Lucky invitees watched a sneak-peek first episode of the new WGN America series Underground at The Dusable Museum of African American History on Feb. 9.
The anticipated drama focuses on the story of slaves during a tumultuous time in history.
Two of the leads from Underground were on hand, with Jurnee Smollett-Bell and Aldis Hodge both speaking with Windy City Times on the red carpet.
Smollett-Bell, from shows such as Parenthood and Full House, plays Rosalee, a shy house slave. She talked with WCT about her early AIDS activist work—which she started when she was 11. "Samuel L. Jackson and his wife, LaTanya Richardson Jackson, worked on an organization called Artists for New South Africa and got me involved at a very young age after filming Eve's Bayou together. Through them, I met the brilliant AIDS activist Hydeia Broadbent, and ever since that time we have grew up together. That is when I started going in classrooms to speak to kids about it."
On a different note, she mentioned that the corsets were tough to wear in this period piece and that wardrobe is a big part of the production on Underground. Hodge—who plays Noah, a slave with a plan to escape—joked he was told by the director to "keep it tight" as he might be requested to be shirtless at any time. He also said, "Slaves were given only one pair of shoes, those are torn up in the winter, then by the summer they walked barefoot. Seeing what they went through put you in the spirit of things and what we take for granted."
They both mentioned producer John Legend was heavily involved and spent a lot of time in the editing room curating the music.
They hope that people watch the series and it goes on for more seasons.
Jurnee's brother, out actor Jussie Smollett ( Empire ), appears in a later episode of Underground and spoke with the attendees on the mic after the screening about how important the story is. "This will put a personal face on it and I feel we are a generation of visual people," he said. "People want to sweep things under the rug and this puts it back in their face. The red-haired woman on the show makes Boo Boo Kitty look like an angel!" His friend Gabourey Sidibe, also from Fox's Empire, was in the crowd at Dusable to support the screening.
On Feb. 10, Macy's on State Street opened the Narcissus Room on the seventh floor for more with Jurnee about the show in a talkback—this time with another Empire star, Serayah, who sang after a brief preview of Underground. This was honoring Black History Month at the department store, complete with drinks and a $100 gift card contest for people on the guest list.
Underground is the fifth straight-to-series for the national cable network and debuts Wed., March 9.
Photos and text by Jerry Nunn
