'Utopia Falls' star Robyn Alomar on the show's relevance and use of music: 'Hip Hop doesn't hold anything back'
RT Thorne’s ‘Utopia Falls’ could be described using a lexicon of music. It is a coming-of-age drama that skillfully introduces hip hop, an ancient music form to a dystopian world in a not-so-far-away future. Staying true to its description, throughout its 10 episodes the series offers myriad factors to seek entertainment from.
The highly creative and energetic cast of actors was another highlight of ‘Utopia Falls’. Robyn Alomar, who plays the lead role, Aaliyah, caught up with MEA WorldWide (MEAWW) for an exclusive interview and shared several interesting details about her character, the audience’s reaction to the series and its relevance in the present time.
When asked the comment on response ‘Utopia Falls’ has garnered from viewers, Robyn said, “We are really emotional over it. I think that's one of the most amazing things that I felt after the series. People are reaching out. Especially Black indigenous, people of color and LGBTQ people have been reaching out saying, ‘thank you for representing me on your show. I can see myself as a hero’.”
“Oftentimes I feel like people of color are left out of sci-fi fantasy. It's like we're not even represented in the future fantasy world. But, people have really been responding well to ‘Utopia Falls’ and it makes me feel really happy because I hope that with this show they feel inspired to create their own content and whatnot,” she further explained.
Addressing the importance of creating shows that can trigger viewers though process and ‘Utopia Falls’ relevance in today’s world, Robyn told MEAWW, “I feel like it's really relevant. Especially the music that we mainly use in the series when they discover the Archive. And, hip hop is all about telling your story, talking about what's going on right now. I feel Hip Hop doesn't hold anything back.”
However, to execute such exceptional performances on the stage of the Exemplar, Robyn, who hadn’t trained in dancing in a long time, had to undergo intense training for her role. She thanked the world-renowned Tanisha Scott and Amanda May Wilson for helping her polish her skills.
Robyn’s preparation for her role included a journal for Aaliyah that she customized with memories. “I made up memories for her so that when we are changing scripts constantly on set, I always know who she is and I'm always zoned into her in her element”, Robyn explained.
The actress concluded her conversation with MEAWW talking about her future projects, during which she teased a sequel to ‘Utopia Falls’. However, she said they are “keeping it hush hush-hush.”
All the episodes of ‘Utopia Falls’ are available on Hulu.