GB: Honestly, I feel the show has been educational because there are a lot of things that people don’t know when it comes to the crack epidemic. It’s been eye-opening and it’s allowed the culture to come together. We have like a whole Snowfall family community going on, which is beautiful. 

IJ: I feel the same. This has been such an entertaining, educational moment in cinema. So I think that we were able to expose the truth. I just feel very accomplished that we were able to have this big of an impact in the culture. Because specifically with [last week’s] episode, it was the first time a lot of people, especially African Americans, were able to see Africa. So I know that that was a huge impact on the show, and I’m just glad that Gail and I were a part of that.

IJ: Oh, man. For both of those questions, I would say going to Africa, that’s such a huge deal. You know, like that’s not a small thing. And for my character, he had started going through his mental training [and] a spiritual change when he accidentally killed Tiana, and he was able to shed in person all of the demons and what he was feeling from that situation. Going to Africa was like a refreshment for his soul. He needed that. And even personally, I needed that. It was my first time in Africa. So, I was able to experience life from a whole different perspective. And it was beautiful and amazing.

IJ: Right. Well, you know what? What Leon chose to do was very wise. And when he got back, he decided to have a sit down with everyone separately to gather everyone’s perspective so he can have a perspective of his own. And so now, he can have a game plan of how he wants to go about the situation. He’s about trying to fix what’s broken and trying to have connectivity with his tribe. So the fact that he comes back and there’s no more connectivity, and there’s actually war against the family, [it] definitely weighs on him immediately. I think just right now, he just has a responsibility to fix what has been broken. And we get to see that play out for the rest of the season and we see where they really are. 

GB: Wanda’s strength [comes] from self-love. I think there came a time when she was, of course, rock bottom–and no pun intended. She was starting to forget. She looked in the mirror when she lost her tooth and didn’t even recognize herself. So I think now, she’s coming back to that self-love. It’s very much self-love. It is very sobering. That’s what’s allowed her to push through and persevere, despite other people still reminding her of her past actions and what she did when she was high. 

GB: Playing Wanda is actually very invigorating because her arc is so beautiful that it allows others to see range and variety in me.  I was telling someone before that Wanda is the comedic relief in the show and she also has heavy parts and sobering parts. She’s [battling] addiction and she’s also the love interest and the character next door. There are so many roles in one with Wanda. So I don’t feel in any way, shape, or form that this is a role that would typecast me. If anything, this role creates longevity in my career. So I’m just very grateful for that. It is a challenging role in the sense that you go through so many phases in life, but I welcome it. 

IJ: Well, if we answer that question, that kind of we’ll give a huge spoiler who we could see at the end of the show, but I feel like it’s ending on the right note. There are so many events that happened in this specific time where the show could continue. But at the end of the day, we need to keep the integrity of the show, and we need to close on a high note for the sake of our legacy. This was John Singleton’s last baby before his departure. So to make sure that the integrity of the show continues to stay on a high note, which is going to end on a high note, we want to ensure that we continue to keep John proud, because at the end of the day, this is who we’re all here for.

He’s the one who got us all together. Gail says all the time, ‘we’re here for him.’ So I feel like, ideally, we could keep the show on, but if we do that, now we’re tampering with it. Keeping it on, is it going to have the same effect three seasons later past season 6? So I think ending [it] now is it’s perfect. It’s really perfect timing. 

GB: You know what John does so beautifully is he creates a stage for us to grow and be bigger than when we came into the situation. So many characters have grown and their demand has grown. So you don’t want to trap them into something for 20 years or 16 or 18 seasons you want to do other things with. So it’s saying, ‘OK, there is not enough time to do it….so it’s now we let people go off and do other things.’ It’s time to grow and expand. But yeah, these are easily enough stories that could go on forever because some people live [and] some people die. But regarding spin-offs, you just got to watch the whole season and see if that would happen. Who would be the ideal characters? How could this go? How would you see it? You know, we are in the ’80s right now. So then after that, then what’s next?

GB: I think it just shows how beautiful his life was. You know, our legacy is a reflection of our life. So it shows that he impacted and left so much of himself. And each and all of us were able to carry it forward with authenticity and genuineness because he truly loves his city, he loves L.A., he loves Snowfall. He truly loved this project. So we were able to continue with that same intention and that same dedication that John had himself [and to] continue to uphold his legacy. And I think what he continues to do, even from beyond, is leave a landmark that will help open the door for other Black filmmakers and Black storytellers and Black stories to come after him. He did that with Boyz N’ the Hood. He did it with Poetic Justice [and] all of his films.

But for so far, to do what it’s done in six seasons shows really aren’t doing six seasons or more with a Black lead and with Black stories driving the storyline being the focus. It goes to show you that you can build and we will come. We do support our projects. We do make good work. We do have quality content. We do have stories worth telling. So it’s just a give. He left us all with a gift to continue to do and create. 

IJ: My goal specifically is [to get into] film and that version of storytelling. Because being a part of a show for six years set a great foundation for me as an actor, and now I just want to get into telling stories that are like a one-and-done type situation. I will always love TV. I don’t mind ever going back to television, but I definitely want to tap into the film space and just tell stories that continue to touch people because. It would be doing myself a disservice. 

I feel like finding that dope script, finding that dope director, that dope producer, just people who are really passionate about whatever story they want to tell. And just being a part of that passion is what I’m striving for because that makes that project of that story. It is that much more important to me when everyone around is passionate about their story. 

GB: For me, I say this all the time, but I want [a] Marvel [project]. I have 17 nieces and nephews, so I need them to be at least able to watch one project I do. So I want Marvel for myself…it’s always been a dream since forever. I loved Marvel as a kid before I knew I wanted to act. And I want to find producers and writers and directors that I just continued to collab with and build a longstanding working relationship with. I want exposure for myself as a writer and a producer. So those are some of the things I’m going to tackle. I would like to get back to the theater. I’m trying to get on Broadway, so I would probably make the leap to New York at some point, and I’ll continue in television and [do] film when I’m not doing TV. I love both and will probably continue to bounce around back and forth, but my heart is definitely called into the theater, and my intention is to gain exposure as a writer and producer.