Dionne Brown Breathes New Life Into ‘Queenie’

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“Once I acquired the a part of Queenie, I used to be ecstatic,” says Dionne Brown, in between sips of Crimson Bull after a protracted, arduous press day in London. “However then afterwards it was like, ‘Oh, I’ve truly acquired to do it now. Yikes.’”

Such is the acquainted plight of an actor who will get tasked with bringing a beloved novel to the display. Queenie, the 2019 e book by Candice Carty-Williams, was met with excessive reward and topped a number of bestseller lists within the U.Okay. The story follows the lifetime of Queenie Jenkins, a 25-year-old Jamaican Brit who goes by means of a “quarter-life disaster” after a messy breakup together with her longtime boyfriend. As she embarks on a rocky, but rewarding self-love journey, we’re launched to an ensemble forged of mates (affectionally referred to as “The Corgis”), household, colleagues, and the occasional fuck buddy. The novel was named Ebook of the Yr on the British Ebook Awards—making Carty-Williams . So are you able to blame Brown for being a little bit nervous?

“It meant a lot to so many individuals and now there’s gonna be a direct visible of that, and it’s gonna be totally different,” says 28-year-old Brown. “I used to be placing a variety of stress on myself as a result of I don’t need to let individuals down, however it acquired to some extent the place I needed to detach. Persons are going to have their opinion and so they’re entitled to it. All we’re making an attempt to do is make one thing that individuals can relate to. I feel the those that relate to it would relate to it. And the those that don’t, received’t. And that’s positive.”

Like Queenie, Brown can be of Jamaican heritage and London-born. A skilled dancer, she later pivoted to performing and studied with the Nationwide Youth Theatre earlier than attending the Arts Instructional College in London. When she graduated in 2021, she landed her first gig within the British miniseries The Stroll-In and her second in Apple TV+’s Legal File. Across the time of her audition for the latter, she met Carty-Williams for the primary time.

“I met Candice once I was auditioning for her present Champion,” she says. “I didn’t find yourself getting the half, however my agent instructed me they’d like to have me tape for Queenie and I used to be like, ‘In fact, I might like to.’” She despatched off her tape in October 2022 and the remainder is historical past. “Once I acquired the supply, I began screaming. I used to be so glad. I instructed my rapid mates and everyone was similar to, ‘Fuck.’ It was such a joyous time, I’ve to say.”