Peacemaker actor Danielle Brooks, who portrays Leota Adebayo in the HBO Max series, is breaking down one of her most pivotal scenes in the show.
Adebayo begins as a fairly likable character who is only taking the Task Force X job to raise money for her family and is one of Peacemaker’s only friends at the start of the show. However, as the daughter of Viola Davis’ Amanda Waller, she is tasked with betraying the antihero mid-season by planting a fake diary in Peacemaker’s trailer, used to set up the chrome-helmeted operative as a fall guy.
The Juilliard-trained actor did not get to express the agony of her betrayal by way of dialogue, but instead carried it completely in her demeanor and expressions. In a recent interview with Collider, Brooks explained it was a balancing act locating the right combination of emotions to bring to the scene.
“It was exactly that, this internal struggle that she was going through. And I think what keeps running through my mind is you have this person that you’re connecting with and that has finally opened up to you in your vicinity, and you also have the history of your mom in the back of your head, too.
“It’s this tug of war of what’s right and what’s wrong. It’s like, I have this person right in front of my face who’s just made me this drink, even though it was horrible [laughs], and has opened up to me, and then it’s my mother.”
Brooks also said “redemption” is also a theme that plays heavily into her character, perhaps an indication that Leota and Peacemaker will make amends in the next episode.
“It’s like, you build this trust to just break it down,” she said, “but luckily, there are opportunities to redeem yourself, and I think that’s what this is about too, is redemption.”
Watch the season one finale of Peacemaker on HBO Max on Thursday, Feb. 17, and prepare yourself for some cliffhangers as the show has just been renewed for a second season.
