New Delhi, Jan 14 (PTI) Actor Melissa Barrera, best known for her roles in the “Scream” movie franchise and “In the Heights”, says America is a country built by immigrants but they have to constantly prove that they belong.
The Mexican actor, who stars opposite Simu Liu in the espionage series “The Copenhagen Test”, said a person is considered American if they are white, while everyone else is hyphenated American.
“I think it’s a very real thing. This country, the United States, is a country of immigrants. There are a lot of communities that have built this country, and yet I feel like I can speak for myself and my experience living here – and I think a lot of people would agree – that it’s a country that constantly reminds you that you’re another.
“It’s like this thing, right? If you’re American, you’re white, and everyone else has a hyphenated American. You’re Chinese-American, Mexican-American or Native-American,’ Barrera told PTI in a virtual interview.
In “The Copenhagen Test”, this complexity is explored through the eyes of Liu’s character Alexander Hale (Liu), a Chinese-American agent whose brain is hacked and he must prove his loyalty to the country.
“It is what Alexander’s character is going through. There’s a deeply ingrained feeling of not belonging or not being American enough, and I think that’s the big centre point of the story.
“His character really wants to belong and really wants to be seen as someone who is fully American and trustworthy, and that’s what propels the story – that yearning of Alexander to be like, ‘I’m not a traitor. I need to prove myself’,” said Barrera, who plays an undercover agent in the show, currently streaming in India on JioHotstar.
“The Copenhagen Test”, created by Thomas Brandon, is set in the near future and follows Hale whose brain is hacked, allowing the hackers access to everything he sees and hears. He then goes on a mission to find the perpetrators and prove his allegiance.
Asked whether she shares the anxiety about modern technology and how deeply entrenched it is in everyday life, Barrera joked that she is always trying to delete certain applications from her phone.
“I’m always like ‘oh I’m going to delete them off my phone,” she said.
Her co-star Liu chimed in, saying, “And then I go on and then I go on Instagram and I’m like seven stories from Melissa Barrera.” Barrera said the show will not make people anxious as it is a fun, character-driven and edge-of-the-seat thriller.
“… (However) This hack of a brain doesn’t feel that far away from something that could happen in our world. I think as humans, we love seeing things that are set a little bit into the future. I feel like there’s a possibility of that,” she said.
“The Copenhagen Test” also stars Sinclair Daniel, Brian d’Arcy James, Mark O’Brien and Kathleen Chalfant. PTI RB BK RB RB
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.