https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5YSaNooBBw
The CW remade 4400, and it is not like the original show. In fact, I think it is better because the returnees have a purpose.
If you are not familiar with the show’s premise, then here is a very short description. 4,400 people were taken throughout time and returned to Earth in 2021. No one, including them, knows why. So we get to watch their journeys every Monday night on The CW.
One of the returnees is Claudette, and she is played by Jaye Ladymore. Claudette was taken in the late ’50s. She and her preacher husband were fighting for civil rights in the South. How will she adapt to living in the year 2021? That is what we tune in to see.
What I wanted to know from the actress is how did prepare to play this role? Ladymore told me on a press call; she was actually preparing for it before she got it. She explained, “So before the pandemic, I was doing theater in Chicago. And a play that I did called Too Heavy For Your Pocket by Jireh Breon Holder is about these four friends in the South in the early 1960s dealing with how they’re going to be involved in the civil rights movement. And so I had the Southern accent. I was a part of the crucial part of history where we’re trying to change things.
“And so when Claudette came, when the audition came in my inbox from my agent, I was like, I know who this woman is. I know how she speaks. I know how she thinks. And so I was kind of preparing for it before I even knew about the role.
“But it was really interesting to bring in kind of what I’ve known about the ’60s and the ’50s. And also, I’m from the South. I’m from Georgia. So I know that on a visceral level as well. So I was just really ready to dive back into somebody from that time period and from the South and really give her three dimensions and give her voice.”
Each week, her character stands out because of the voice Ladymore is giving Claudette. She plays her with such strength, as you would expect a woman from that era with her background to be.
Therefore, I can’t wait to see what she does next. Especially since she has the power to self-heal. Maybe her character can heal everyone around her, both mentally and physically.
There is so much to Claudette, and it will be interesting to see how they flesh her out with each episode. So watch every week to find out.
