‘P-Valley’: Elarica Johnson Says These Were the Hardest Scenes To Film on the Show
Created by playwright Katori Hall, Starz’s hit drama P-Valley peels back the veil on the world of several exotic dancers working at the infamous strip club, The Pynk.
Set in Chucalissa, Mississippi, the series follows The Pynk’s owner, Uncle Clifford (Nicco Annan), who is close to losing the club due to mounting debt. When newcomer Autumn Knight (aka Hailey) (Elarica Johnson) turns up at The Pynk, things begin to shift and change quickly.
Following the success of Season 1, Johnson shared some of the hardest scenes to film on the show.
This is where Katori Hall got the inspiration for ‘P-Valley’
Though P-Valley appears to be a straightforward concept, many people in Hollywood were resistant to seeing the lives of exotic dancers play out both on and off the mainstage.
However, Hall knew that it would work. After all, she was inspired to write her play, Ps**y Valley because of rapper, Cardi B. Hall revealed to ELLE,
Cardi B literally rolled out the Pynk carpet for P Valley. I was following her on social media when she was a dancer because I loved her personality. She was funny as fu*k and smart as fu*k, and even being young, she was this vibrant and political woman who was articulating herself in this powerful way. So fast forward, she just popped, and this story about this stripper-turned-rapper was on everyone’s tongue. She made other people feel comfortable and be more accepting—and was unapologetic about it the entire time. She was the starting point.
‘P-Valley’ is returning for Season 2
After a critically acclaimed and captivating freshman season, Starz has renewed P-Valley for Season 2. Fans will be able to see how things pan out now that Hailey aka Autumn co-owns The Pynk with Uncle Clifford.
“She came in getting her a** smacked on the dance floor and now, she has some ownership in the club,” Hall explained. “The power dynamics at the club have completely changed and to see Uncle Clifford and Hailey fight over the throne will be stuff of legends.”
Unfortunately, due to the coronavirus (COVID-19), there is no word on when the series will begin filming again, let alone a release date. “This is an interesting moment, what’s happening in our world with the virus and the uprisings, and I am definitely thinking of how we can participate in those conversations through this art,” Hall said. “But just know, it’s not coming any time soon.”
Elarica Johnson says these were the hardest scenes to film on ‘P-Valley’
There are also tons of logistics when it comes to filming P-Valley including the dance scenes and the intimate scenes. In fact, Johnson said the nudity sex scenes have been some of the most challenging of her career. During a recent Instagram Live she revealed,
As soon as I got Hailey in my hands, I said, ‘Ok cool, I’m going to have to take some steps here that I might be a little bit uncomfortable with at first. Nudity is difficult. [Sex scenes] are not sexy. It’s usually a closed set so you’ve got less crew, but you’ve got a cameraman, the director, maybe a lighting person if a light needs to be held. You have people around and you have to just do your thing. It’s not once, you’re going to have to do it a lot more times because they have to do it from different angles. But we’re being honest and we’re being truthful to this space, so you just do it.
