ASHLEY WARE JENKINS ‘PASSING,’ HOUSEKEEPER ZULENA

Rebecca Hall is an actor making her writing and directing debut with “Passing” (based on Nella Larsen’s 1929 novel), in which two childhood acquaintances who are Black reconnect while they’re both passing as white at a New York hotel. One, Irene (Tessa Thompson), is an occasional visitor to the white world; the other, Clare (Ruth Negga), is a permanent resident. As the film progresses, their friendship deepens and becomes more complicated, with indelible repercussions.

Irene lives in Harlem with her husband and two sons. Her household also includes a Black maid, Zulena (Ashley Ware Jenkins), whom Irene treats dismissively. “Zulena is the eyes and ears of that house, and I think her existence in that house makes Irene uncomfortable, because Irene is trying to project a certain image,” says Jenkins, speaking by phone from her home in New Jersey. “Irene is against discrimination and racism, yet she has a servant working in her home who is not only Black but also dark. Rebecca and I talked about how that fuels a very cold and distant relationship between the two women.” Jenkins, who has worked on Broadway and in touring company productions of “The Lion King” and toured in “The Color Purple,” adds that working with Hall in her own film debut was “a dream. She was so gracious and patient.”

Zulena may have few lines, but her eyes say plenty. “I imagined that she actually was a very educated woman in her own right,” Jenkins says. “She resented the fact that she was being looked down upon simply because of her position in the house and the color of her skin.” Zulena does get one moment of bliss, sitting outside with Clare on an Indian summer day. It’s a moment of peace and camaraderie that she soaks up — before Irene shows up and puts her back in her place.