DeWanda Wise knows she’s a force to be reckoned with. So it’s no surprise that the characters he plays exude an aspirational level of confidence and ambition. From her role as a talented free-spirited painter in Spike Lee’s Netflix series He must have it to play a friend of yours Someone wonderful and Her job-stealing scene as an evil pilot turned on Kayla Watts Jurassic World Dominion, Wise’s extensive TV and film portfolio speaks for itself.
In her latest role on the STARZ drama Three Women, Wise plays Sloane, a character who seems to have it all. A successful career. A beloved husband. A “picture perfect” family of three. However, there are cracks between Sloane’s picturesque lifestyle. In the series, Sloane is one of three women who seek to fulfill their personal desires, which turns their lives upside down. Lina (Betty Gilpin) longs for passion in her marriage, but is in an affair. Then there’s Maggie (Gabrielle Creevey), who longs to be believed after accusing her married English teacher of misconduct.
Legendary actor Blair Underwood stars alongside Wise as her husband, Richard. While the scene partners complement each other, Black’s love story explores uncharted territory as their characters have an open marriage. Although discussions of polyamory have increased in recent years, it remains a taboo subject in black communities. Wise and Underwood know their story may still be unconventional, but they’re not afraid to expand people’s minds and normalize conversations about polyamory. “Multiple partners go on forever,” Underwood said Refinery29 Unbothered. “But we put it in a different box today. And that’s the point. It’s more open. It’s more commonly accepted in conversation that it’s okay to have multiple partners as long as you’re all nice to them. As long as there is no betrayal in it. That’s where it gets messy when there’s betrayal.”
Underwood is right. Three Women shows the consequences of overstepping the boundaries that come with an open relationship. After they bring a new male partner into their arrangement, Sloane’s charm makes it harder for her to let him go. As a result, her excitement threatens her marriage and relationship with Richard. Add in Sloane’s mommy issues and her battle with perfectionism, this character is as complex as it gets. But it’s the messiness and complexity that Wise presents as Sloane that makes her character the most captivating. With Underwood starring alongside her as Richard, they expose the intricacies of polyamory while taking viewers on a rollercoaster of emotions.
Over Zoom, Wise and Underwood say Undisturbed about the explosive 10-episode series, their views on polyamory and the power of seeing imperfect black women on screen.
Refinery29 Unbothered: DeWanda, when you found out you were going to play that part where you were married to Blair Underwood — you Blair Underwood legend! — what was your reaction?
DeWanda Wise: I think I was the first cast member. This is the sequence of events because it still makes me laugh. It still cracks me up. Lisa Taddeo (author of three women) and Laura Eason (showrunner) are extremely collaborative to the point where I saw Betty Gilpin’s audition tape, which I shouldn’t have. It’s just crazy. From the beginning I was drawn into the full process. Well, I remember when they hit me up and said, “Hey DeWanda, how would you feel about Blair Underwood as Richard?” I said, “Well, who am I to deprive the world of as much as Blair Underwood could have?” It was the craziest thing for me. I said, “Why are you asking me?”
Blair, what was it about working with DeWanda that excited you?
Blair Underwood: First of all, her reputation precedes her. Ava DuVernay is a dear friend of mine. We were just doing the project conversationally and I mentioned DeWanda’s name. He said, “That’s my girl. She is amazing. But aren’t you too old for her?’ I said, “Don’t worry about it. Don’t worry about all that. This is a part of history.”
Like I said, her reputation precedes her. But also, she’s incredible. She is brilliant. She’s an amazing person, but her work is flawless… The fact that she was playing this character and she’s a chocolate beauty was even more exciting to me because of who she is and what she represents internally in her spirit, but also physically. She is the whole package. So I was excited about the idea of working with her. Then I had the chance to meet her and it was incredible.
One of the issues that Three Women explores is desire. What is it that you desire personally or professionally?
DW: I don’t think of myself nearly as much as Sloane, who is so ambitious. I thought it was a real treat and delicious to play a woman with her degree of ambition and desire. I also found playing Sloane exhausting. It is high maintenance. It is 115 kg, which is difficult to maintain in winter. You know, you need a pillow in the winter. Right now, I think I’m living so far in extreme gratitude. Happiness to me is wanting the life you have. So yeah — girl, I’m fine.
