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The woman known asBad MonkeysDragon Queen is at a crossroads.
Actually, scratch that.
Shes kind of blowing up her life.
And thats when Gracie steps into the middle of her own curse.
You think I really believe in all of this shit?
she asks a shocked Ya-Ya.
What does it give me?
Why do I have to give my whole life to a story people tell around a fire at night?
Im tired of it.
Wheres my hope or love?
I was allowed to be in the drivers seat for the first time in my career, Smith says.
It was empowering to do.
I hope people feel the love that was put into her.
Shes definitely deeply sorted in her ways, but she wants more.
Bill had an understanding of who she was and what exactly is driving her.
Do you think Gracie was aware of the skepticism?
I think her reputation precedes her as someone to be afraid of.
When it comes to Obeah in the Bahamas, its still considered illegal.
Obeah is very much stigmatized in those communities.
Theres going to be people on both sides of the line.
But theres something about the Dragon Queen thats so scary.
Even if people dont believe the magic is real, they still get enthralled by her magic.
Lets break down Gracie and Ya-Yas fight and the devastation that follows.
Its like anyone practicing any religion.
The place that separates someone is faith and whether or not you have faith in something.
In what ways?In humanity, in the goodness of people, and in love.
The most important person in a childs life is their mother, and she left Gracie and died.
Thats a deep wound, and she hasnt healed from it.
You inherit these things.
Shes on a journey as a person who lost her faith, in a sense.
What was essential for you both to convey?Its so easy with L. Scott.
Shes a great talent and carries such a gravitas.
Its in every childs journey to want to individuate their grandmother.
They either do it in a gentle way or a hard way.
Whats deep between Gracie and Ya-Ya is love, regardless of how much Gracie is of a dark mind.
Shes been playing this role of the Dragon Queen and shes not sure where to go next.
But shes sure that she feels constrained by it all.
She wants to get away.
She really wants to be able to separate and tear away.
She cant do that with Ya-Yas love holding her.
Amid their fight, Gracie reiterates that she knows everything I lost.
Gracie just needed to lash out.
She now has a level of clarity about whats been taken from her that Ya-Ya will never understand.
Asia is the only person who ties her to that world.
To everyone else, Gracie only represents one thing.
Asia is a true friend who stuck with her and saw beyond all of that for her humanity.
She knows Gracie is more than that and Obeah doesnt make her a bad person.
So she cuts off the two people that are most important to her to accomplish that.
Shes on her phone, shes on Instagram, shes looking at YouTube makeup tutorials.
Shes a modern girl!
Gracie is creating a life inside of her small world.
And inside of her small world, shes big.
I wanted her to come across that way and channel that with her personal style.
We see its a part of her armor what she puts on.
Thats a way she keeps people separate from herself.
