*Elarica Johnson is exiting the hit STARZ series “P-Valley” after two seasons of playing Autumn Night.
“Proud to have stepped foot into the world of @pvalleystarz,” the actress said in a post on Instagram. “It’s been an insane 3 year journey in the shoes of Autumn Night. Thank you @katorihall & @starz I always take a little bit of my characters away with me and Autumn has left quite a mark . It was my biggest pleasure working with the cast and crew….I’ll save that for a longer post, but for now… Thank you everyone for all the #love (and hate lol) the support for this show is quite incredible.
For Autumn Night this is a #goodbye ❤️ For me… it’s a see you on the next one ????”
The acclaimed “P-Valley” drama, based on the play by Pulitzer Prize winner Katori Hall, has drawn praise from collaborators from across the music industry for its authentic trap music and for being a platform to spotlight southern female rappers, per the network’s press release.
The LGBT series centers on The Pynk, a popular strip club in Mississippi, and the cast of characters that work at and frequent the joint. Per press release, “Season two reveals a whole new Pynk as it struggles to remain open during a pandemic, a battle for the throne, and the possibility of some new blood shaking up the locker room. This season takes audiences deeper into the lives of the Pynk’s beloved characters as darkness descends upon Chucalissa.”
READ MORE: J. Alphonse Nicholson Talks Impact of ‘P-Valley’ and Being an LGBT Ally
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The season two finale of the critically acclaimed series aired Sunday, August 14, and Johnson spoke to Entertainment Weekly about leaving the show and the mark Autumn left on Chucalissa. Check out excerpts from the interview below.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: When did you find out Autumn would be leaving?
ELARICA JOHNSON: Well, actually I knew when it was happening because it was my choice. It’s something I discussed with Katori [Hall]. Looking at the scripts this season, and the journeys of the characters and where the Pynk was going, Autumn’s journey felt like it was coming to an end. She has done what she needed to do and it was time for her to move on.
Season 2 saw Autumn running the Pynk with Uncle Clifford. What did you love about that change from last season? Seeing her step into her power.
I love the power element. Autumn was waiting to let that out. Her backstory is she comes from a place of power, she works with money and powerful people. She came to the Pynk to hide because she was running away from something pretty dark. Once she realized it was safe to be in the space and she had something to offer, it was so nice to let out who Autumn was as Haley Colton. Also, it gives a bit of a backstory to the audience and it was really fun. It felt like a different character.
In trying to get her piece of the casino deal, Autumn has to navigate around the very devious powerful citizens of Chucalissa. Can you talk about how business savvy she is?
People say business is separate from friendships, and that’s exactly where Autumn comes from. She was going to navigate her with business head on the way she [saw] fit. Everybody is thinking with their heart here because this is what they know, but Autumn is here to make a change to help everybody. When you’re looking at things from a perspective of love, then you can’t see past something that could potentially be better. It is about winning, making money and making the best business deal whether people love her or hate her.
To play a little what if – what do you think it would have looked like if Autumn had stayed and had the babies in Chucalissa?
There’s two sides to this in terms of Autumn and Andre for me. I’ve always felt they’re soulmates and if they were where they were supposed to be it would be great. Then there’s another side of Autumn who is always striving for better or needing to push forward and make more for herself, for the memory of her daughter, who may not see settling in Chucalissa as enough for her. Both sides work. [They] would make a great couple if there wasn’t so much messy stuff in between. I don’t know what that would look like, but I do know they do have this bond and bringing a child into a relationship with two people who really care for each other could be a good experience for the both of them.
What mark do you think Autumn left on Chucalissa?
A huge mark and there’s going to be a big space moving on. She was a big personality and was the keyhole into Chucalissa and the Pynk for the audience. They met these characters through the eyes of Autumn early on and now that everyone’s acquainted, it’s time for her to leave. Even within her broken relationships, they came form a really nice place. Uncle Clifford will miss the daily arguments with Autumn, but also getting to understand who she was and seeing the softer part of her. The same goes for Mercedes. They learned a lot from each other. The note she leaves on isn’t the best, but she definitely leaves a history with the Pynk and made a big difference on how things will move forward.
She’s very grateful for the experience because it’s made her stronger and this was always going to be her journey. She was always going to find a place to get back on her feet then move on to create a better life for herself. She made that promise to her daughter, but I think she got more then she bargained for in a good way.
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