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As Emmy Rossum prepares to return for Season 2 of Furious, she’s keeping the show’s themes close to heart.
The Golden Globe nominee, who recently joined RAINN‘s anti-sexual violence organization as an ambassador, explained that she wants to “take the shame out of the conversation” after playing FBI agent Alice Black, who has to track down a survivor of trafficking.
“I think it’s so important to continue the conversation, especially now, because sexual violence is a real problem,” she told the Associated Press. “It’s prevalent for so many women, and it will be in the room tonight, statistically. So, it’s something we must take the shame out of the conversation around it, and learn how to talk about it. I feel, growing up, that sexual violence was not something I knew how to talk about, certainly not something I would feel comfortable talking about with my family.”
Rossum added, “So, being able to partner with an organization that is helping survivors with longterm trauma, with immediate trauma, and also just helping educate us how to not just be part of the solution, but part of prevention as well. I’m talking to much younger kids about consent, and I’m seeing that start even for my daughter, who’s 5, being able to say, ‘please don’t touch my hair’ when she doesn’t want that. So, that kind of empowering language for young people, I think is incredibly important. So, educating myself and others is something I’m very passionate about.”
Rossum previously told Deadline that she spoke with real survivors of sexual violence and trafficking in researching for her Furious role, noting it was “very important for us to really show women in all of their complexity,” citing her complex character Alice.
“It’s these kinds of contradictions that don’t immediately make sense and that don’t add up to a perfect victim, in the way that our justice system likes them to be, in order to be quote unquote ‘deserving of justice,’ or in order for their story to make sense,” she said. “Trauma doesn’t make sense. Violence doesn’t make sense. The aftereffects that it leaves in you don’t make sense. And I think it was with bravery that we all marched towards the fires that [creator Liz Meriweather] set.”
In Furious, Catherine Grace (Lola Petticrew) is a survivor of sex trafficking who begins killing wealthy men, leading FBI agent Alice Black (Rossum) down a rabbit-hole of sexual abuse that goes straight to the top.
Hulu previously gave Furious an early Season 2 renewal in August ahead of the first season finale.