'Daisy Jones & the Six' Star Nabiyah Be Opens Up About Simone's Black Love Story

SPOILER ALERT: This interview contains spoilers for Episode 7 of "Daisy Jones and the Six,” now streaming on Prime Video.

Simone Jackson does not fade into the background. While readers of Taylor Jenkins Reid's 'Daisy Jones & the Six' have just gotten a taste of the character, Prime Video's series adaptation gives the disco diva, played by the singer-songwriter Nabiyah Be, a much more meaningful arc outside of her relationship with Daisy (Riley Keough).

In episode 7, titled "She's Gone", Simone's story is front and center , as viewers follow her meteoric rise as a disco pioneer in the New York underground scene. She does this alongside Bernie (Ayesha Harris), who becomes both her musical partner and her romantic interest.

Be has never publicly commented on her sexuality before, but she tells Variety that she identifies as queer, which helped her understand Simone's story. "It was easier than if I was someone playing that role without that experience. Maybe I'm not a gay actor playing a gay role, but I'm definitely not a straight actor playing a role. gay. Her connection to the queer community made her all the more eager to bring Simone's story to life. "I think making her queer definitely added a level of depth and truth to the impact of the music about the LGBTQIA+ movement and community. I think it made his story more truthful to history."

Speaking with Variety ahead of the premiere of his big episode, Be is broke down at Simone love story and musical journey.

What was your reaction when you first saw how great Simone's role was more important in the script?

The first new piece of information I got from [showrunner] Will Graham was that she was going to be queer. I dropped the book, because I was like, "I have to focus on this." In the book, it goes from point A to point B, but the middle part, we didn't have one. I understood that it was going to come largely from the fact that I was one of the few black bodies and that I lived this history in my body. It was extremely collaborative. I wrote a three-page article, sent it to Will, and we called a writers meeting – and some of this stuff came in. It was super important to me that she really had that musical impulse: that she was really trying to create a new narrative, a new sound.

What was in that three-page article?

It was mostly about not falling into a typical "black woman in the industry" story musical". It was important to me that it be innovative. At that time, there was a lot of like, "We already have the only black singer that makes that kind of sound." So it was important to me that she didn't know how much she was still trying to fit into that mold and how much of herself and her truth she was wasting.

There were a few things that also didn't make it. There was a nice scene just before she went to sing at Troubadour with Tom [Wright], who plays Teddy. He tells her that the label is failing her, and that it was difficult for him to be the only black person on this label. And hard for her: "What did I do wrong in this first album?"

Funny how we get the first thing we see of her she's singing a cover , which is very common among singers of the time. And it was just really diving into that face that she puts on to play the game. She's constantly smiling, she's constantly pleasant. We also see it in the hair: she only lets her natural hair down when she is at home. As soon as he leaves the house, she puts on the wig. She thought the only way to generalize it was to silence some of these things.

The love story of Simone and Bernie is so beautiful. How did you and Ayesha Harris create this chemistry?

It was so important that we really had to focus on the joy of it all, the romance of this one all, and not so much how hard it might have been for them. We had lived stories from which we were able to draw inspiration: we watched some pioneers of ...