Joe Anderson Talks About ‘The Divide’ and ‘Supremacy’

Joe Anderson The Divide Interview
Joe Anderson stars in ‘The Divide’ (Photo by Steve Wilkie for WE tv)

The Divide, WE tv’s first scripted series, kicks off its eight-episode season one run on July 16, 2014 at 9pm ET/PT before moving to its normal timeslot of Wednesdays at 10pm. The drama series was co-created by Oscar and Emmy nominee Richard LaGravenese (Behind the Candelabra, Water for Elephants) and Tony Goldwyn (Scandal), with Goldwyn directing a cast that includes Joe Anderson, Marin Ireland, Damon Gupton, and Chris Bauer in the first episode.

The Plot: “Twelve years ago, the Butler family was attacked in their Philadelphia home and all but the youngest daughter were brutally murdered. The senseless deaths of this affluent African American family, seemingly at the hands of two white construction workers, Terry Kucik (Anderson) and Jared Bankowski (Bauer), threatened to ignite a racial firestorm in the City of Brotherly Love.

Adam Page (Gupton), himself an affluent African American man and the city’s District Attorney as well as a political rising star, made a name for himself by securing convictions for both men, leading to the death penalty ruling for Bankowski. Now, Christine Rosa (Ireland), a caseworker with the Innocence Initiative, believes Bankowski was wrongly convicted of the heinous murders and struggles to stop his impending execution, while tirelessly working to exonerate Kucik.

In her search for the truth, Christine uncovers evidence that puts her at odds with Adam who will do everything in his power to uphold the verdict and keep his reputation intact. His actions put a strain on his marriage to Billie, played by Nia Long, a powerhouse corporate attorney at a crossroads in her personal and professional life. Faced with the question of one man’s guilt or innocence and motivated by their own personal histories, each struggle between wrong and right – their own divide – in the quest for justice.”

Capturing a few minutes with Joe Anderson at the 2014 Television Critics Association summer press event in LA, I had the opportunity to find out more about The Divide and his upcoming film, Supremacy.

Joe Anderson Exclusive Interview

Did you do Supremacy before The Divide?

Joe Anderson: “I did do it before The Divide. Actually, let me think about that. We shot the pilot quite a long time before we went to series. Yes, I had shot Supremacy before the pilot for The Divide, yes.”

Was it just a coincidence that two racially charged projects came your way?

Joe Anderson: “Absolutely. The thing that sort of fascinated me about it, in terms of the timing, was my father’s from Africa and there’s always been a misunderstanding by the general public of what the situation is in Africa with the whites and the blacks. So I wanted to play somebody who is actually a racist and then somebody who is forced into being a part of a brotherhood or a group like the white supremacist movement. So, one is an actual believer and one is doing it out of survival, to survive. It was kind of looking at two mindsets but playing essentially what would be seen on the outside to be the same sort of person.”

And Supremacy was based on a real person while The Divide is not.

Joe Anderson: “Yes. Supremacy is loosely based on a real guy, a real case. Mr. Walker, who Danny Glover played, was the head of the family. And Garrett ‘Tully’…I think they changed his name.”

They did, because I tried to look up the case.

Joe Anderson: “You won’t be able to.”

The real person ended up getting the death penalty last month?

Joe Anderson: “Yeah. But it’s interesting because they’re not people that are widely recognized, so you’re not playing someone like Manson or someone you’d instantly recognize. So there’s a certain amount of leeway that I could take with just making it my own. That was what was fun, as opposed to doing an impersonation.”

With Supremacy, you might have had some real basis to understand where that kind of hatred came from. How did you develop the character in The Divide?

Joe Anderson:The Divide was very much the other way around. It came from being incarcerated as opposed to any political opinions, from physically being locked up and from physically having my life threatened. That was something that I could relate to from being bullied horrendously at school. That link of being in a social environment where you can’t get out of it, you can’t quit, you can’t leave, and you have to deal with the social dynamics – that was the thing with The Divide.”

Were you looking for a TV show?

Joe Anderson: “I was looking for longevity within a character that I liked and that wasn’t going to be locked down. It’s not a procedural show; I’m not going to be standing around hospital beds talking the same sort of technical lingo. I wanted something that the guy was initially you’d put him in a box and you’d say, ‘This guy’s got a swastika on his hand. He’s a racist and he’s part of the brotherhood. He’s incarcerated.’ But it is so much more than that. It’s so endless in terms of where he can go and his belief systems and what have you. That just seemed like a godsend, really.”

Some actors have said they had a difficult time of getting all traces of tattoos removed at the end of the day. Did that ever happen with your swastikas or other tats?

Joe Anderson: “We were shooting in…I can’t remember the name of the area, but it was really on the other side of downtown LA in what would be known as the hood, I suppose. I’m covered in swastikas and tattoos, and we finished one late night at about 3 o’clock in the morning and I jumped in the car to drive home – it was a very low budget movie so we all drove ourselves – and I didn’t go to the make-up trailer to get the tats off. I thought I’d do it at home.

I got in the car and got halfway down the road and realized I didn’t have any gas. So then I’m trying to now find a gas station where I can get out, but I realized I’m covered in this symbolism which is not me. I suddenly found myself in this most awful position of how much it means – how much having a swastika actually means. What does that mean? To do it as an actor it feels like a costume, but then the moment you step outside and you see how the real world treats you, it’s completely different. It’s very scary and very weird.”

Did anyone see you?

Joe Anderson: “Yeah, I had to get gas. The guy looked at me and I explained what I was doing. ‘I’m an actor; I just got off set.'”

Is there any of that symbology on The Divide?

Joe Anderson: “Yes, there is and it’s a key aspect to the relationship between Marin [Ireland’s] character, Christina, and myself. But like I said, nothing is as it seems.”

Do you have a very big role in Hercules?

Joe Anderson: “I have a rather interesting role. I can’t say too much about it because it’s a bit of a twisty role. But, yeah, to have a role written for you by Brett Ratner and the team was great.”

But if we look up the name of the character, there aren’t any Greek myths about him?

Joe Anderson: “No, no.”

So you’re inventing something out of whole cloth in that realm.

Joe Anderson: “Absolutely. Which, again, gives me a lot of room to play which is fun.”

Did you have to do anything to get into shape for that role?

Joe Anderson: “I didn’t have to per se, but when you’re standing around with people like The Rock, you end up lifting a few weights. [Laughing] You can’t help it.”