Marque Richardson Talks Dear White People Season 2 [Exclusive Interview]

Dear White People forces us to examine our relationships, our violence, and our biases, all while making us roll off the couch in fits of laughter. It is a stylized and cunning social commentary featuring a stellar cast and binge-worthy episodes.

Season 2 arrived to Netflix today, and we couldn’t be more excited.

I recently had the opportunity to check-in with series star Marque Richardson about his powerful performance as Reggie Green.

We talked about the show as a movement, how Richardson’s own life experience has paralleled his character’s, and Reggie’s journey back to self.

Marque Richardson, who has portrayed Reggie since the Dear White People film in 2015, is inspired by his character.

“I’m so grateful to play this guy,” Richardson gushed. He continued his praise, saying “I really do feel like I get to play a superhero, which has been a dream.”

He doesn’t think Reggie is perfect, by any means. Instead, “it’s some actual human powers that I think that we all actually have. It’s just a matter of whether we have the courage to stand up and use them.”

Richardson admitted that Reggie’s influence extends to his personal life. He said, “Playing Reggie has actually been extremely therapeutic for me, especially in these times.”

Reggie’s journey will continue its complicated path, building on his experiences on Season 1.

“Reggie in my mind was a pseudo-activist in a way. He was a pseudo-thug. He thought he was about that life, and then shit hit the fan. And then he had to figure out: well, am I really about this life?”

Richardson further explained, “Trauma happened and we see [Reggie] trying to figure that out, dealing with that, and then also with the movement.”

“It’s the balance of that. And then moving on to Season 2, we really get an opportunity to see the aftermath of that PTSD and living through [the gun violence] situation. In real life, we know how it can go too. So, the journey has been very interesting.”

Richardson warned that Reggie’s love life on Season 2 is going to be even more complicated than on Season 1.

“Overall in Season 2, it gets messier. It gets more complicated, because we have multi-dimensional, layered characters.”

Richardson continued, “In general […] a thing that they can’t have is more attractive to a person. With these characters, it’s the same thing. So, it’s complicated.”

According to Richardson, Reggie’s romantic life on Season 2 is intertwined with the aftermath of the trauma of having a police officer point a gun at him on Season 1 Chapter V.

“And then you add on the trauma on top of that. For Reggie to get through it, we see that maybe he doesn’t, maybe he feels alone. Because everyone around him, even though they were there, they really have no idea what he’s going through. And how could they.”

Richardson continued,  “I mean it happened to the group, but the gun was pointed at Reggie. Even though everyone in that room may have felt that the gun was pointed at them, but it literally was still pointed at Reggie.”

Richardson shared more about the tough times ahead for Reggie.

“Trying to get through that trauma, and that means for Reggie trying to get back to self. Whether that be drugs, alcohol, therapy, prayer, you know. Real life.”

Richardson provided additional insight into Reggie’s post-trauma journey. “In order to get to healing, he has to unmask. He has to take the mask off to just be first and focus on himself.”

“We do see the unmasking of him and we see the ramifications of the aftermath of the trauma. I think it might get a bit worse before it gets better,” Richardson hinted. 

Overall, Richarson said that Season 2 can be summed up, for Reggie, as “a journey back to self.” 

Dear White People offers sharp commentary and criticism on society that many consider political activism. Richardson explained that “through Dear White People and a couple other projects, it was an ah-ha moment for me that: art is activism.” 

Richardson admitted, “There was a point in my life where I was trying to figure out, am I doing enough? Because there are things personally that I care about in the world. Whether it be children or the black boys and black girls getting shot.”  

He continued, “For me personally I can’t just, or I won’t just, sit down and be quiet and go do a job and not try and use — I don’t want to say platform because I feel we all have one — but to not try and use what I have to make a little progress in the areas that I care about while I’m here on the planet.”

Richardson stated, “I can’t speak for anybody else. I can only lean into what I feel that I need to do.”

“In general, everybody is responsible for leaning into what they feel moved to do.”

Watching Dear White People is an intense experience. There is intense humor, romance, and pain. Richardson spoke to what it was like to act amongst that intensity.

“It hits so close to home, even for me as an actor. Yea, Reggie is the one who has the gun drawn on him, and it wasn’t real life or whatever. But as an actor, going through something like that, it does stay with you,” Richardson shared.

He continued, “The mind can get to a dark place. Even as we explore how Reggie gets through that in Season 2, my mind is going all kinds of places too. I think that was a big part of why we as a group collaborated and formed the Jordan Edwards Scholarship. Jordan was slain by police in Dallas Texas the same weekend that Season 1 premiered.”

Richardson explained, “The show for us is more than just entertainment, it’s a movement. So there was no way we could just again sit and be silent.”

“So, we kind of tried to take our anger and frustration, in coordination with the family, and put it to use and continue to put more light and love out there,” he humbly stated.

Richardson graduated from the University of Southern California (USC) with co-star Brandon P. Bell, who plays Troy on the show. His experiences there mirrored those of the characters on Dear White People.

“Freshman year we lived on a floor called Summer Hill Place, which was the Armstrong-Parker [of USC]. An all-black floor, 32 black students. It was a place for us to be able to live with each other, and go out into the world and then come back and be home with one another.”

It took Richardson some time to recognize the parallel.

He explained, “It didn’t hit me, my slow ass, until I was doing an interview with Justin Simien, our fearless creator, with Democracy Now at Sundance. I was like, ‘oh shit! We actually lived this.’ He looked at me and was like, ‘yea’.”

Richardson cautioned, “To me, these issues are still going on today per the students. You know like frat row — it is all white fraternities and sororities. Black students, they wouldn’t let us into the parties. A race theme party was thrown there a couple months ago that was in the newspaper when I went back to camps for a meeting.”

“So, I think the show is very reflective of the times, regardless of what people are not aware of, certain people are not aware of,” he said, pausing momentarily. 

“I hope that they watch it, ” Richardson admitted through a bit of hesitant laughter. 

Richardson continued optimistically, “A lot of people are [watching], and all over the world.” 

“The love is overwhelming in the best possible way. So people are watching, and they are thirsty for the content,” he raved.

It’s true. People all over the world are watching and are inspired by Dear White People. However, so far, that impact has not been answered by the biggest TV awards, the Emmys or Golden Globes.

Richardson offered his thoughts on the importance, and unimportance, of accolades.

“We all work really hard on the show. What’s so interesting is that we work so hard on this show because we know that the content is important. And we do it for the people,” Richardson said.

He continued, “There was never one conversation on set or behind the scenes or anything in my experience about accolades.” 

“We did it for the people, we continue to do it for the people,” he reiterated. 

Richardson explained his take on accolades with a cake analogy.

“If we get some recognition from an organization an accolade, sure, that’d be nice. It’d be icing on the cake — maybe like a candle on the cake because you know, we made the cake. We made the cake, and it is full and ready to serve.”

Richardson summated, “Awards and what not bring eyes and draw eyes to particular projects. I think that goes back to the conversation of diversity in media. Who controls the media and who controls images that are being put out there and promoted. Hopefully, whenever Season 2 comes out, we’ll be able to build on top of what we did Season 1. And people will be drawn to watch, whether awards recognition is given or not.”

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Be sure to catch Marque Richardson on Dear White People Season 2, now streaming on Netflix.

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