For You star Griffin Matthews, it was important that his character had a Black husband in the final season of the hit Netflix series.

In Season 5, he portrays Teddy Lockwood, a Kate (Charlotte Ritchie)’s half-brother, a queer Black man suddenly thrust into this world. For Matthews, this wasn’t just another role—it was an opportunity to bring authenticity into this space.

“I knew my position and I tried to really have authentic conversations with our showrunners, Mike [Foley] and Justin [Lo],” Matthews said in a recent interview with Blavity’s Shadow and Act. “I spent a lot of time with Charlotte to just try to talk about the cultural things that were on the page, whether people knew what they had written or not, and they actually did know where they were heading. And so we talked a lot about the cultural impact of Teddy. And I shared my own personal experiences to try to bring some truth to a Black guy from Harlem inside of this white, wealthy, powerful, and dangerous family.”

How Griffin Matthews wanted Black viewers of ‘You’ to see themselves

As a longtime fan of You, Matthews wanted his portrayal to resonate deeply with Black viewers.

“I wanted Black people who watched the show…By the way, I was a huge fan of the show. I loved [and I] watched every single season, so I was shocked to get the job. Truly just so happy. And so I realized that if I was going to do the show, I wanted Black people that were going to watch the show to go, we recognize us. That’s us. We recognize what he’s talking about because that is what we’re talking about,” he said.

Matthews emphasized how existing in white spaces requires a different kind of navigation.

“I wanted to feel like the perspective that we have on the world is very different. We know that we have to angle differently to exist in white spaces. And of course, I was existing inside of a white family, but I really credit the creatives who, even our directors who were just really, really game for me saying, ‘I don’t think Teddy should say that. I don’t think we would say it like that.’ And they were like, ‘Yes, tell us how it should be said, what it should be.’ And so it was honestly just such a beautiful, creative experience behind the scenes. On screen, I love. Behind the scenes…just icing on the cake.”

How Teddy’s look informs so much about the character

That authenticity extended beyond the script, even to Teddy’s look. Matthews revealed how his hair journey on the show symbolized something deeper.

“Well, first of all, I had a lot of conversations behind the scenes with hair and makeup. I sat in that hair chair longer than any of the women on our show to have that afro, this thing on top of my head, the hair that grows out of my head…to do that for five months, it was a big deal. And so I credit Cherie Johnson, who worked on my hair, to really try to tell a story about Teddy’s journey. I’m coming back to answer this question. I’m going to go around the block. But I based the character off of ASAP Rocky. I loved A$AP Rocky. I had a Pinterest board going of A$AP Rocky because I was like, this guy is the face of Gucci, right? But he’s Harlem on the top, Gucci on the bottom.”

The evolution of Teddy’s hair—going from an afro to braids—mirrored his character’s growth.

“In the haircare journey of Teddy, I wanted to go from an Afro into braids. And as I was in the position where I wasn’t on the board, I had to assimilate to make it look like I am safe. Don’t worry about me. I’m just going to be over here. The gig, we have to do that sometimes to exist in corporate America. You’ve heard many, many Black men and women talk about that. And so we had a conversation behind the scenes about what if by the end of the show, Teddy has transitioned into braids and now he is running the company, and now he’s himself the fullest. Not to say that the Afro wasn’t himself, but to really be able to go, can I come into work in this suit with my braids dangling and feel like I am allowed to exist here in this space?”

The family representation that Teddy, his husband and child bring on-screen

For Matthews, telling Teddy’s story wasn’t just about his personal journey—it was also about family representation on screen.

“And so again, I credit the producers and the showrunner, they loved the idea that Cherie and I were trying to craft a character that could tell a story physically and not just verbally. So that was part of what I thought was interesting for my own journey as an actor. I’ve never had a Black husband on television. I never had a Black boyfriend on television. I never had a Black child on television. We had conversations behind the scenes about when I figured out that I had a husband, we had conversations about, well, what if my husband wasn’t white, which I have no problem with, but what if he wasn’t? What if he is a dark chocolate man? And what if our kid is dark chocolate? Doesn’t that say something more about who he is and how out of the box he is when he walks into that office?”

The show’s family dynamic—featuring Teddy, his Black husband, their child, and even caring for another child—offered a refreshing image of modern family life.

“I thought too about the son. I thought it was an interesting choice that we also had a Black child. So that really, you can see, because Henry, I end up sort of being a caretaker for Henry. And I thought it was important to show the family dynamic of this little white boy under the care of these two Black men with this little Black boy, that this is the world that I live in. My children are both mixed-race children. And I thought it was interesting to show a different dynamic of what a family could be.”

With the series wrapped, Matthews envisions a bright future for Teddy.

“So to answer your question, I think Teddy goes on to thrive because he’s really sitting in himself and he is sitting in himself as not just a businessman, but also as a father and a husband to all. And so that was what I wanted to achieve. I’m so glad you saw.”

You Season 5 is streaming on Netflix.