Taylor Polidore Williams is eager for fans to see the next part of the first season of Tyler Perry’s Beauty in Black.

In the Netflix series, Polidore Williams’ character, Kimmie, is trying to make it while working at a club. But Kimmie finds herself in serious trouble after she and her friend Angel attempt a robbery. Their situation quickly escalates, leading them into the dangerous world of human trafficking. Despite Kimmie’s hardships, Polidore Williams says her character has an inner strength.

“Kimmie’s just getting beat down, beat down, beat down,” she told Blavity/Shadow and Act Managing Editor, Trey Mangum. “She’s just getting beaten down, but that was something that Tyler spoke to me about when he told me that he wanted me to have the role because…Kimmie does find her strength. It’s just a journey to get there.”

“He was like, ‘I know you got the strength part, but I really do think and know that you can also play this very vulnerable, downtrodden character as well. And I think that you could do something beautiful to create that journey to get her there.’ And I was terrified, but I think, you know, I think we did it. It was a good experience for sure.”

Reuniting with Tyler Perry

Polidore Williams previously worked with Perry on the 2024 Netflix film Tyler Perry’s Divorce in the Black, starring Meagan Good and Cory Hardrict. She says she loved working with him on both projects.

“Both times working with him were phenomenal experiences. And, you know, as an actor, I had heard from other actors [that] he shoots really fast, all these things, ’cause Divorce in the Black was my first time working with him. So I went in kind of like, I don’t know what to expect. I’m just going to come prepared and, you know, ready to go to work. And I think that’s literally the only key to having a great experience,” she said.

“He knows exactly what he wants, but he still is open to collaborate with you if you have ideas or you want to do something. So it’s very difficult to explain if you’ve never witnessed it because it runs like such a well-oiled machine. And that’s why it’s able to go so fast. But at no point in time did I ever feel rushed on both Divorce in the Black and Beauty in Black.”

Fan reactions and Kimmie’s tough journey

Polidore Williams has been keeping up with the fandom’s feedback and is relieved to see that fans want better for Kimmie, despite her constant struggles.

“Kimmie goes through so much. And I’m just like, ‘Girl, Kimmie, we got to get it together. You got to get out of this.’ I read a lot of the comments and read stuff online. …One thing that I do keep hearing and seeing is ‘Kimmie, stand up!’ The thing about it is, like, it’s always hard to say what you would do unless you were in the situation,” she said.

“…We really don’t even know some parts of her backstory; we see a little bit of it and then it jumps back to the present. So there’s a period of time that’s missing. But [to know] what it’s like being able to not only play her in the present but also have so much context to what led to this moment, that is such a treat as an actor when you are given parts of their story that shape who they are. I feel like that’s always a favorite part of my job, and that’s the part of my job that I like the most.”

Building Kimmie’s backstory

To better understand her character, Polidore Williams took time before filming to create Kimmie’s backstory.

“Part of [the story] is how she got here. So that was something that I took a lot of time with prior to filming, [it] was really just journaling. How did she get here? Because, it’s very difficult to understand what you would do unless you were in those shoes,” she continued.

“So for me, I had to really examine how did she get here and what would make her act like this and why doesn’t she just leave? So not only did I have to fill in the blanks with her story, I had to educate myself on survivors of human trafficking. How do you get there? Because, you know, in my mind, I had a perception of maybe people were kidnapped and then this [happened]. But there are so many different ways that people wind up in a trafficking situation and they don’t even know it until it’s like, ‘I want to get out.’ So [there was] a lot of watching documentaries, doing some research and journaling, listening to music, just kind of filling in those blanks.”

Hopes for Kimmie’s future

Polidore Williams, like many fans, hopes Kimmie can find a way out.

“What I hope for Kimmie is that she gets out of this life. She gets away from these people, she gets her sister, and that she’s able to forge a new path,” she said. “I actually know what’s gonna happen and I’m horrible at spoiling [but] I want her to be okay. I want her to stand up. I want her to fight back and I want her to get out.”

Part 2 of Tyler Perry’s Beauty in Black Season 1 continues the story of two women from different sides of the tracks who cross paths. As fans have learned throughout the season, a popular family-owned business is a front for something more sinister.

According to the logline, “The ruthless, backstabbing family behind a beauty brand—and an underground trafficking ring—will face a reckoning. Kimmie, the once-unassuming sex worker in their employ, becomes an unstoppable force of vengeance on a mission to rescue her kidnapped sister.”

The series stars Polidore Williams alongside Crystle Stewart, Amber Reign Smith, Ricco Ross, Debbi Morgan, Richard Lawson, Steven G. Norfleet, Julian Horton, Terrell Carter, Shannon Wallace, Bryan Tanaka, Joy Rovaris, Xavier Smalls, Charles Malik Whitfield, Tamera “Tee” Kissen, Ursula O. Robinson, Ashley Versher, George Middlebrook and Ts Madison.

Tyler Perry serves as writer, director and producer, with Angi Bones and Tony Strickland producing for Tyler Perry Studios.

Part 2 of Tyler Perry’s Beauty in Black Season 1 is now streaming on Netflix.