Luke James, Deborah Ayorinde and more of ‘Them: The Scare’ cast dish on season 2 at LA screening

Unlike the first season of “Them,” which was set in Compton in 1953, “Them: The Scare” takes place in 1991 in South Central Los Angeles. 

The cast and creatives behind the second season of Prime Video’s horror anthology series “Them” introduced the show at a screening in Los Angeles on Tuesday night. 

Actors Pam Grier, Deborah Ayorinde, Luke James, Joshua J. Williams and “Them: The Scare” creator and showrunner Little Marvin discussed the second season at the Culver Theater in Culver City, California. Unlike the first season of “Them,” which was set in Compton in 1953, “Them: The Scare” takes place in 1991 in South Central Los Angeles. 

In the second season, Ayorinde stars as Dawn Reeve, an LAPD detective who is assigned to a frightening murder case. As similar cases begin happening around the neighborhood, Reeve begins to suspect a serial killer exists in their midst as a malevolent force grips her and her family. 

While chatting about the show at Tuesday’s screening, Ayorinde called it a “no-brainer” to return for another season. 

“[Little Marvin], you are a genius and I trust you with my work,” the actress said. “As an actor, that’s a big deal because oftentimes, we do the work, and we leave our precious art in the hands of so many things that we’re not a part of. We don’t know what’s going to happen when we’ve done it.

“I can always trust that it’s in excellent hands with you because you are an actual genius. The way that you take care of our art — I cannot tell you how much that means. The way that you’ve written this Black woman that is strong, feminine, sexy, complex, and the villain and the hero and all these things that you see in us — that you saw in me — has changed my life.”

Grier, who stars as Dawn’s loving and prideful mother, Athena, told the audience that she is not naturally fearful, but tapped into her scary side with Little Marvin’s help. The actress said she was “so honored” to get the call and join the cast. 

“[Little Marvin] just said, ‘I will scare your ass off. And I said, ‘okay,’” Grier explained, drawing laughs. “But it was the brilliance of your passion and joy that drew me into [the show]. So much of my emotion too, because I don’t scare easily. I drink whiskey. I stopped drinking so I can be scared and take care of my [on-screen] family.”

“We commit to you in so many ways to do the work. And come out of our comfort zone to give you what you need, and I thank you for demanding it.”

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James stars as Edmund, an awkward aspiring actor who is hiding a dark side. The real-life actor was also thankful to be cast in the project, which helped him become a first-time homeowner.

“This is a dream come true for any artist,” James said.

“(Little Marvin) changed my life. I bought a house. Thank you,” he added with a laugh. “You’ve changed my life financially — aspiring actors, struggling actors out there, you know what I mean. You dream of something like this, man. We all see it. So I’m grateful.” 

All eight episodes of “Them: The Scare” will be available to stream on Prime Video on Thursday, April 25. Check out the trailer below:

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