BU: I was we recently got married a year ago and just had our one year anniversary. My wife and I have nine grown children. She is 3 and I am 6. Being a parent, my wishes are more about them. My biggest wish right now is for them to be healthy and stay healthy. You are talking about nine different human beings walking through life—your heart is walking outside of you. There is always something going on and there is a chance that something will happen. It is always a constant prayer to keep everyone safe and wonderful. So, my wish is that it continues and stays. And good health.
Each woman featured has a unique story, yet they share an underlying similarity that has connected them since the beginning of the series. How would you describe the connective tissue that all three women share?
DW: Everyone is predatory in their own way. Everyone is hungry for more, wondering if this desire is too much. It’s like, “Oh, I want my man to touch me,” or “I want to be respected or believed.” Sloane has an interesting combination of real hunger for reasons we discover in the series and just an insatiable sexual desire. Because of the history of black women in conversations about how we are portrayed, I think we confuse female performers like entertainers and musicians with how we are actually seen in the narrative. It’s not the same thing.
Richard and Sloane have an open marriage. However, Richard has been blindsided by this person who enters the picture in the first episode and doesn’t seem to be leaving. Why do you think your character feels intimidated or uneasy about Sloane’s involvement with Will compared to past men she’s brought into the marriage?
BU: There is an age element. There’s the fact that he’s more in line with Sloane’s age, even though our characters are relatable on a certain level… It freaks him out with this younger man coming in. It’s not like they’re having sex because that’s understandably going to happen. But the fact is that her heart may be involved, and they are going beyond the boundaries of what they discussed. Then, betrayal happens. Betrayal bothers him. The bullying aspect is that he’s probably younger, and what that entails… For Richard, it’s about control. I have to check the situation. I just have to be there. I have to see it. I’ll get involved if I choose to, but I have to at least be there. Whenever Sloane strays from these boundaries, it worries him and throws him off balance.
It’s more common to see black couples in monogamous relationships on screen, so it’s interesting to see you both playing characters in an open marriage. What was your initial reaction when you both found out that your characters were living this non-traditional lifestyle?
DW: The first time I met someone, specifically a black person, who was in a polyamorous relationship was like 2000. It’s been 20 years since they talked to me about the idea. Since we filmed the series, which ended two years ago, I feel like I’ve seen more conversations proliferate online, especially between Gen Z and the younger millennials. There’s just more talk about it. In my family, there was no label of “they are separated, but there is no formal separation or divorce.” There wasn’t the same kind of language for polyamory. But that’s what people have been doing for generations.
What about Sloane makes Richard want to stay and try to make the marriage work despite her betrayal?
BU: He loves this woman deeply. They came together for a reason. He is excited about it. It excites him. It intrigues her. He is turned on by her. He loves her. He feels he can protect her in a certain way. But he is not a young victim. she can do her own thing. She is strong on her own. But together as a team, business partners and conjugal partners, there is a strong bond. He can’t give her up. He loves her. He intrigues her to the point that he will do anything she asks because he loves her so much.
Why do you feel Sloane is being coerced by Will, even though it threatens your character’s marriage?
DW: There are some things that are indescribable and intangible… Because Sloane is so together, she feels like Will gives her permission to be her unfiltered and most polished self. And there aren’t many places where he feels like he has that. She remembers having it with Richard. But at that particular moment in their marriage and personal trajectory, he [Will] represents this fantasy.
Sloane is a complex character. On the one hand, she tries to be the best version of herself, but on the other hand, she can sabotage herself. Why do you think it’s important to have a complex character like Sloane for the audience to see?
DW: I love seeing imperfect black women. So many of us grew up with respectability politics and indestructible women like your Clair Huxtables. Although I admire it and grew up in it, it is impossible to maintain. So seeing black women get involved and be forgiven is very powerful. It’s that simple. Having more permission to be imperfect will only serve us well. It will only lower that blood pressure. It will only reduce those cortisol and stress levels. Being a black woman is exhausting. We deserve to have a little more leeway than we have.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
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