Photo credit: Courtesy of Netflix
Tensions run high between African American citizens and Caucasian cops in Jersey City when a teenage African American boy is critically injured by a cop. In an instant, life is forever changed for Brenton Butler and his family. After a white cop accidentally hits and critically injures a black teenager, a northeastern city explodes with racial tensions, an attempted cover up and its aftermath, and the trial of the century. From creator and executive producer, Veena Sud (The Killing) comes Seven Seconds – a thrilling new anthological crime drama that explores the human stories behind the headlines. AMC’s Georgetown hosted a screening prior to its launch on Netflix this weekend with breakout star Clare-Hope Ashitey who addressed the issue of race in America.
“We all do good things and do bad things, and make poor choices and make good choices, and struggle with things. I think it humanizes [KJ – her character] and grounds her in reality,” says Ashitey. At a recent Netflix press event, Ashitey explained how a British actress manages to play an alcoholic prosecutor from New Jersey: “There were a lot of aspects of her character that were very alien to me. I’m lucky, I’ve never had a substance abuse problem, so I watched a lot of films, talked to a lot of people. I went to some AA meetings, and tried to understand those particular demons that people struggle with.”
Clare-Hope-Ashitey
“Although, in terms of having something about yourself that you can’t control and that leads you to make poor decisions, I think on some level we can all recognize that,” she said. “Like we’ve all made really poor choices and in the moment have known that we’re making a poor choice and that it’s gonna have a negative effect and have done it anyway. I think sitting down and trying to remember times when I’ve done that was very helpful.” Seven Seconds is binge-worthy, so plan ahead!
