Laverne Cox on Clean Slate Cancellation: ‘A Dagger to My Heart’

Laverne Cox when put next the cancellation of her Amazon Prime Video sequence Clean Slate to taking “a dagger to [her] heart.”

“I’m still processing [the cancellation],” Cox, 52, solely informed Us Weekly on the opening of The Tryst Puerto Vallarta on Friday, April 25. “We found out a few weeks before we announced it and I cried like a baby.”

Clean Slate — which Cox created and produced with costar George Wallace and Dan Ewen — revolved round 40-year-old Desiree (Cox) returning to her small Alabama place of origin to return out as a trans lady to her father (Wallace) after a 23-year estrangement. Cox showed previous in April that Prime Video was once no longer shifting ahead with a 2nd season.

“Of course, I’ve had shows canceled before, but I’ve never birthed a show, a scripted television show. It’s been like it was my baby more than any other scripted project I’ve been a part of,” she confessed to Us. “So, it was just so close and it was loosely based on my life. So, it was devastating, and I think it was also devastating in the context of being, I think allegedly, I’m the first trans person, a star in a comedy. I saw that somewhere. I haven’t [confirmed it] — it’s sad, but it’s not unexpected in the current political environment, but it’s just sad in relationship to that.”

Aside from the “gut punch” of Clean Slate finishing so quickly, Cox stated she was once appreciative of the audience who in point of fact embraced the sitcom’s inclusive message.

“The fans who loved it, what I do want to do is shout out the fans who have been amazing online. Amazing,” she stated. “When I go out into the world, how many people have watched it without me prompting them. People just all over the country and all over the world who’ve watched it are loving it and are asking for a season two. I’m sorry, it’s not my fault.”

Cox stated she hasn’t but given up hope of discovering Clean Slate a brand new streaming or TV house, as she deliberate to “shop it elsewhere.”

Related: TV Shows That Were Canceled After Already Receiving a Renewal

The Society is simply one of the most many presentations that won a renewal — just for the verdict to be walked again. The teenager thriller drama in the beginning debuted on Netflix in May 2019 to important acclaim. Due to delays on account of COVID-19, alternatively, the streaming provider rescinded their choice to provide a 2nd season of […]

“It’s really about that connection with the audience. And you can touch one person and we touched more than one person with our show,” she added. “And so that brings me so much joy. I’m gutted personally, but then I go out in the world and we’ve made people laugh and we’ve made people think and we’ve had people like [say], ‘That’s my grandmama, that’s my auntie. Oh girl.’”

She went on, “People are seeing themselves in these characters and this is a dream for an artist. So, it’s a huge accomplishment to get a TV show on the air, as well. So, I’m literally processing this with you. So, it’s a miracle that we made it to TV, and so I have so much to be grateful for … Our fans have just [shared] the love and that is really what it’s all about. The community.”

As for what might be subsequent in her occupation, Cox informed Us that the enjoy of doing a sitcom has satisfied her to tackle much more difficult tasks.

“Doing comedy was so freeing for me in other aspects of my work and in advocacy, and I’m just, I’ve given myself permission to let go and be funny,” she stated. “Doing a show with George Wallace, doing press with George Wallace, giving myself permission to be silly and leaning into that and laughter along with that can exist with other things. So, I mean, honestly, at this stage as an artist, as an actress, I want to do something that really challenges me.”

Cox persisted, “I feel like I’ve not realized my potential as an artist, so I need something really challenging to let the children know that she’s an actress. And so something completely transformative. I have two movies. One was announced, Animal Farm, the remake of Animal Farm, that’s animated [and] I play Snowball, that was just announced. We don’t know where that home is going to be. And I have another movie called Outcome with Keanu Reeves, and that is coming out, probably, later this year.”

The Emmy Award-nominated actress added that she was hoping to “do something really different” after Clean Slate — ideally a mission she may produce.

“I’m thinking of something that’s just completely [new], I feel like I need to play a man or something. I don’t know … because people know Laverne now, and so I need to disappear into something,” she teased. “The next thing I do, I want to completely disappear into it. So ,yeah, I’m looking forward to that. I don’t know what it is yet, but I want to disappear. And so the people can really get into the talent again and get into the craft and the acting.”

Cox introduced some other large occupation shift in January when she exited E!’s award display pink carpet protection after 3 years of interviewing the most important stars in Hollywood.

“With an incredible amount of gratitude, I’ve decided not to return as host of #LiveFromE’s red carpet coverage,” Cox wrote by the use of Instagram on January 2. “I’m so incredibly proud of the work we did over my three-year tenure. I’d like to express my sincere thanks to everyone at @nbcuniversal, @eentertainment and @denofthievestv for your incredible support.”