Brooks jumps into action hero role
“Peacemaker” stars John Cena as Christopher Smith, the titular vigilante so committed to fighting for America that he doesn’t care who he must kill to save it. Writer-director James Gunn created the HBO Max show as a spinoff of his DC Comics feature, “The Suicide Squad.” Cena’s superhuman physique is on ample display in the show, and several other characters look like they were lifted straight from the pages of a DC comic book.
Danielle Brooks will be the first to tell you that her character on the show, Leota Adebayo, does not resemble a typical comic book character. As the newest addition to the black ops team tasked with babysitting Peacemaker, Adebayo is the kind of role the Emmy- and Tonynominated Brooks never expected to play.
This interview with Brooks has been edited for clarity and length.
Q: How did “Peacemaker” come to you?
A: So, crazy enough, James Gunn watched “Orange Is the New Black.” He was a fan. And he wrote this part with me in mind. … So we ended up having a meeting, and we just hit it off. I explained to him (that) I’ve never seen anyone like myself in this world. It was really exciting for James to say, “I like you the way you are. I don’t want you to get all this training and try to lose 100 pounds,” or all this stuff. He didn’t try to make me fit into his world. … I really appreciated that.
Q: What did he tell you about your character?
A: James pitched her to me saying she is basically the eyes and ears for the audience. It’s almost like taking a normal person,
putting them into this new realm, and how would they respond to it? That’s basically who Adebayo is: She’s this used-to-be-veterinarian, lesbian lady who is thrown into this job and is not really equipped to do this, but has actually everything that she needs to be a part of this team.
Q: The first episode makes clear how much “Peacemaker” is about a certain kind of white man who is coming to terms with how certain elements of his life have been toxic for him.
A: When you continue to watch, you’ll see the parallels that (Adebayo and Peacemaker) both have with the struggle with people in their lives that have had such huge influences on them — breaking that cycle, getting out of what they’ve been taught, and relearning. They’re so different, but yet that’s what connects them. They get each other because they’re experiencing the same things.
Q: Does your character see much action?
A: Come on! It’s a James Gunn TV show! Of course! I kept telling James I want to do all my stunts … And I did a lot: (I) jumped over stuff and I got harnessed up in some things. They still use my stunt woman, who was wonderful, but I was able to at least attempt them first. I remember James Gunn saying, “Yo, Danielle, you’re finally an action hero!” It really just lit me up inside. … I would love to do more. I love being able to surprise people with my capabilities, and just showing that, yeah, I can back-roll, too!
Jan. 16 birthdays: Singer Marilyn Horne is 88. Singer Ronnie Milsap is 79. Radio host Dr. Laura Schlessinger is 75. Filmmaker John Carpenter is 74. Actor Debbie Allen is 72. Singer Sade is 63. Singer Maxine Jones is 60. Actor Richard T. Jones is 50. Supermodel Kate Moss is 48. Actor Lin-Manuel Miranda is 42.