Exclusive: Dawnn Lewis on Star Trek Lower Decks Season 2 and returning to Tina: The Tina Turner Musical
Currently playing on Paramount+ is season two of its hit original half-hour animated comedy series STAR TREK: LOWER DECKS.
Developed by Emmy Award winner Mike McMahan (“Rick and Morty,” “Solar Opposites”), STAR TREK: LOWER DECKS focuses on the support crew serving on one of Starfleet’s least important ships, the U.S.S. Cerritos, in 2380. Ensigns Mariner, Boimler, Rutherford and Tendi have to keep up with their duties and their social lives, often while the ship is being rocked by a multitude of sci-fi anomalies.
The Starfleet crew residing in the “lower decks” of the U.S.S. Cerritos, includes Ensign Beckett Mariner, voiced by Tawny Newsome, Ensign Brad Boimler, voiced by Jack Quaid, Ensign Tendi, voiced by Noël Wells and Ensign Rutherford, voiced by Eugene Cordero. The Starfleet characters that comprise the ship’s bridge crew include Captain Carol Freeman, voiced by Dawnn Lewis, Commander Jack Ransom, voiced by Jerry O’Connell and Doctor T’Ana, voiced by Gillian Vigman.
BlackFilmandTV.com’s Wilson Morales caught up with Dawnn Lewis as she spoke about returning to work on this series and on Broadway with Tina: The Tina Turner Musical.
It’s good to be back for a second season on Star Trek Lower Decks. That's job stability, isn't it? Especially when you could just work from home or did you have to go somewhere else to do the voice work?
Dawnn Lewis: No, we go to the studio. When the pandemic first started last year, no one worked for a number of months. And then the studio, particularly for voiceover work, started to develop protocols in ways that we can continue recording safely. So they would send different recording setups if you didn't already have to your home. So microphones, computers, mixer boards, all of that, we would be directed via zoom. And you would set up a sound of whatever you could in your home. We recorded several episodes that way, until they developed safe protocols for us to go back into actual recording studios. I gotta tell you, they really care about us as performers. I can safely say I am very, very grateful that a lot of people are very anxious to go back to work. They're very anxious to be busy again, make money again, whichever. But our union SAG-AFTRA and the producers and studios that I've been fortunate to work with during this time, really has gone above and beyond to make sure that our health is a priority, and our safety. So we want to do what we want to do, but we want to do it smart. We want to do it safely. So all day, every day and it’s really appreciated.
What do we expect from your character this season?
Dawnn Lewis: You can expect Captain Carol Freeman to do her best to try to grow and try to understand her daughter and to be more patient with her. Because as you know, she is a very definitive, very direct, very candid person. She's got very specific energy and she wants the best from everyone, and doesn't ever really seem to understand why asking you to be your best is is a problem. Why is that so difficult? So now you can see she's a little softer around the edges trying to find ways to communicate, trying to find ways to collaborate. And it's very interesting, because it's clearly not easy.
Did you read any of the feedback from fans?
Dawnn Lewis: Yes, I did. One of the things that people seem to love the most, which doesn't surprise me, is my relationship with my daughter. A lot of people have kids, and a lot of people are trying their best to communicate and cooperate with their children. Sometimes it goes well, and more often than not, it does not for a variety of reasons. But no, and people just love the fact that Captain Carol Freeman is no joke. She wants it done. Don't make me come over and do it because if I come over there and do it, then you and I are going to have a problem.
How was it coming back to see the rest of the cast?
Dawnn Lewis: The premiere for season two was our first time being in the same place and almost two years to be here. We've all been recording separate separately. But several of us are friends. We were friends before we started doing Lower Decks so you can hear that person's voice in your head after season one or the few times we've been didn't get to do at least a couple of scenes with at least one or two or three of the other actors. You really get a sense of the rhythm and the writing. Mike McMahan, the writer and creator of the show is just so smart in how he's able to distinguish each of our voices. So it's really easy to hear Tawny's voice in my head when I'm doing scenes with with Beckett. It's really easy to hear Jack Quaid voice, which gives me a certain rhythm that I can play off even though I'm in studio without him.
I’m happy to hear that you’ll be coming back to Broadway for Tina: The Tina Turner Musical.
Dawnn Lewis: I'm excited to go back to Broadway. There were 1000s of us when it comes to live entertainment. Whether you are on stage singing, dancing, acting, where you're in the orchestra, or you're the director, or the producer or the stage stage manager, or you're doing lighting sound for a job, there are 1000s of us. And this whole village has been stagnant for the most part for more than a year and a half. So all of us being able to come back slowly, but surely. They're not reopening it completely at one time. It's a couple of shows at a time. But we can get our legs under duress, but that's really a blessing. And Lower Decks is one of those opportunities that makes it possible for me to keep recording while I'm doing Broadway. They'll find a recording studio within blocks of the theater. So I'll go in and record an episode and then walk to the theater and do my show.
What’s next?
Dawnn Lewis: I did a film called Blackjack Christmas. It's written and directed by actress and producer Victoria Rowell. She's also the writer, creator of another show that I do The Rich and the Ruthless soap opera filled with African Americans. We started out on the internet with web episodes and BET picked up the show. So we are now on BET+ and we're in season four. Blackjack Christmas is a feature film, and it'll be out Christmas.