‘It’s Two Individuals Knowing They’re Not Alone’

INDIA EISLEY GREW UP ON

sets because her mother was an actress, and she booked her first role when she was only 10 years old. Her 15-year career has thus far consisted of quite a few films (“Underworld Awakening,” “The Curse of Sleeping Beauty”) in addition to television (“The Secret Life of the American Teenager”). Now, Eisley portrays the real-life Fauna Hodel, a woman who grew up believing she was mixed race, only to learn some dark truths about her origin story later in life, in TNT’S limited series “I Am the Night.”

What made you want to start acting?

When I saw Sally Field play Sybil. ... I watched it and I was disturbed beyond belief, but I was fascinated, too. It was, “That looks so fun. That shits on playing with Barbie; I’d rather play Sybil.”

How does the character of Fauna compare to such goals?

It’s a big responsibility, I think, when you play somebody who has existed, but also somebody who has just recently passed away. It’s a bit of a heavy thing. But Rasha and Yvette, her daughters, were just so encouraging and so supportive and just lovely.