Now deep into its sophomore season, Marvel’s Cloak & Dagger is still arguably the best superhero series on television right now. As we wrote in our season 2 review, “It looks like fans will be in for another wild ride for a second season that we can predict will continue to change the game and redefine what comic book adaptations should look like.”
One of the stars of the show, Noëlle Renée Bercy, spoke with Shadow And Act recently and spoke in detail about her character, who is integral to the NOLA cultural aspect of the show and the aspects of voodoo.
S&A: How did you land the role of Evita in Cloak & Dagger?
NRB: I received an audition tape request, and a few days later I got a callback in New Orleans to meet with Aubrey [Joseph], the director Gina [Prince-Bythewood], and showrunner Joe [Pokaski]. I flew back to LA after meeting with them on Monday. I got the call that I booked it on Tuesday. I flew back to New Orleans on Wednesday. And I officially starting filming as a member of the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe) on Thursday. It all happened so fast!
S&A: Will we get to see more of Evita practicing Voodoo this season?
NRB: Absolutely! This season we really get to witness Evita come into her own. We will see her dive deeper into the power of vodoun than she ever has before.
S&A: In Marvel canon, there are characters that practice Voodoo and are connected to Voodoo. What would you think about Evita potentially stepping into a superhero role..or perhaps even a villainess?
NRB: Oh, it would be a dream. And not a farfetched one at that. Evita naturally possesses a headstrong, healing, and heroic spirit. I could definitely see her stepping into a superhero role because she’s already such a hero in her own right. Selfishly, if she turned into a villainess, I would have a blast playing her. It’s always so much fun to play a character that [is the] opposite [of] yourself.
S&A: So, Cloak & Dagger is supposed to take place in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, although given the new Spider-Man trailer, they may exist in a multiverse. Regardless, if C&D is set in a world where Thanos did decimate half of the population, would you think Evita originally survived?
NRB: Without a doubt. Evita knows more than we could imagine. And what she doesn’t know or may question, she has special ways of getting answers. Thanos likes to through around the phrase, “I am inevitable.” inEVITAble is literally Evita’s name. And survival just might be her middle.
S&A: Cloak Dagger has been hailed as groundbreaking for the type of story it tells for a comic book series. Why do you think it is so important that the show tackles these timely themes that deal with social justice.
NRB: I find it astonishing that Cloak & Dagger has chosen to speak on such honest and timely social justice themes. It reaches a demographic that may or may not be getting fed such knowledge elsewhere. When you think to tune into a superhero show, you don’t necessarily expect to have an eye-opening experience. I’m honored to be a part of a show that does just that every week.
S&A: What can we expect from your character and from the show as a whole by the end of the season?
NRB: Without giving anything away… Everyone can expect for Evita and the rest of the crew to experience massive growth and evolution on many facets.
S&A: What makes this season so special to you?
NRB: This season has a special place in my heart because it broadcasts the terrifying reality that anyone could become a victim of human trafficking. In the media, we are often told the stories of foreign women falling victim, and being kept in the middle of nowhere. The show displays how everyday women you know and love, yourself included, could get caught up, manipulated and held hostage in the middle of the city. Hopefully seeing this will inspire conversation. And conversation is the first step to change.
