Iantha Richardson never desired to be an actress.

“I just knew I would dance abroad in Europe and perform contemporary ballet, but life wasn’t like that,” the star tells ESSENCE. However, by coincidence, she discovered a brand new passion that saw her appear on screens in over 9 million homes weekly.

The star of the popular ABC cop drama and the recent all-black remake of the 1991 cult classic, the DC native moved from New York to Los Angeles in hopes of using her punchlines professionally. Instead, she landed in front of the camera after taking acting classes with a friend.

One class led to several, which led to an agent and management, which led to Benny Got Shot, an AFI thesis film directed by Malcolm Washington, son of Denzel and Pauletta. This led to her playing the adult Tess, which opened the door to even greater opportunities for her.

While she’s going to at all times be in love with dancing – “it’s something that’s still in my back pocket,” she tells us – acting on certainly one of Primetime TV’s hottest shows currently takes up most of her time. And rightly so.

As Faith Mitchell, the title character’s reluctant GBI partner, Richardson brings a depth, wit and charm to the character that in many other police procedural shows could be irrelevant to the overall story. Faith is a black woman in a politically precarious position, harboring contempt for her partner for whistle-blowing to other cops, while consistently striving to be on the “right side of the law.” Faith is complex and interesting, and her own insecurities could also be obstacles and personal demons to beat.

“I like her perseverance. I like her resilience. I like her heart above all else,” Richardson says of her character. “I think as a black woman in a male-dominated space, a space that in 2024 would not be considered for someone black or brown who wants to be a police officer. But I think he’s doing it for the right reasons and not sacrificing who he is.”

Inspired by her close friend, a real-life black female detective from Washington, D.C., Richardson portrays her character’s compassion and caring through lived experience.

“I like the fact that she went from being a police officer to being a detective. And I said, “Well, how do I do that?” How do you feel with it? What does it look like there? Because the police have a very bad reputation, especially through our lens. “But she is literally one of the most compassionate officers and she does it because she wants to help people.”

“Episode seven is really cool,” Richardson says of tonight’s episode . “For me personally, not even for Faith. I actually have to do a number of stunts, which inserts perfectly with what I need to do in the future, which is to develop into an motion hero sooner or later in my life.

“There’s a lot of family themes, there’s a lot of really cool action, and Will and Faith work together in such a beautiful way that their relationship has evolved and you can see that in this movie.” Richardson irritates. “They’re on the verge of communication right now and they’re really just understanding each other.”

In addition to his work in front of the screen, Richardson is behind the lens, producing and directing his own projects. The star is currently purchasing for her first appearance. The film, tentatively titled “Attached,” takes place in Detroit and relies on the concept of soul ties. He’s also looking forward to directing his first TV episode soon.

“As I get more into this business, I realize that it’s very important to be able to control the narrative in your own way,” he says. “As actors, we often support someone else’s story – which is also really cool, to be able to be a servant and to be able to play these wonderful characters like Faith. But I’m very excited to collaborate with other artists to tell other stories that I think should be spotlighted, and I think producing gives you the opportunity to manage and bring together different voices to create something new, fresh and unprecedented.”

In the wake of last 12 months’s strikes, Richardson recognizes the challenges she faces as a creator of color looking for the green light for original content. But she never let the statistics discourage her – “I think if something’s going to be done, it will be done,” she tells us – she believes in what she creates and trusts that it would find its platform and audience.

“I think people are still looking for content from people of color. I think it just has to be really special,” he explains. Richardson is enthusiastic about shedding light on narratives and their points that will not be often dropped at the fore.

“I like to tell stories that are not necessarily what people want to hear, but stories that are true.”