Recently I spoke with Demetria McKinney about her character on the new series Motherland: Fort Salem. Demetria plays Sgt. Anacostia and she was kind enough to tell us about her character.
What attracted you to the part and how was the character described to you?
The role of Anacostia was described to me as a no-nonsense warrior/drill sergeant with a dry sense of humor.
The trait that attracted me most to Anacostia was her strength, no question about it.
I’ve played a lot of characters who have grown into their power, but this is one of the very first characters where the evolution of her starts powerful and then becomes even more powerful as she becomes more vulnerable.
Your character comes off as very stern and driven; will we see more of her backstory going forward?
I truly hope so! Anacostia is an enigma for sure and I think that once we really get a chance to dig into this amazing world that Elliot Lawrence has created, we will hopefully get a peek into her history of how she has turned into the woman that we see now.
How was the look of the character established such as her hair and did you have much input into this?
Anacostia’s look was collaborative during the entire process. The very first time I walked into my audition with my fro’ out, Freeform said “that’s Anacostia’s hair.” Once we got into filming, I wanted her hair to be expressive of the journey she was on. As an African American woman, I take pride in my hair and its ability to make statements. I felt it would be unjust to not utilize it in such a strong character.
How did you prepare for the role as she is a very interesting Drill Sargent with her wry humor yet tough and demanding?
I’m in constant preparation for the role of Anacostia. The foundation of her started when I was born! Lol! My mother retired as a master sergeant in the air force, so a lot of prep came from the woman I already knew. The other parts of it came from understanding the writing and really wanting to bring those colors to life. Lastly, Motherhood. When my son was growing into the man he was going to become I had to exercise discipline in a lot of different ways, ranging from toughness to full on unconditional love. Anacostia will always be evolving!
