P-Valley brings the heat. The sizzling original series on STARZ follows the lives of dancers working down in the Dirty Delta at The Pynk, a popular strip club in Mississippi.
The club’s owner, Uncle Clifford—played by the NAACP Image Award-winning actor Nicco Annan—has revolutionized television.
As a non-binary main character on the popular cable television show, the role of Uncle Clifford has simultaneously become a fictional icon, controversial figure, and hero, shifting both the stereotypes and possibilities of Black queer identity in Hollywood.
Do you want more?
Subscribe to Native Son’s newsletter for more news, information, and conversations about Black gay and queer everything.
Nicco Annan took a moment from shooting the new episodes of Season 3 of P-Valley to answer five questions from Native Son about the critically acclaimed series, all things Uncle Clifford, and to spill the tea on his new documentary series Down In the Valley.
NATIVE SON: Why does P-Valley resonate so much with the LGBTQ community?
NICCO ANNAN: “I think that P-Valley resonates because it’s not restricted to the LGBTQ community. I think that most people in the Black community have a varied experience every day. Some folks can’t afford to live in a space where they can be around gay people. Everyone can’t afford to live in Chelsea [in New York City] and work in Chelsea and date in Chelsea and shop at Chelsea at the grocery stores. So it’s inevitable that we share space and have to enter different spaces. And I think with a show like P-Valley and its stories are not limited. And I think it also resonates with people outside of our community because it gives an accurate depiction of what it is that we go through. The series highlights our experiences but also highlights our emotional landscapes.
From the creation of the story, when P-Valley first started—even as a play—it’s an ensemble piece. It’s not just about one person. Fans are drawn to certain characters for different reasons. But we are all things, so…
I love that we’re all things. Why do you think Uncle Clifford is such an important character in the canon of Black television and culture?
Uncle Clifford is important because the character itself is not ancillary. Because we haven’t had a story that featured a non-binary person as one of the leads in any show’s story. I think that it’s essential for us to see ourselves not as a second-class citizen, not as an afterthought, but as a forethought.
I also think that the character resonates so much because regardless of where you come from, you can see a part of yourself in the character or identify in the character. The character resonates because she’s reaching people who are so much like her but also so different from her. And I feel like people see that Uncle Clifford—the character—is flawed. She’s not perfect, you know. She stumbles like we all do.
How did Down In the Valley come about?
Down in the Valley came about because I had started thinking during Season One of P-Valley. What was the next thing? God told me to sit down and be still. And one day, I had an idea. I realized that I had an opportunity. You produce, I told myself, you direct, you’ve done tons of theater. You’ve choreographed on stage, on film, and on television. Make your show. So I put together a pitch deck guy, a little teaser, and shot a demo of what I would want it to look like. I went down to Jackson, Mississippi, and did that. Then, I pitched it to the network after asking Katori Hall for her blessing and thoughts as the Executive Producer and Creator of P-Valley. She gave me her blessing. There was this fervor, and people were excited. I was encouraged. As a gay man, there was a different type of revolution happening.
What do you mean by revolution?
I was experiencing people not limiting me to my blackness or limiting me to my gayness. They think of the character of Uncle Clifford, but then I also experienced a shifting perspective when they met me and realized, Oh, wait, you’re not non-binary. Wait, what are you? I’ve always been open about being gay, and that was something that I wanted to do from the very beginning. I never thought about having to not talk about my sexuality and my identity, but I think that that’s because of who I am. But also because there were so many before me who paved the way. And I feel like, Hey, I’m, I’m doing my part by walking in my genuine skin and not having only to be guarded by the rainbow flag,
What was the most illuminating episode of Down In The Valley?
When I think about Native Son, the one that comes to my mind is Episode 3, “Out The Mud,” which highlights the music artist Marley Santana, a gay rapper from one of Dallas’ toughest neighborhoods. His life is so parallel to some of the stories within P-Valley, being in hip-hop culture, experiencing homophobia, and coming to terms with his identity in his own way. That story and having that connection with him was extremely riveting.
Why is it important to highlight the Black LGBTQ experience in the South?
I think it’s important because there are so many versions—there’s not just one version. I think it’s important also because there are still Black southern people who throw their children away or ban them from their homes if they are different. And yet there are instances where people who have committed certain crimes are still welcome in their families. But if you say you are gay, you are ostracized. These stories exist.
I hope that through this type of representation, not only from the stories I’m telling but also from the man I am, you’re not limited to that part of your identity. You are more than that.
