“Mrs. America” Newcomer Bria Henderson Talks Feminism

Actress Bria Henderson talks often about how grateful and surprised she is to be on FX’s new series, Mrs. America. It’s because Henderson shot out like a firecracker, jumping headfirst into an A-list led series with Emmy potential that places her, as black feminist leader Margaret Sloan, in a significant subplot. Henderson discussed the significance of the story to her, how it fits in our own 2020 worldview, and working opposite a talent cast of women that includes Cate Blanchett and Rose Byrne.

What drew you to the story?

Bria Henderson: There’s so much truth to the story of Mrs. America and the journey that Phyllis Schlafly went on, and then all of these second wave feminists you get to meet. We don’t have a story like this that was so women-led and women driven about women [especially] during the time that was very precious for women and our rights, and the politic over our bodies and who we were as humans. This story just swims in truth and Margaret, she’s a powerhouse. She was someone I did not know before this project, which I was a little bit upset with myself about not knowing someone who I share a lot of similarities with. Margaret was a fierce woman and she paved the way for a lot of women who looked like me. She’s a reflection in the ‘70s of who I am right now in 2020. I couldn’t have picked a better project to be my first TV show ever working with the team that I got to work with, and being a part of an amazing, smart, important, necessary and very urgent story.

How much did you know about second-wave feminism prior to this?

I knew of it. I knew of that wave of women who were deep into women being seen as equal, and not only being seen as equal but being treated as equal in different spaces of the world. I knew of these names [but] I never researched these names. The one that always stands out is Shirley Chisholm. We learned that in history class, knowing who she was during this time and the efforts she made and how big of an impact she’s had on women, black woman as well. Florence Kennedy wasn’t a name that shocked me because I knew of her name but I never got to research what she did and how powerful she was.

Margaret was someone who was so unsung to me. I had no idea she existed and that’s amazing. That’s one of the reasons why I was so drawn to this project because it merged my love for the craft of storytelling and acting, and also my love of activism and my love of bringing awareness to people, to unsung stories so that people will be pushed and compelled to research and learn about the history and learn about where they come from and learn about their origins in an artistic way. That’s one thing I love about art is that art can entertain and can also inform all at the same time. I got to bring a historical figure to the screen for the first time which is a huge honor.

What was the research process like?

Once I learned she was real I did my best to go down the rabbit hole on the internet and find different articles about her. There are articles on her but the articles say the same thing, just generalized information of when she was born, when she passed away, and her accomplishments during the time of her life, but I wanted to dig deeper into who she was as a woman. I finally was able to come across a website called Pacifica Radio Archives, which holds her, along with Gloria Steinem’s, speeches that they would do when they would tour college campuses to speak on racism and sexism and the politics of women.

I was able to listen to her voice and understand her cadence and speaking pattern. I did my best to find pictures. I know the hair department, our amazing hair designer Anne Morgan was able to send me pictures. So once I got more images of her and visualize her, just to see how she stood and listen to her voice I was able to merge some things together and bring myself to the character fully, to bring truth to the script but also give Margaret truth in who she was as a fierce, outspoken, radical, funny woman who represented being black and being a woman and being a lesbian all at the same time and never sacrifices parts of herself to fit in certain spaces, and I just built off of that.

Was there an audition process for you?

Yes. I sent in a self tape and after the self tape I received a callback. I got to go in with a cast of associates, work on the sides with them and then maybe a week later I was called in to actually sit with Carmen [Cuba, casting director] and we spoke about my time in LA because I was still new in LA. We talked about the text; we talked about my tapes, and then that was it. Then a few days later I got the call that I got the part. I couldn’t believe it because it was the first one and I had been auditioning for a good while and getting discouraged from just hearing so many no’s. I knew something had to give in that moment and this was the project, so I’m so grateful that the project I thought was going to be mine was not for me and that God had something bigger and better for me in store with Mrs. America. It’s been a blessing, the gift that keeps on giving.

To have this be your first major series, are you ready for all the fame and attention?

It’s been kind of unreal. I’ve always dreamed of this moment so the butterflies and the excitement you think you would get when it happens you actually experience that before it happens because you’re trying to manifest this thing and you’re like “Well, if I get it this is what I would feel like.” So I’ve had that whole surreal moment and now I get to see it happen. I get to see what we all created together and it’s an honor. I feel so honored and so humbled by it all at the same time. I’m very excited and very all over the place with my mind, especially during a pandemic. That’s also part of it, too, is you’re like, “Wow, my dreams are coming true, things are happening for me that are good and I’m also dealing with all the effects of this pandemic all at the same time.” So I get to choose what I want to put my mind on. I’m in a state of a lot of gratefulness and finding the joy in the every day because there’s so much to be thankful for.

What was it like working alongside Rose Byrne and the other ladies of the pro-ERA movement?

It’s a huge dream and honor. Niecy Nash, I got to work with her as well which was a dream come true and just being at the table with Uzo [Aduba] and Cate [Blanchett] and Sarah [Paulson] and Tracey [Ullman] and Margo [Martindale], it’s unreal. You almost feel like “someone’s gonna pinch me and I’ll wake up.” Rose [is] very sweet, very patient, and building the story [was] very collaborative. I was very comfortable working with her and I got to play with our scenes and dig deep into that relationship, especially showing these two different worlds.

I’m really excited to see, especially tomorrow, I can’t wait to see how a [certain] part of Margaret’s journey plays out. You get to see some of those moments I have with Gloria. Working with Niecy Nash was a joy. I got to watch her in one scene come in, show up and show out, and get the job done. She’s been so supportive of me throughout this journey and, especially as a newbie, you’re used to people not seeing you, so to be seen by someone who you really admire is a blessing and it shows you that there are good people in the world. Also, it confirms I’m on the right journey. I put these women on my vision board and I was in the room with them. That’s unreal.

This series doesn’t shy away from talking about tough topics. What was it like discussing racism and anti-gay discrimination within this story?

I’m glad that it’s in the story because feminism is this huge umbrella. We have these ideas of feminism – white feminism. Where’s the feminism where all women have any kind of background, any kind of sexuality, and can come together and fight for all women’s rights? You get to see where those discussions come from, especially in the ‘70s when it came to the feminist movement and the women’s liberation movement. It was led by a lot of white women, and there were black women behind the scenes but their voices weren’t being heard as much, just like in the Civil Rights Movement. Black men [were] the leaders of that and you had black woman there who were supporting, but their rights and their issues were not being put to the forefront because there was always an agenda.

Margaret is the face of intersectionality when it comes to those two different spaces. She had to navigate being in the civil rights, black agenda spaces, but her womanhood is not being supported, and her sexuality is not being supported. And then she is in these feminist spaces led by white women who had more of the space, and voice, and power to be heard. But her blackness and her sexuality was not been supported in those times so you get to see how she navigates with two different worlds and what she does from that and that’s why she’s such a powerful figure to know about. She started the National Black Feminist organization in 1973, with, I believe, Jane Galba Lewis and Florence Kennedy, but it took her having to navigate these two different spaces. When it comes to feminism that’s still a conversation that we, as black women, have when it comes to our rights and our issues. Sometimes you just see women’s movements that only have white women in the forefront fighting for only issues that white women face and nothing with the women of color and it’s those constant conversations that we’re still having.

Mrs. America is on FX on Hulu now.