 30 years and is very powerful black woman. Yet, she decides to stay anonymous and on the sideline. There is a lot of conversation around representation and visibility. And you know, we see it only since Kamala Harris stepped into her presidency, but even before that, she was a veteran in the white house for a long time. Yet, she decided to stay anonymous. Bryne is the same. She could be more influential, but she is not necessarily utilising her power. I think it is always useful to know your strengths. I feel very fortunate to play these characters. It also gives me an opportunity to look at my own biases, as we all have them. You’re viewing the world through the lens of the characters, and wonder how they navigate the world. As an actor, you’re inevitably facing your own judgments. It then makes me wonder: Gosh, do I think like that? Do I believe that for myself? So eventually, I have try to connect to my characters. For instance, Tina Flournoy is deciding whether to assassinate Donald Trump in The 47th, but then decides not to kill him. So these huge decisions that these women in power have to make always impact me. The journey of research is also very enlightening. I think to be an actor you have to be a bit of a geek anyways. We are walking wikipedia pages, we know random trivia about the most random facts.I love that because I love trivia. You know what, if you ever want to win a pub quiz, have an actor on your team. We will come up with the most trivial facts.
Word has it that you’re in the process of writing a debut play with the Soho Writers Lab. Could you tell us more about the play?
CS: Just before lockdown, I was part of Soho writers’ lab. It is an amazing course that aims to create a new community of writers. I have been developing a play, and I am still in the process of writing it, and it will probably take as long as it takes. The central theme of my play is centred around a British Jamaican family and their experience of deportation. Being a second-generation migrant in this country, I want to highlight the daily experiences of British Caribbean people. It is the migrant experience that interests me the most. We often look at the news headlines and are desensitized by the amount stories of about immigration. It is easy to for that the these headlines are based on peoples’ individual stories. It is based on systemic oppression, and often, the antagonists are the people in power. So we actually got to share a scratch of the first twenty minutes of the play at the Peckham Fringe Theatre festival a couple of weeks ago. And, it was very well received. So the first twenty minutes are done, and I just have to continue writing it — writers out there you know how it is. I am really excited to share the whole play. It is painful and joyful at the same time. Painful because of the themes, but joyful because as Caribbean people we have this saying: bad tings turn joke. So yes, that’s all I am going to reveal for now. I will keep you updated.
What is continuing to inspire you during the writing process?
CS:I think the everyday, my family, and my surroundings. It is interesting, as the world recently watched England celebrate the Queen’s Jubilee over the weekend. Yet, it feels like a dichotomy. We are grateful for a bank holiday, we all need rest, but the struggle is in knowing that we are celebrating a leadership that has caused so much harm to generations of people and still continues to cause harm. So I will sit with my thoughts, but it is a difficulty to accept and claim it as a black British experience. This is our home, yet we are aware that this home does not necessarily want us. Recently, a new law was enacted positing that second or third-generation migrants, irrespective of the efforts of their parents or grandparents, could still face deportation. So yes, I don’t have to look to far for inspiration based on my own lived personal experience, but on a more brighter note I see so much creative talent on this little island. Whether it be the Brit Awards, Notting Hill Carnival, or the language around me, our impact is visible. So yes, the everyday influences me very much. To be an artist is to be sensitive to your environment. We are basically in response to our environment all the time.
Cherelle, what do you think SID stands for?
CS: Let me think about this. Situated in desire. I am going to claim that. I am a woman of desire; I am situated in desire. And, I think desire is what moves us forward. The desire for growth, the desire to understand, the desire to be still, desire can be anything.
THE MIDWICH CUCKOOS is available on SKY NOW.
Cherelle is currently on stage at the Old Victoria Theatre.
Diana Ross - If We Hold On Together (Live from Vienna in 1992)
