Tonight’s (December 6) episode of The CW’s 4400 puts the spotlight on Jaye Ladymore‘s character of Claudette, a character who was brought more than sixty years to the present day. As fans know, even with being from a different time, Claudette does not take well to being pushed around or mistreated, and in “Empowered Women Empower Women” we see her “origin story” juxtaposed with a present day tale of Claudette getting a job and more in 2021.
KSiteTV’s Craig Byrne had the privilege of speaking with actress Jaye Ladymore about the December 6 episode in an interview you can find below. It’s mostly spoiler-free. A gallery of photos and a description for “Empowered Women Empower Women” can be found at the end of the interview, and if you’re sitting on watching 4400 you really should catch up!
KSITETV’s CRAIG BYRNE: As each episode of 4400 is a character spotlight, were you excited when you found out that this episode would be the Claudette story?
JAYE LADYMORE: I can’t even tell you how excited I was. I was talking to so many people on the crew, and so many of my cast members, before I knew when my episode was going to happen, and I was just like, “when is my episode?” And then I found out that it was number 7, and also who was directing it, I was absolutely over the moon over the moon.
Can you talk about the episode’s director?
Kenny Leon is the director of 107, and I have a sort of special connection with him because I am originally from Georgia, and he has a theatre company called Two Colors Theatre Company in Georgia. When I was growing up and in grade school, I would go to see plays at this theater company, so I was very familiar with the name Kenny Leon, and he was a pretty big deal down in Georgia, especially for me as a theater kid growing up. So when I saw his name on the script, I literally jumped up out of the makeup chair, ran laps in the trailer, and started crying, because I was like, “this is amazing! Of all the directors we could have had to direct my episode, it’s somebody that I know, somebody that I admire, and I know he’s going to get the job done.” It was a really, really special moment.
What can fans expect from Episode 7?
Claudette is kind of coming into her own in 2021. She is living in her own apartment, she has a job, and she is doing the whole independent woman thing in 2021. She’s also realizing that there are things that have not changed between the time she’s living in now and the time she came from, but what’s different now is that she has the chance to do something about it, the way that she wants to do it, so we’ll get to see Claudette kind of take the lead and realize her leadership role.
Can you talk about doing scenes that were set completely in the past and what it was like working where everyone appeared to be from that time period?
I’m very, very familiar with period pieces. I usually do a lot of that in theater. So I was okay. It was a really visceral experience as well, because this time period is not far away. My parents lived in this time period that Claudette that came from, and so while we may think, “oh, 1958 is that was a really long time ago,” there are people still alive today who were alive in 1958.
But being in the moment, talking about the things that Claudette was talking about in 1958, and how we are still talking about those things today, it wasn’t hard at all to tap into that.
Does dressing in Claudette’s style help you to get into character?
Absolutely. Claudette has a very particular sense of style which I think is so beautiful and so admirable. She always looks put together; she always has a purpose for what she’s wearing. She doesn’t wear sweat pants, so it’s pretty different than what I what I generally wear. It certainly helps to get you into the body posture and into the physicality of the character, and being in the green dress is always my favorite.
Can Claudette thrive in 2021 in ways that she might not have been allowed to in the past?
Absolutely, and I think we’ll see that juxtaposition in the episode, where she gets to make the decision of whether she can take the lead, and whether she can act the way that she she sees best. We see her being able to make that decision in 2021, and how that decision was being stifled or made for her in ’58. I definitely think she can adapt very well.
Do you think her adaptability has any bearing on what her power ended up being to heal?
I think it’s certainly connected. Back in in the time that Claudette came from, a lot of what she was saying and a lot of what she was feeling and believing was pushed down and pushed to the side, and not seen as valuable or important. And so as a result of that, when someone keeps telling you no, or keeps ignoring you, you have a choice to keep going, or to succumb to that, or succumb to what that person is saying about you. I certainly think Claudette didn’t let that get to her. And if someone’s constantly ragging on you and constantly shooting arrows at you, you have the choice to let those hit you, or heal from them and keep moving. I think Claudette healed from them, and she uses that to make her stronger. I certainly think that that is the reason why she has the power she has.
Claudette and Jharrel seem to be getting closer and closer. Can you talk about that?
