'I lead a wondrous new TV period drama – it's a blessing'
Three years ago, just a year after graduating from drama school, Ernest Kingsley Jr was cast as the lead in Washington Black, a period drama brimming with heart and adventure.
The high-octane TV series, which also stars This Is Us and Paradise actor Sterling K Brown, has finally launched on Disney Plus today, and the titular star admits to Metro that the whole experience up to this point has been 'surreal'.
'When they told me I got the job, it was in a meeting like this, all over Zoom,' Ernest says on our video call, explaining that a global search was conducted to find the actor who would play the protagonist, George Washington 'Wash' Black.
Sterling, who's also an executive producer on the show, showered the up-and-coming actor with 'lovely words and kind-hearted support' when the decision was announced. 'I just felt really overwhelmed. Surreal is the best word I can use,' Ernest adds.
Having previously starred in Netflix's The Sandman and the recent TV adaptation of War of the Worlds, Washington Black – based on the book of the same name by Esi Edugyan – marks his first time in a lead role.
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Set in the 19th century, the drama flits between scenes from Wash's childhood, where he's played by Eddie Karanja, and the character's present-day adult life.
Growing up on a sugar plantation in Barbados, it's apparent from a young age that Wash is a child prodigy with a keen scientific mind.
His genius is recognised by a man called Christopher 'Titch' Wilde (Tom Ellis), who takes Wash on a globe-trotting adventure when a distressing incident forces them to flee.
As an adult in Nova Scotia, a man called Medwin Harris (Sterling) acts as a mentor towards Wash, and that close relationship also carried across between the actors off-screen.
While working with Sterling was an 'absolute gift', Ernest reveals that his first day filming with the acting legend was particularly daunting, given they had to have a bit of a physical tussle.
'We had a scene where he had to kind of rough me up a bit, and he did, much to my shock. I was just there like, 'Oh gosh, okay, this is go time,'' he remembers light-heartedly.
'He just has an essence that lifts you up, his spirit lifts your spirit. To have someone like that as a workmate, but also as a mentor, a brother, a friend. It was a complete gift and a blessing.'
During a joint appearance on BBC's The One Show, Sterling went so far as to say that he believes Ernest is on the verge of becoming a 'household name'. One can only imagine how it must have felt to receive a compliment as extraordinary as that.
'[Sterling] strikes me as someone who's a man of his word. He doesn't like to say things wishy-washy. He says things that he believes in and he acts upon it,' Ernest remarks.
'So to hear him say these words, especially, 'household name', it's just crazy. I can only hug him and hug him again, and then hug him again.'
As the actor describes it, Washington Black is a 'wondrous' adventure, an odyssey of the fictional character's life that has even inspired him to do more solo travelling in the future.
However, he wasn't the only actor to experience Wash's inspiring journey first-hand, as the brilliantly talented Eddie was cast as the younger version of the lead.
'We got to spend so much time with each other. Me and him, we spent so much time playing chess together. He's amazing at chess,' Ernest remembers fondly.
'We had multiple moments to meet up with the directors, to hash out what kind of things we wanted to keep the same, little mannerisms. I think what came out of it was the essence.
'How do I keep the essence of innocence and vulnerability and joy that Eddie brought to the character so beautifully? I found some moments to watch him on set as well when I wasn't working, to learn from him and see what I could keep.'
So, who beat who more at chess? 'I'm gonna say me. Somebody could say otherwise, but I'm the only one here right now,' Ernest replies mischievously. We'll have to take his word for it.
Now the lead of his own TV show, after booking and filming his role as Kai'ckul in The Sandman when he was still in drama school, the future is looking bright for Ernest. More Trending
He's written and produced a short film titled A Love Story, which follows 'an insecure teenager who thinks he's falling in love with his best friend, but his feelings snowball into something more dark and destructive'.
Nonetheless, acting is still very much at the forefront of his mind as he progresses in his career.
'I truly just want to be a part of projects and roles that I enjoy, that I'm passionate about. Washington Black was a dream role. In terms of the hero's journey and getting to travel and just go through an adventure, that aspect of any world was a dream for me,' he shares.
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Washington Black is available to stream on Disney Plus.
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