Star on The Rise Maryam Basir discusses season 2 of Lace on ALLBLK

After the catastrophic events of the previous season of Lace, the world of Lacey McCullough (played by Maryam Basir) has been plunged into chaos. Maryam Basir recently visited The Official Black Magazine to provide us with the latest updates on what to expect from Lacey this season. She shared exciting details about what is in store for us. Additionally, she discussed her experience in portraying the character of Lacy McCullough and how she is redefining the representation of women in positions of leadership. 

Cox: When it came to getting cast as Lacey in season one, did you feel that, stepping into this character, there were more similarities than differences, or vice versa? 
Basir: I think whenever you cast an actor as a character, you see something of them in that role. It was both parts: I have to become Lacey, and she must become me. There are things she does that I definitely wouldn’t do. But then there are times when she handles situations just the same way I would. I kind of actually learn from Lacey because she is a tell it like it is person.  
 
She is strong and prolific, and I can tap into that in my personal life. I like that because we are taught to be more humble than anything. But with Lacey, she doesn’t care about being nice. She is spicy and sassy, which makes portraying her so fun. And I like that I do have parts of my personality that can go there too. 

Cox: I like that the show demonstrates how misogynistic the world, especially in corporate America, can be towards women. They can’t handle Lacey. 
Basir: You know, I think it’s because in this world, men are taught to lead, and women are taught to follow. So, when you get a woman in power, they view her leadership as masculine when she is assertive. With Lacey, it’s important for me that we show that she can lead and be soft at the same time. How she is as a leader can be described as feminine and does not have to be associated with masculinity. She can be strong while still being feminine. 

I remember reading a study that showed men are more likely to list all their accomplishments while women aren’t. You know it’s because if a woman does it, she is labeled as bragging too much. But when a man does it, he is confident in his accomplishments. That’s what I love about Lacey, because she is showing women, especially young women, that they can be unapologetic in their approach to life.  
 
Cox: Lacey shows us what leadership can look like for a woman with balance. 
Basir: She shows us that when it’s time for business, she can be firm and strong and get her point across. And when it’s time for her personal life, she can be soft. That’s what femininity is about, because it’s layered. It’s not all the same for us; we treat each situation differently. 

Cox: How would you compare season two to season one? What are we in store for? 

Basir: You all are in store for much more with Lacey in season two. In season one, when you were introduced to her, you saw her making everyone’s issues and problems go away. She could handle all that for everyone except the personal problems she had in her own life. 

And in season two, because of what she was doing, she had developed a lot of enemies. Her enemies are all closing in on her. Lacey is kind of going into a downward spiral. Her faith in her future is now in question because everything in her world is out of balance. Her right-hand man has disappeared without a trace, and on top of that, her personal relationships are in turmoil. The loyalty of her team is also in question. 

So much is going on for Lacey, and she is in danger of losing custody of her child. There is just a lot going on in season two. 

Cox: She is doing a lot of things to help her mother get out of prison. In one of the clips, a lady compares her to her mother. Do you think they have a lot in common? 
Basir: Lacey has a lot of her mom’s ways. But I have to say her mom is a beast when it comes to things. Much more than Lacey. She’s worse than her, and it’s crazy to see. And if we are completely honest, the reason she became an attorney was to get her mom out of jail. That’s been her entire mission. I don’t want to give too much away, but you will get to see more results from her efforts. 

Cox: Now that you have gotten to know Lacey from season one, did you add extra layers to her for season two? 
Basir: Absolutely! This season, I leaned into my friend Sue, who is a young, beautiful, and Black attorney. I interviewed her because she gets the job done effortlessly. I asked her questions to get more insight into her role and how she handles things. She mentioned to me that she has these pairs of shoes that she wears whenever she is working to close a client. Those little details she shared helped me bring Lacey to life more this season. 

I wanted to bring the words to life and make her a real person. I created memories of her childhood, wrote down what her morning routine would look like, and even listed other reasons why she became an attorney. It was important to understand the flaws and experiences that made her into the woman we see on screen. All of this shapes us in real life, so I had to apply that to develop Lacey even more.