Claudette has a strength about her, and she has a determination about her. She sees that Jharrel has this softness to him, [and] he has a determination to him as well. I think they both want similar things. They want the 4400 to be free, and while they may have different ways of going about that, I think Claudette is interested in seeing how Jharrel might be able to do that, and how it’s so different from what what Claudette is thinking. I think she’s drawn to the type of man that she had not been exposed to in ’58. Jharrel is very different than Jimmy. Jharrel is very different than Rev. I think she is interested to see what this kind of man could be like.
Do you think her history with Jimmy might inspire why she is kind of mistrusting of Rev?
Definitely.
How does Claudette feel about the possibility of LaDonna leaving for her old life and family?
I think it’s tenfold I think Claire that completely understands why LaDonna would want to do that, even if that’s not something Claudette’s interested in doing. But I also think that she has a little bit of sadness there. She’s losing someone that she’s starting to grow close to, and starting to trust, and starting to rely on. But I also think that a relationship like that, and a relationship that started the way that it did for Claudia and LaDonna, through trauma, I think it can last with LaDonna going off and figuring out what she needs to figure out. So I don’t think Claudette’s worried at all that their relationship will be will be in jeopardy as a result of LaDonna leaving, but she is excited for her to come back.
As a cast, do you get as curious and invested as the viewers of the show do?
Absolutely. As soon as a script would come out, it could come out at three o’clock in the morning, and somebody on our text chain would be like “the new episode’s out! The new script’s out!” And generally within maybe 30 minutes, somebody has already read it, or skimmed it, or knows the general plot of that episode and is already dishing about it to the rest of us. We all get very excited. We are all fangirls and boys and people. So yeah, we are right there with you guys.
When you first got this role did Ariana Jackson set out any of Claudette’s backstory for you?
I believe I knew that I was a preacher’s wife. I knew that I was from Mississippi. I knew that I was I was involved in the Civil Rights movement and in activism, before the official Civil Rights movement started in the 60s. So I knew that Claudette was involved in that. I didn’t know too much beyond that, though. I didn’t know too much about who Jimmy was, or what that relationship was, beyond that there was some tension there.
I know that Shanice was involved in movements around 2005. Have the two of them discussed any of that?
I would like to think so. I think that they’ve certainly bonded over their respective activism, and they can use that experience to help free the 4400 now. I think they respect each other in that way. They respect each other as leaders, they respect each other as women, they respect each other as Black women. There’s just a whole whole lot of respect and love there.
Scott Peters who created the original 4400 series directed an upcoming episode. What was it like to have him around?
It was such a joy. It’s truly an honor to to know that one of the original creators of the show that ours is based on was excited and interested to work with us on a show that’s pretty different than the one that came before us. The whole time that he was working with us, he was he was very excited and very interested in the different characters that were in this version. He was ready and willing to let us shine and stand on our own. It was fantastic working with him.
Are you going to be doing any more theater in the hiatus between seasons?
That is the goal. Theater is my first love. That’s where it all started for me, so that is the goal. Nothing official right now, but there are certainly some irons in the fire.
What advice would you give to somebody who might be reading this interview, about why they should be tuning into the show?
4400 shows what happens, and what is happening now, when there is a lack of empathy. And I think that we can all use more empathy, nd we can all use more examples of what that looks like. I think it’s important for people to see and experience other people’s lives – people that they wouldn’t usually interact with, or people that they’re unfamiliar with.
The show does a really good job of showing how different people live, and what different people expect out of life. I think if you watch this show, you’ll realize that while someone may look differently than you, while someone may believe something different than you, there’s a lot of common ground in what we as humans want of life. We want safety. We want love. And we want to feel seen. I would encourage anyone reading this interview to watch the show and just engage with humanity, engage with their own sense of empathy, and let that let that lead them.
4400
I’VE GOT YOUR BACK — Claudette (Jaye Ladymore) begins to assert her independence, while Rev (Derrick A. King) keeps his flock close, further raising Jharrel’s (Joseph David-Jones) suspicions. Meanwhile, LaDonna (Khailah Johnson) considers her next move, Keisha (Ireon Roach) has a date with Jessica (guest star Wilder Yari), and Andre (TL Thompson) is concerned by his latest discovery. The series also stars Brittany Adebumola, Cory Jeacoma, AMARR and Autumn Best. Kenny Leon directed the episode written by Felicia Hilario (#107). Original airdate 12/6/2021. Every episode of 4400 will be available to stream on The CW App and CWTV.com the day after broadcast for free and without a subscription, log-in or authentication required.
