Javicia Leslie Talks Double Life, Exploring Her Character’s Inner Turmoil, Her Love for Thrillers, and More

Javicia Leslie is a dynamic storyteller who is best known for the complex and layered characters she’s brought to life in projects including Batwoman, God Friended Me, Something from Tiffany’s, and The Family Business. Her latest film, Double Life, is a must-see thriller that will have audiences on the edge of their seats.

A grieving widow [Pascale Hutton] learns from her late husband’s mistress [Javicia Leslie] that his death was no accident. The two women will form an unlikely alliance to uncover the truth behind his murder and unmask the man they both loved.

Pop Culturalist was lucky enough to speak with Javicia to talk about Double Life, exploring her character’s inner turmoil, her love for thrillers, the changing media landscape, and more!

PC: Throughout your career, you’ve made it your mission to bring underrepresented stories to the forefront. What was it about Double Life and this character in particular that resonated with you?
Javicia: It was the conflict that this character goes through. It’s this idea of being a mistress even though I did not sign up to be a mistress. I didn’t know he was married, so am I wrong? Am I a bad person? Am I choosing now to go on this journey with her [Pascale’s character] because I’m trying to redeem myself, or am I choosing to go on this journey because right is right and wrong is wrong?

PC: You’ve brought so many powerful female characters to life on the screen. Who were the women in your own life who shaped the storyteller that you are today?
Javicia: My teacher is a huge part of this version of me: Diana Castle from the Imagined Life. A lot of my teachers in fact, like my drama teacher in college who showed me that I needed this. This is a part of who I am. I have to express myself.

And then definitely my mom because she’s very resilient. I was talking about forward energy earlier. She has a lot of forward energy. She showed me that you have to keep going. That’s what keeps me going every day. Because I know if she was in this industry, she’d kill it. She has this spark about herself. But also she doesn’t think anything is impossible.

PC: Over the course of the film, we get to see the different sides of your character and the inner conflict that she faces. She really exemplifies finding strength in vulnerability, which you brought so much nuance to. How did you create the space for yourself to dive into the arc that unfolds throughout the film?
Javicia: It was really important to allow all of the circumstances and influences of this world that we created to take over me. So that way I was able to just respond in the moment to the conversations that were being had. I didn’t preplan anything. I didn’t come like, “I’m going to be sad here. I’m going to be like this there.” It was like, “Okay, I know the world that we’ve built. Let’s now have this conversation with Sharon.” We have memories. I have memories of hanging out with my boyfriend. I have memories of being with my mom when she was alive. I have memories that I created that helped influence the many conversations that were being had in that way. Because I did the work before we started, I could trust whatever came out.

PC: There’s an unlikely friendship that forms between Jo and Sharon, despite their shared history with Mark. What was it like getting to collaborate with Pascale and bring that complex relationship to life on the screen?
Javicia: It was so much fun. She was so easy to work with. She’s such a light and very genuine person, so it allowed both of us to feel safe in going wherever we felt our spirits wanted to go in the work. It was really enjoyable. It was a great experience.

PC: There’s a lot of unexpected humor in this film. How much of that was scripted versus improvised?
Javicia: Martin Wood, our director, has a sense of humor. Pascale has a sense of humor. I have a sense of humor. Even if it wasn’t written, we were going to bring some essence of comedy to this space.

PC: You’ve also said in previous interviews that you can tell what kind of a person someone is based on the roles that they know you for. For audiences who are discovering you through Double Life, what will this film tell you about them?
Javicia: There’s a group of people that love to sit at home and watch a thriller or love to go to the theaters and watch a thriller. A thriller has a specific kind of audience. They like to clutch the pearls. They like to not know. They like the whodunit. I love whodunits. There are people who don’t care for that. They care for dramatic films or comedies. I love all of that, but I love whodunits. I wouldn’t say there’s anything as extreme about them as those who know my other projects. [laughs] These are people who like to be taken on a nice thriller journey.

PC: As your career has progressed, you’ve also started to direct and produce. Have you found that the work that you’ve now done behind the cameras has impacted the way that you approach your work on screen and analyze different characters and scripts?
Javicia: I think so. You keep filling your cup up with as much knowledge as you can. Even though I’m learning how to work as an artist in front of the camera, the director in me knows that I might need to open up a little bit more because that angle is going to help me express this part of the story that we’re telling. I know that they’re going to have to cut into this, so let me give it a break. It becomes this fluid language that everyone involved is using to communicate with each other so that you can make the best version of what we’re trying to create with everyone in mind.

PC: This industry has made slow progress in terms of representation. Unfortunately, it’s still rare to see two powerful, strong women at the forefront. What has this moment meant to you? Why do you think the industry has taken so long to get here?
Javicia: Because we still don’t have enough women in charge. But it’s happening. I go to a lot of meetings throughout the week, and there have been a lot of women. I don’t know if there have been any men at all. I don’t know if the heads, the top of the top of the top, are men or women, but I do know that diversifying in every capacity means that the ones who are greenlighting the work and the ones who are creating the work, not just in front of the camera, need to be diversified. When that happens, we get diverse stories. That’s why we’re moving so slowly: because some people don’t want to retire. [laughs]

PC: You’re such a standout in this film. Is there a particular scene that you’re excited for audiences to see? What was the most challenging one for you to film?
Javicia: I get very cold very easily, so all of it felt challenging. We filmed during the rainy season in Vancouver. But I would say the last sequence in the film. It was at night. It was super cold and wet. It has a lot of action.

PC: Outside of this project, what’s next for you?
Javicia: I have a pilot that we just finished shooting. We’ll see what happens with that. Then I have another TV show, The Family Business, that will be shooting again in June or July.

To keep up with Javicia, follow her on Twitter and Instagram. Double Life is available on digital and out in select theaters now, and will be released on VOD on May 19th.

Photo Credit: Wes Klain