Deborah Ayorinde and Joshua J. Williams star together as mother and son in the second season of Prime Video’s Them, known this time as Them: The Scare. For Ayorinde, it marks her second appearance in the anthology series; now, she portrays LAPD Detective Dawn Reeve, who is investigating a string of bizarre murders. Williams is a new addition to the series, portraying Ayorinde’s son, Kel Reeve, and while the young actor might only have a handful of roles under his belt thus far, it’s clear that he has the potential to be a star.

MovieWeb recently sat down with Ayorinde and Williams to dive into Them: The Scare, what it was like for Ayorinde to return to the mind of creator Little Marvin, and how Williams’ first experience went. Both agreed on one thing: Little Marvin is a genius. Williams also touched on what it was like for him to share the screen with the legendary Pam Grier, who portrays his grandmother.

Them Release Date April 9, 2021

Working with Little Marvin on Them: The Scare

In the first season of Them, Deborah Ayorinde found herself portraying a homemaker in 1950s Los Angeles, one who is plucked from her life in North Carolina and moves to an all-white neighborhood during a time when racism was running rampant. Sadly, not much has changed, as is evident by her role in Them: The Scare, where we’re transported to L.A. in 1991 shortly after the Rodney King video is released, with Ayorinde now portraying a homicide detective surrounded by white colleagues.

For Ayorinde, she found it tough to leave the character of Lucky from the first season behind, but she was eager to work with Little Marvin once more. She called the whole experience a “challenge,” and said that Marvin is undoubtedly a “genius.”

“It was so exciting,
because he’s actually a genius
. I don’t trust a lot of people the way I trust him with my art, but I trust him with my art, and it’s incredible. It was challenging to leave Lucky from the first season behind.
It almost felt like a little bit of a betrayal at first
, because I’m like, ‘How can I now be in this universe and not have her, not be her?’ But it was a challenge that I was up for, and it was beautiful to kind of let that be that, and that this be this.”

Related: Luke James Talks Stepping Into the Horror Genre for Them: The Scare

Joshua J. Williams echoed Ayorinde’s sentiments about Little Marvin, saying, “I knew that he was a talented individual, and I knew that I would enjoy working with him. But I mean, working with Little Marvin, it’s amazing. I wish I had countless and countless more times to work with him”

He’s a genius, and you don’t really come across a lot of geniuses in this industry, but he is definitely one of them.

Related The Best TV Anthology Series of All Time The 21st century saw a resurgence in popularity for anthology series, a style of storytelling that features new characters and settings each episode.

Deborah Ayorinde Got to Stretch Her Wings in Them: The Scare

The horror genre takes a certain level of vulnerability to work right. Both creator and actor have to be able to lay themselves bare and show what’s inside, tapping into emotions seldom seen in real life. Deborah Ayorinde called her experience working on Them: The Scare “therapeutic,” saying she’s fortunate to be able to display those raw emotions.

“It was a dream, honestly, because I feel like we actors who get to do that on screen are really, really fortunate, because a lot of people are not able to do that in real life. So to have that kind of outlet, to be that vulnerable,
be that raw and laid bare is actually quite therapeutic
. It’s really, really special, and it makes what we do, for me, it makes it fun.”

She elaborated a bit more, saying, “It makes it sweet. It is at the core of what we do, to be able to just kind of portray emotions that people are normally hiding. I would say it’s a blessing.”

Joshua J. Williams on Working with Pam Grier

Legendary actor Pam Grier joins the ensemble cast in Them: The Scare, portraying Ayorinde’s mother, and Joshua J. Williams’ grandmother, Athena. As someone with a five-decade career under her belt, she’s done it all in Hollywood, working with the likes of Quentin Tarantino, Tim Burton, and John Carpenter. For Williams, he says it was the chance to have some fun on set, while at the same time being given a tremendous opportunity to work with such an icon.

“It was like, even though this is a horror series, it felt like we were shooting something fun, you know? But Pam,
she’s a legend
, and not a lot of people can say that they’ve had the opportunity to work with such a legend like herself,
and I had that opportunity
.”

Related 30 Best Horror Movies on Prime Video to Watch Right Now Some of the horror genre’s most spine-tingling films are available to stream on Prime Video, from thrilling slashers to classic creature features.

Finally, while Prime Video initially only ordered a two-season run of Them, and a third season has yet to be officially set in stone, Deborah Ayorinde would undoubtedly return to the world of Little Marvin in a heartbeat. “Absolutely,” she said, “are you kidding me? I’m excited. If we get a next season — fingers crossed — I’m excited to see where Little Marvin takes it because his mind is amazing.”

You can see just how amazing it is when Them: The Scare premieres on Prime Video on April 25, 2024.