Sophie Okonedo is earning rave reviews for her stellar turn as Charlotte Wells in Netflix’s Ratched, which serves as a prequel of sorts to One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.

Produced by Ryan Murphy, the stacked cast includes Sarah Paulson, Finn Wittrock, Cynthia Nixon, Jon Jon Briones, Charlie Carver, Judy Davis and Sharon Stone.

In a recent interview with Shadow and Act, Okonedo spoke about her role in the series and what it means as a Black actress to be in a period piece that doesn’t involve history like slavery or civil rights.

“I think that’s kind of Ryan,” said Okonedo of Murphy, who cast Laura Harrier and Jeremy Pope in another period drama series from earlier this year, Hollywood. “He mixes things up and he just puts all different situations. He doesn’t write what would be, he writes what could be, all the time. It’s really an expansive way of making television. You’re just telling these different stories. ”

“I did Shakespeare on television on the BBC [The Hollow Queen] and it was Queen Margaret. And some people were like how could she play Queen Margaret of Anjou in Shakespeare’s time and I’m like… guys…there’s a ghots in this story [laughs]. It doesn’t really matter. Shakespeare is writing about a much bigger picture than that. I mean, he’s putting people together that weren’t even living in the same century.”

Ratched is currently streaming on Netflix.

Photo: Netflix