Art mimics life for Grammy- and Tony-winning “Hamilton” actor Leslie Odom Jr. and his wife, Nicolette Robinson (“The Affair”).
The couple starred in Freeform’s Time in Corona’s time trial (premiere Saturday at 8 p.m.), a “Love Actually” -sque limited series to several people experiencing different types of love during the coronavirus pandemic .
“Globally, this is such a unique moment for everyone,” Robinson, 32, told The Post. ‘We wanted to be able to time capsule it in a way. Because it felt like an important moment to remember the good and the bad and to try it out changed. “
In ‘Love in the Time of Corona’, they play James (Odom) and Sade (Robinson), a married couple in the middle of deciding whether they want to have a second child at lockdown. She filmed the show in her real LA home last month, using social distancing guidelines that included hiring Robinson’s sister as her production assistant – so she was the only person to set foot in the house around the cameras. to adapt.
As it turns out, even Broadway and TV stars need time to get their homes camera-ready.
“The one day before we were about to shoot, our house was a mess,” Odom said. ‘Because I do not know about you, but none of us knew how long the quarantine would last, so we were,’ Let’s take this time to organize the cupboards and the shelves. ‘Things are falling apart before you can put them back together so the house was definitely not for prime time! But somehow we got it together. ”
Both said they enjoyed turning their house into a set, with Robinson joking, “You can not beat that pendulum.”
In the original script, James and Sade met online and began dating during the quarantine. Robinson and Odom, however, asked to change the characters into a married couple. Robinson and Odom, 39, met in 2008 while auditioning for an LA production of the musical “Once on This Island,” in which Odom was assistant director alongside Billy Porter (who “takes full credit” for her partnership). The couple has been married since 2012 and had a daughter, Lucille Ruby, in 2017.
‘We told [creator Joanna Johnson], ‘If you focus on that particular story that we understand, but if we want to be a part of it, we want to make it more personal for us,’ Odom said. “Because we thought that something that comes from the heart reaches the heart. We have had certain conversations at home, and we offer that until the show. If we allowed [the audience] to look a little into something similar to our marriage can make it more relatable. ‘
For example, on the show, James responds to the February assassination of Ahmaud Arbery in February, an unarmed African-American man fatally shot while jogging, and widespread conversations about racism.
“I think one of the most valuable contributions that Nicolette and I made to the script was that this aspect of this time was also represented on the show,” he said, adding that they were “deeply” influenced. by the murder of Arbery, as well as the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, who were both killed at the hands of police.
‘As we tell a story, we add to the time capsule of what life was like at this particular time in history. We really felt that this too should be remembered. It was challenging to find the balance to reach the light, but still honor how difficult this time has been, ”said Odom. ‘At the end of the day it’s called’ Love in the Age of Corona ‘because they wanted the mirror to look at all of us and say,’ We know there has been fear and sadness and trauma , but have there not been joy either, connection? Has there been no love? ‘”
‘It will bring you closer together if you pull further apart.’
The duo said the whole experience of filming the show was beneficial to their own relationship.
“It’s a stressful time, and so it will, by nature, bring you closer together as you pull further apart,” Odom said. ‘At the top of quarantine we tried to re-commit each other and initially make up for our friendship. That we communicated so much better … it brought us closer. ”
Robinson admitted that her family could spend more time together.
‘Just two days before we started filming, I lost a whole friend to the virus. “Every day there is a different piece of news than a different concern,” she said. ‘Every day is different, and I think winning the profits and seeking the beauty in this time is just as important as recognizing the tough parts as well. That’s why I’m so grateful to be a part of this show. I think this is part of the message. ”
During the pandemic, the role of Odom as Aaron Burr in “Hamilton” also got buzz again, as a recorded version of the Broadway sensation hit Disney + on July 3rd.
‘While I was saddened by the fact that I could not be in the same room with my brothers and sisters where I made the show, and slapped her on the shoulder and told her that her work had moved me – we still have something wrong bigger with the release on Disney +, “he said.” People are at home with their kids every day all day, and these kids watch this thing a few times a week. One said it’s The Wizard of Oz ‘ to a new generation.That to be a part of it and to make this art possible with people when they needed it most … There’s no ‘bitter’ in the sweet.It turned out that it all love is. ”
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