The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey, adapted from author Walter Mosley's original novel, recently debuted on Apple TV+ as a weekly limited series. Starring Samuel L. Jackson, The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey chronicles Ptolemy's journey with an experimental drug that (temporarily) cures his dementia and his personal quest to avenge a lost family member. Key to both stories is Ptolemy's beloved nephew and caretaker, Reggie, played by Omar Benson Miller. Another critical character is Ptolemy's niece Niecie, played by Marsha Stephanie Blake, who struggles to accept the changes in Ptolemy's life.
During a recent press event, CBR spoke with both Blake and Miller about the series and their characters' different outlooks on life. Both also spoke about the show's perspectives on the complexities of family and all that comes from it.
CBR: Reggie's character is actually in a position that we don't often get to see male characters be in, especially in that he's not just a caretaker but he's also caring towards Ptolemy.
Omar Benson Miller: I think the approach Reggie has is that taking care of his uncle is not an obligation. It is part duty, but it's also part honor. It's something that drew me to the character and [part of] how we developed the character between myself, Ramin Bahrani, who directed Episode 1, and Sam. I think the portrayal is one where we want to show the bond between Black men and the humanity that's in that. You don't often get to see the vulnerability that's in that relationship.
Hopefully, you felt it because I'm really into material that challenges the viewer as opposed to just force-feeding them everything. I think that we were able to do something special with the dynamic cast and directors and the awesome writers that we have. It put us in a position to challenge ourselves as performers [and] to challenge the audience while respecting their intelligence.
Meanwhile, early on Niecie has a tough scene with Robin where she essentially takes an opposite stance to Reggie. It's a lot to unpack, the decision she makes there about what to do with Robin and her son.
Marsha Stephanie Blake: I think there's a lot there. It's not just male-female, but it's also this situation where it's putting blood over someone who isn't blood but who you love as much as blood. Who are you going to side with and who are you supposed to side with? I think Niecie really has a hard time with that. I think, at the end of the day, she does make a choice. I don't know that she's ever comfortable with it. A lot of what we see later on is guilt. I talked about that with Ramin as well, about how much of Niecie is unable to just admit that she might have made a mistake -- and then how the guilt manifests itself in other ways.
With that guilt, the show seems to speak towards how his family is -- and isn't -- navigating this situation. What happens could really happen in any family, Black or otherwise.
Miller: I think [that] all families are dysfunctional and functional in their own dynamic ways. Culturally, we all deal with things differently. What we see in The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey, [which I think] brings that honesty and authenticity to it, is that we see the levels to the roles everyone plays within a family -- the family that you are born into, the family that you choose... All of that is a measurement of things [that] can happen in life, that sometimes you're a victim of and sometimes you were the catalyst for. This is all what makes us as people. This story is one that is completely unpredictable.
Blake: There are no easy answers. There are no easy solutions. I think that's what's so real about the series. That it's not just about a Black family -- it's about how complicated and layered being a part of a family is period. It's not an easy thing and I think anyone can relate to that. There's a lot of joy, of course, and there's a lot of love, but the idea of love itself is a complex thing.
The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey is now streaming on Apple TV+.
Source: Trendz OH
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