Aja Naomi King on Tapping into the Ambition of Women in the 1960s in Lessons in Chemistry

We recently sat down for a conversation on the AppleTV+ mini series Lessons in Chemistry with Aja Naomi King, who plays the determined Harriett Sloane. From her first read of the script, Aja was struck by the fierce intimacy of the role, where she would have the opportunity to showcase the full spectrum of experience of a Black woman living in the 1950s and 60s.  For this, she delved deep into the ambitions, intelligence and vulnerability of her character, doing detailed background work with her scene partners on the nuances of their relationships. King’s work with Paul James, who played her husband, centered on the conflict between how their characters seek to bring about social change, and where their values align. She was personally influenced by the women in her family who found their own resilience through the hardships of the Civil Rights Movement, placing photos of her real-life mother and grandmother around her character’s home on set. Aja also credited Brie Larson (Elizabeth Zott) for helping the cast to develop off-screen intimacy by bringing games to the set, a chemistry which undeniably bubbled over into their onscreen friendship.

Watch the full conversation below.

Set in the 1950s, Elizabeth Zott's dream of being a chemist is put on hold when she finds herself pregnant, alone, and fired from her lab.