INTERVIEW: Candace Nicholas-Lippman Talks Janelle and Her Walls in ‘Blindspotting’

The characters in Blindspotting are either overly emotional about situations, and rightfully so, or they are so reserved to protect themselves. Like Janelle. Played beautifully by the amazing Candace Nicholas-Lippman, Janelle was a stand out character in season 1 and throughout the second season, we’ve seen her grow as a character and start to open up a bit more to her friends.

In preparation for the release of season 2, I was lucky enough to participate in the virtual junket for the show! And in speaking with Nicholas-Lippman, we spoke a lot about Janelle’s secrets and the things she kept from her friends and how that played into her arc in season 2. And I asked her about the fun in playing that mystery.

“Janelle, just as she was in season one, we pick up the same way with her in season two, where she’s very guarded,” Nicholas-Lippman said. “She’s very mysterious. Again, we kind of don’t know what’s going on with her in season one. We didn’t find out until the season finale that she had this whole other life in Bali. She was married, was a stepmother. Like, she kept all that part of her life secret from her best friend, from her mama, from her brother Colin. She really went off and lived this all other life and then came back abruptly to her hometown and didn’t really talk about it. You know? And I think what Janelle, and a part that’s exciting for me is an actress to play, is to really navigate that. It’s not easy to really play guarded because you’re like, okay, you still want this person to be interesting, right? So it’s like, yes, she’s mysterious, but why? What’s her motive?”

You can see the rest of our chat here:

Blindspotting airs on STARZ.

(Featured image: STARZ)

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