Interview With Zainab Jah For FALSE POSITIVE

A thriller/horror/satire, False Positive follows Lucy (Ilana Glazer) and Adrian (Justin Theroux) a couple who has been trying to conceive for two years when they decide to go to “dream” fertility Dr. John Hindle (Pierce Brosnan) who may not be exactly as he seems.

I was able to speak with star Zainab Jah about her process, the intriguing script, and specifically her character, Grace:

This interview has been edited for clarity. 

This is Kristy Strouse with Film Inquiry. Thanks for speaking to me! I thought you were terrific in the film! What was it about Grace that clicked for you?

Zainab Jah: I’ve never done anything like this before. I don’t understand anything really about being a midwife, even though I come from a family of medics. So, I thought it would be an interesting journey to experience but also the thought of working with Ilana Glazer was was definitely a pull. And also, the dashingly lovely Pierce Brosnan. I didn’t know he was gonna be in it when I first got the script. But that was a lovely cherry on the cake! When I found that out I thought, oh, even better! And the so lovely, darling- Justin Theroux, and Gretchen Mol. All of the cast is really something, and I’m glad I got involved.

You mentioned it was something you hadn’t done before- even if it is challenging, is that part of the allure? 

Zainab Jah: Absolutely. Whenever I read a script I’m always looking for something that’s going to stretch me, or at least surprise me, or be something I know absolutely nothing about. And I’d have to say: hmm. Now how would I come across this? You know, how would I embody someone who does this? Someone who thinks this way who sees life in a particular way? So, that’s usually something. And, it’s not often you get scripts like that to be honest. There are times I get screwed, and I just think, Oh, God, what a dullard it is- I don’t care sometimes. But then once in a while, a script like this comes along, and you think “Oh, thank goodness, there is hope on the horizon! Look at this so juicy and yummy!” And you get your teeth in there, you know?

Yeah! So, you said that this was something you didn’t know much about- Did you do any research as far as being a midwife and what that entailed for the role?

Zainab Jah: I did no research whatsoever. My sister is an OB-GYN and I just assumed her posture. Everything I needed to know was there on the page. John and Ilana had given me everything I needed. And they give me space to explore and build on that.

Speaking of the script, what was your first impression? 

Zainab Jah: When I first read the script, I thought, Oh, this is interesting! It’s a juicy kind of psychological thriller, almost in the vein of Rosemary’s Baby. But then it’s got quite a few twists on that if you can imagine something with even more twists! And it really does. Rosemary’s Baby is one of my favorite films of all time. I love the idea of working on a psychological thriller/horror-  I’ve always wanted to do more of that. I come from a theatre background, and it was getting to the point of, you know, I love Shakespeare, but I really want to do some contemporary projects that deal with contemporary issues. I wanted to take a little break from theater and explore the medium of film and television, because it’s something that takes a different kind of muscle. This was a great opportunity that was presented to me.

With your role there are kind of two perceptions, depending on who you’re interacting with. Did you feel like you were kind of playing two different characters at all?

Zainab Jah: That’s so interesting, I did not feel like I was playing two different characters. I felt I was playing specifically what a lot of women of color go through, especially Black women, where people superimpose an idea on you, and an assumption, you know? You’re the wise person or you’re the mythical guide, or you’re just the caregiver; very maternal. And it’s like, those archetypes that are superimposed on you. So I didn’t feel like I was playing two people, although in real life, sometimes as Black women, we do feel like we’re playing multiple characters, because of what people put on us or what they expect. What I love about Grace, she’s very grounded and grounding. And she’s also very straight-talking and saying, “Listen, don’t make assumptions about me. Those are your assumptions, whatever you think you’re seeing, that’s what you’re saying. That’s not who I am. So, you know, this is why am I showing you who I am? from the beginning. I mean, it’s all about perspective, isn’t it? It really is all about perspective is saying and subjective. It’s like, who’s who’s looking at who’s making the assumption? And who’s saying what’s about home? I think in a lot of ways, this movie about perspective. Yeah, there are definitely some things that aren’t necessarily clear. And it’s kind of based on the viewer’s perception of it. But I do think that she’s definitely a more grounding force in the movie considering, especially in comparison to every other character that she comes into play with.

Absolutely. The relationship you have with llana is interesting.

Zainab Jah: It is a very interesting one, isn’t it? It really is. You know, I live in a certain neighborhood in Brooklyn, with that kind of relationship. You see it everywhere. It’s very, very common. It wasn’t unusual to me, it actually gave me a bit of a thrill, a little bit of a giggle, to think, Oh, I know these people. I see them in my neighborhood all the time. I see that that sort of slight, antagonistic, there’s a tension in the relationship there. You know, where you just think I wonder how that works behind closed doors. You know, what did it what kind of conversation do they have? And so it was fun to step into that world. To see and play with it, you know?

What was it like working with Ilana Glazer and the director, John Lee?

Zainab Jah: I love working with Llana! I mean, more than anything, I love the fact that it was one of the few times I’ve ever been on set on a production where someone is smaller than I am, because I’m usually the smallest person on set [laughs]. Finally, I’m not the tiny one on set, you know, so that was fun, but she’s also really funny! And she is powerful as a dramatic actress. Before we even started shooting she reached out to me, and we met a few times,  had lunch, we hung out a few times, spoke on the phone a few times etc, just to get to know each other and have that connection. As friends first, and that allowed our characters to really feel safe with each other. I felt comfortable enough to say what she says. And vice versa. So that was a wonderful opportunity and experience for me.  They were both wonderful. They were very collaborative, and they both worked on the script. On set they would tell me if I was completely veering off the path of what they’ve written, but they also didn’t stymie me. They allowed me to really expand and explore the character, and feel safe enough to say, “Okay, how about if I try it this way?” Or, costume, “I don’t think she would wear that. That’s not who she is.”  They were very good at listening and very good at working with me. So I was very thankful for that. Because that’s not often sometimes people get very precious about what they’ve written. It’s their baby, you know? And so it was wonderful for them to trust me with their baby.

Of course. Thanks again for speaking with me, and congrats on the film!

We want to thank Zainab Jah for taking the time to speak with us.

False Positive is now streaming on Hulu.