‘Black Lightning’: Twice the superhero
Being in a superhero show is far different from acting in other TV series, says Cress Williams, who plays the title character in “Black Lightning.” He cites the public’s reaction to The CW drama.
“The people I’ve encountered have been almost reverent,” Williams said. “They generally are just rather calm. They come up and just say thank you. They want to acknowledge they love the show.”
Williams is likely to feel the love at MegaCon Orlando, where he will appear today through Sunday.
“Black Lightning,” based on DC characters, debuted in January and returns for a second season in the fall. The masked superhero has a stunning costume, and his powers range from levitating foes to shooting electricity through his hands.
Yet the series earned positive reviews for providing a new kind of superhero. Black Lightning’s alter ego is Jefferson Pierce, a dynamic school principal and a concerned dad to two daughters, activist Anissa (Nafessa Williams, who will be at MegaCon) and student rebel Jennifer (China Anne McClain). The superheroic style runs in the family.
“Jefferson Pierce is this guy who is still looking to do all the things that Black Lightning is doing, but from an educational vantage point,” Williams said. “Historically, alter egos have little or no ties, or try to have no ties. But he has COMMENTARY a family, he has children, he has a wife he wants to get back together with. So he’s riddled with family ties.”
Pierce’s vigilantism cost him his marriage to Lynn (Christine Adams), but he returns as Black Lightning after nearly a decade away to fight spreading gang violence. As an AfricanAmerican superhero, he has focused concerns.
“He is targeting a neighborhood,” Williams said. “A lot of time, superheroes are dealing more with the macro. He’s dealing with micro.”
Black Lightning is also an older superhero who can tire from his derringdo.
“I’m not a twentysomething playing fortysomething character. I’m fortysomething playing fortysomething,” Williams said. “I appreciate it because I feel like we’ve almost forgotten the comic book base, the people who have been reading the comic books since the 1970s.” (Black Lightning first appeared in 1977.)
“I love that he gets tired because I’m tired right now,” Williams said. “The more human a character is, the more flawed the character is, the more interesting it is to play. Historically, any actor will tell you they love playing the villain more than the hero because the villains have more character traits to play. I love that in this case it’s not the case. Black Lightning, aka Jefferson Pierce, has so many wrinkles and character traits.” Williams’ long list of TV credits include “Prison Break,” “Hart of Dixie,” “Friday Night Lights,” “Close to Home,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” “ER” and “Code Black.” But he admires his “Black Lightning” character.
“He’s kind of like the father I hope to be — my oldest is 13,” he said. “Jefferson Pierce is a great role model. He’s such a great father. That filters down and makes him a great principal and mentor.”
The family themes have resonated with viewers, who tell him they watch as a group or test their impressions.
“One of the recurring things I’ve seen at the few conventions I’ve gone to, I see people coming up as families,” Williams said. “In our show, we say we’re a family drama with superpowers sprinkled on top. I love that it feels like our show is bringing families together around the television, and I really dig that. That’s something that is not happening as regularly as it used to. TV becomes kind of a segregated place, where kids go watch their show, parents watch their show. It’s great that this is a show that has enough for everybody, and so it brings everybody together to watch it.”
Filming resumes in late June, and Williams said he hadn’t talked to the writers about what’s ahead. But “Black Lightning” will produce a minimum of 13 episodes. The arrival of “Black Panther” presented no problem, the actor said.
“I’m glad we premiered before the movie came out, so we could say we’re first,” he said. “There’s not a lot of confusion. They’re a movie. We’re a television show. I think the only confusion is both having black in the title. Sometimes people will come up to me and say, ‘Oh we love ‘Black Panther,’ and I realize they mean ‘Black Lightning.’ I think it’s good timing. There’s room for everybody. It’s great to be tackling the big screen as well as the small screen.”