Twenty-five-year-old newcomer Adia never really imagined becoming a movie star. Growing up, she was focused on becoming a professional dancer before a hip injury derailed that dream. That’s when the high school senior discovered acting.
I was like, ‘Ok, I’ll go out to L.A.” Adia has two other major screen credits on her resume — she made her acting debut in the Netflix series “The Midnight Club,” created by Mike Flanagan and Leah Fong, followed by the HBO Max series “Full Circle,” which was directed by Steven Soderbergh. The film follows Latif as he navigates single fatherhood, including a desperate search for breast milk for his infant daughter. Adia plays Latif’s strong-willed teenage daughter Fatiha, who is forced to grow up quickly as she helps her father care for her younger brother and sister.
But when we see them being portrayed on screen, generally speaking, they are not [complex]. They’re pretty black and white. Then also having to rise to the occasion to be in a maternal role to her siblings.
Here is a character with depth, with real emotion. She’s experiencing real-life things in real time and having to navigate them with a 15-year-old brain.” “Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother” will be released theatrically by Amazon MGM Studios and Orion Pictures. The film debuts in NYC/LA theaters on Sept. 25, followed by a nationwide rollout in October.
Adia auditioned for the part over Zoom, then Tariq flew to D.C. to meet her during a 30-minute break she had from her classes. (Adia was studying in a film program with acclaimed Ethiopian filmmaker Haile Gerima.) “We didn’t talk too much about the role, but he asked me, ‘How do you envision Fatiha coming to life?’” she recalls. So we talked a bit about how Fatiha is the call to her father to parenthood, to come forth and be present.” The final step in the process was a chemistry read with Ali. But I was like, ‘Get the screams out now so that you can be a regular ass bitch on this call, Adia.
You’re going to work, so please act accordingly,’” she recalls, laughing. It was kismet that she and Ali were finally meeting, since she’d auditioned to play his daughter in another project a year prior but didn’t get the part. (“So that was wild, that here I am auditioning again,” she said.) And once she was in the room with Ali, it wasn’t difficult to get in work mode. And thankfully Mahershala loves doing what he does, and so it was magic.” The role came at the time Adia was undertaking another passion — training for her doula certification.
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