Looking back on your amazing career, what sets Georgiou apart from the other characters that you have played before? Why is she so special or significant to you?

Ah, I think every character that I choose to play is special and different. And I think for me, that’s the most important because I need to be challenged. I need to be learning something new as an actor, as a professional. And with Emperor Georgiou, it is a very dark character. And somehow you can find a lot of humour in it. Sometimes you know, we go like, yeah, you’re allowed to laugh at that, you know, she just killed somebody. But that’s storytelling, and I approach all my different characters with that in mind: what is the story you’re trying to tell? We need to be able to tell stories not just with good characters, not just with good people, but also with villains, people with a dark side. To be able to explore that is the ultimate job of an actor.

Filming a sci-fi series like Star Trek must differ greatly from your martial arts films. How do you compare the two, especially in storytelling, action scenes, and character development?

Right. I think the most important thing is that it doesn’t really matter whether it’s a science fiction or a period piece, or a contemporary piece. The fighting is driven by the drama. So what is the drama in Section 31? Why is she doing this fight sequence? Is she trying to save the world? Is she trying to save her own neck? The most important thing is to understand where it’s coming from. And each time what we do, especially like with Chris McGuire and his amazing stunt team, is to ask, what is the story? What is the reason for this action sequence? For example, we’re trying to take this thing back from a very evil person. And in that, how do we make that fight sequence different from the others? Because, if you were in, for example, very easy in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, we’re running through like rooftops and things like that. The drama is like fighting with swords. So it’s a very particular style of fighting. Here, we still have two arms and two legs, but how do we make it look different? So with Tunde and his props, our props master, Mario, they devised, for example, the phaser that changes your molecules. So then, in that way, it’s a different style of fighting, which makes it more fun and exciting. So, it gives us different platforms to play on as well.

I think with Section 31, it was because it’s a character that I really enjoyed playing so much since Star Trek: Discovery, the TV series that I did with Sonequa Martin-Green. With Section 31, but how do we make it different? Because, you know, with the costumes, for example, Gersha Phillips, you know, with how it looks very, very different from the more leather-driven Section 31 when it was in Star Trek: Discovery. So every single time, I think, what we tried to do is, how can we be different? How can we evolve? How can we make it so that you are on a different adventure with us? I think it’s very important for our fans who have loved, especially the Star Trek family, for so many years, so that they can move with us and go like, “oh wow! I like, I enjoy that!”, you know, and give us the strength and liberty to explore and play with different things. 

What was the biggest challenge when filming Star Trek: Section 31?

Well, no, I think, it’s not so much about that. It’s challenging because that’s why you’re doing it. And the most important thing that you are learning, every day when you step on the set, you hope that your director or your fellow cast members. Everyone around you has brought something different and brought their A-game to it. And so you are able to learn and grow as a person and as an actor.

As filming technologies like CGI are evolving rapidly, how do you adjust your performance, particularly when your character interacts with elements that aren’t physically present, like in Star Trek?

Well, you find your way. For me, this time in particular, in Section 31, I walked into what we call ‘the wall’. The wall is like a whole wall of cameras where they create the illusion of the entire set. And that was the most amazing feeling because it was like I walked into the Baram, my nightclub. I thought, “How the hell did they build this set?” And as you go in closer, you realise, “Oh my, it’s ‘the wall’!” So technology does help in many ways to create an environment and now more real than before, rather than just being CG. And they say, “Oh, look right”. And you go, “What am I looking at? I’m not sure.” But there is a big thing coming at you. So it’s different. As an actor, it’s nicer when you have a real, organic feel of the set and the costumes because there are already so many emotions and things that you are imagining beyond the green screen. It gets a little convoluted.

How do you feel about the shift towards streaming platforms for major film releases, particularly for a franchise like Star Trek?

Well, this has been happening, right, the last few years. And I think the one interesting thing is it gives a lot more movies, a lot more stories that sometimes get lost along the way to be actually seen. So you know, streaming has allowed more and more visibility to some amazing projects. But still, I’m old school. I like to go to the cinema.

Do you think the evolution of streaming platforms will encourage the diversity of content or the creativity in the industry?

I think what it does is it gives, it opens more doors. And that’s what we hope, that’s what it does for us as storytellers, that there are more options, you know, to be able to showcase and to show your stories to a wider audience.

Can you tell us what you love most or enjoy most about the movie? What aspects would you like us to focus on?

With Section 31, I think you should turn your phaser on and have fun with it because it’s murder and mayhem but with fashion flair and humour, so you have to sit back and enjoy.