{"id":115799,"date":"2021-11-18T08:10:47","date_gmt":"2021-11-18T13:10:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/?p=115799"},"modified":"2024-01-04T14:43:49","modified_gmt":"2024-01-04T19:43:49","slug":"ddn-wright-state-grad-appears-in-hbo-max-series-sex-lives-of-college-girls","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/2021\/11\/18\/ddn-wright-state-grad-appears-in-hbo-max-series-sex-lives-of-college-girls\/","title":{"rendered":"Dayton Daily News: Wright State grad appears in HBO Max series \u2018Sex Lives of College Girls\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

Excerpt<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

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Renika Williams portrays Willow in the HBO Max series “The Sex Lives of College Girls.”<\/p><\/div>\n

Dayton native Renika Williams is among the cast of Mindy Kaling\u2019s HBO Max series \u201cThe Sex Lives of College Girls,\u201d streaming beginning Thursday, Nov. 18.<\/p>\n

Set at New England\u2019s elite Essex College, the highly-anticipated comedy chronicles four college roommates. A bundle of contradictions and hormones, these diverse young women from different racial, educational and socio-economic backgrounds are equal parts lovable and infuriating as they live out their new, free lives on campus.<\/p>\n

The Trotwood-Madison High School and Wright State University acting graduate portrays the featured role of Willow, a bold, confident sophomore and member of the Essex soccer team who grows close to Whitney, one of the aforementioned leading characters portrayed by Alyah Chanelle Scott (\u201cThe Book of Mormon\u201d).<\/p>\n

\u201cWillow is proud, queer and the life of the party,\u201d said Williams, who filmed the series last spring in Los Angeles. \u201cShe\u2019s always ready to turn-up and have a good time. She\u2019s a certain extension of myself that I don\u2019t get to show. She\u2019s not afraid to be loud and say what she wants. I think it\u2019s really important that all different types of Black people are shown on screen. It\u2019s super important to have queer Black representation on television, characters who are not shy about who they are but supported in who they are. I feel so much responsibility to tell this story and I feel honored as well to tell this story.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Emmy-nominated Kaling (\u201cThe Office,\u201d \u201cThe Mindy Project,\u201d \u201cNever Have I Ever\u201d) co-created the series with Justin Noble (\u201cBrooklyn Nine-Nine\u201d). Williams says the duo captured an authentic essence of college sensibilities and perspectives.<\/p>\n

\u201cMindy and Justin have created a colorful cast in every sense of the word \u2013 not just in complexion but in identity and sexual orientation,\u201d she said. \u201cThere are characters on this show that are into comedy or sports or science. There are nerds and there are frat boys. The show is a great representation of real college. You go to college and meet so many people who are not like you, which is one of the most beautiful parts of college. College is about stepping out of your hometown bubble to realize there are other people in this world who think differently than you or think just like you but they look differently than you. This is a coming-of-age story, but it\u2019s different. It\u2019s a coming-of-age story that\u2019s bolder and louder. It\u2019s about all the mistakes you make growing up, but at the same time, the freedom to do so.\u201d<\/p>\n

In many respects, Williams sees Kaling, a Dartmouth alumna, as an inspirational force for female empowerment, paving the way for actresses in Hollywood to stand in their truth from beliefs to body image.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s giving women a chance to be funny,\u201d Williams said. \u201cHer whole life\u2019s work is to put women in the forefront. She lets us be loud and messy in whatever we have to say. It\u2019s great to be able to play a girl that\u2019s imperfect. And I love how the women in this cast are not just skinny sticks. We\u2019re all beautiful in our own way. In general, the body positivity has been appreciated.\u201d<\/p>\n

Before joining \u201cSex Lives of College Girls,\u201d Williams appeared in the world premiere of C.A. Johnson\u2019s coming-of-age comedy \u201cAll the Natalie Portmans,\u201d which opened in February 2020 at off-Broadway\u2019s MCC Theater. She was also seen off-Broadway in Johnson\u2019s drama \u201cThe Climb.\u201d Her credits include Indiana Repertory Theatre\u2019s \u201cPipeline,\u201d Cincinnati Shakespeare Company\u2019s \u201cA Raisin in the Sun,\u201d Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park\u2019s \u201cTo Kill a Mockingbird,\u201d National Black Theatre\u2019s \u201cSweet\u201d and Wright State\u2019s \u201cRomeo and Juliet\u201d and \u201cHarvey.\u201d<\/p>\n

Looking back on her training at Wright State, she is particularly grateful for the valuable guidance from associate professor Marya Spring Cordes, senior lecturer Jamie Cordes and retired professor Bruce Cromer. She says she never felt unseen, a considerable plus of attending a smaller university.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love my Wright State family,\u201d Williams said. \u201cI know a lot of people who attend larger acting programs and feel super overlooked, unable to be in productions until they are juniors. What I love about Wright State is that the classes are intimate and the instructors truly know you and get to know you over the course of four years. They try to make sure the experience is catered to your individual gift.\u201d<\/p>\n

After graduation, Williams, cousin of comedian Katt Williams, intended to start her career in Chicago, but admits her deep faith led her to move to New York City instead. Four days after becoming a New Yorker, she booked the aforementioned \u201cSweet.\u201d Through perseverance, determination and capitalizing on connections not only within the New York theatre community but various regional theatres, she is excited to have experienced her first big break.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m here because of God\u2019s grace,\u201d she explained. \u201cBeing in alignment actually pays off in bigger ways. I\u2019d rather be guided by spirit than to make any decision on my own.\u201d<\/p>\n

View the original story at dayton.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Dayton native Renika Williams is among the cast of Mindy Kaling\u2019s HBO Max series \u201cThe Sex Lives of College Girls,\u201d streaming beginning Thursday, Nov. 18. Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":23,"featured_media":115807,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[730],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-115799","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-wright-state-in-the-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/115799","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/23"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=115799"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/115799\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":145237,"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/115799\/revisions\/145237"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/115807"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=115799"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=115799"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=115799"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}