An Interview with Sh’Kia Augustin & Nijah Brenea from ‘Kold x Windy’

Sh’Kia Augustin & Nijah Brenea are a pair of accomplished actors that have appeared in a bevy of television shows in recent years such as Black Lightning and P-Valley, respectively. Currently though, this duo is starring in the new WE tv series, Kold x Windy, as Malika ‘Kold’ Wise and Renee ‘Windy’ Johnson, respectively, and we here at NTG were fortunate enough to be able to sit down with both actors to discuss this fascinating new show.  
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John Betancourt: I’d love to know, what it was that attracted both of you to this particular project.

Sh’Kia Augustin: Ah, I think the first thing that drew me to the series was the fact that it revolves around music. And my personal background is in music. I was a band kid, I was singing in the church choir, so I just I… music is honestly my first love. It's my first passion. Um, and then just the character, when I read the breakdown for Kold, I just felt like she was going to take everybody on a journey. And I felt like she was going to be going on a very, very specific journey to her. But it also just felt like a journey I've heard before, a journey and experience I… I feel like, I know Kold. I feel like I know someone like Kold I, I have someone like Kold in my family. So, I feel like just reading Kold, I felt like I could just relate to her in a different kind of way. And that's really what excited me. But also just the fact that the show just had a theme to it, and it felt like it wasn't just about trying to exploit the violence of the music, but it was also trying to just ground these women and these characters and just show you that they're not just criminals. They're not just people who commit crimes or just rap about their crimes. They are mothers, they are daughters, they are sisters, they are actual human beings who are genuinely trying to make better lives for themselves. They just aren't necessarily using all the best tactics to make that happen.

Nijah Brenea: Um, for me, it definitely was… I feel like it was a challenge. I felt like it was a thrill like, “Oh, my gosh, all these things she's done.” She's a rapper and way different from what I've done in real life and on my resume, but then it's cool, because you want to take on something that's like so different from you. But I feel like the best roles are when you find those pieces and can connect, and then become that character. So then like getting into it, I'm like, “Oh, I identify with more than I thought, I connect with her more than I thought.” It's not just something that I want to portray, because it's cool, like you are Windy. So that's what attracted me to her for sure.

John Betancourt: Now, you both brought up points that brings me to my next question. Because this show is so different from a character and writing standpoint, and I’m curious how each of you got into the mindset to play characters that operate in the gray so often. 

Nijah Brenea: Yeah, it was hard and heavy, because you take some of that stuff with you. So, like, I had dreams about some of the stuff that was going on in the script, because it was just so heavy, and you want to portray that. So, you feel that, and you take that in. But honestly, just running lines, practicing, digging, writing, talking with Sh’Kia about it, talking with the director, doing a lot of research. So that just I can just kind of breathe these lines, and everything could just feel natural, feel good. And just telling myself to that I can do it like, “I can do this.” Because you definitely need confidence in his career, you definitely need confidence in this type of role. So that it is believable.

Sh’Kia Augustin: It's interesting that you said the show operates in the gray area, because I honestly feel like that's what life is. A lot of times, we want to think that things are black and white. And I think that's why we can't get along. Because we want to make everything black and white, we want everything to be just, it's either this or it's that, and there's no gray. But oftentimes, this is where we live, we are always in the gray area. And I think that that's what makes the show so interesting. You have Kold where she's kind of living a double life. And I think some of us might live that way. Where when we're at home, we're one way, when we're with our mother, we’re one way, when we're with our significant other, we're another way, based on the relationship we have, the history we have, I may not be as nice to you as I am to this person. So, a lot of times, relationships are very complex, and life is complex. And I think that that's where the show lives in just the complexities of all that.

John Betancourt: Now something that’s come up often in this conversation today, is deeper meaning. What’s the number one message that each of you hope the audience takes away from this series?

Sh’Kia Augustin: I think they can understand that… and this is something that… and I didn't even come up with but I, in the process of speaking with the Creator, Kenny Young, he often would say to me a lot that he hopes people take from this that, “In order to grow, you need to change.” And that Kold and Windy are starting to show where they're, they're trying to grow, they're trying to expand their careers. But when you get to a certain level, you have to, like certain things do have to change, certain things do change, you do have to be more professional, no, you can bring a gun in here. Like, there are just certain things that you might do, you know, on the streets, or in a part of your drug culture that you probably wouldn't do if you're trying to go mainstream, or if you're trying to be looked at in a different light. So, I think, hopefully, people will just learn from this show, maybe even get the courage to, to make a change if they need to, because I feel like that's what these characters need, but they're just not doing it. And a lot of people sit in that place where they know changes need to be made, but they don't.

Nijah Brenea: I was gonna say the same thing that um, in order to grow, change is necessary, and that I want people to be more soft and vulnerable with themselves and forgive themselves for like, decisions that they've made. That's what I want them to take away from the show.

John Betancourt: Last question that I have for each of you today, is what are you each most proud of when it comes to your time on this show?

Nijah Brenea: I'm proud of executing these raps, these lines, in the real moments that I feel we actually had. And it being believable on screen in the amount of time that I had, and the amount of pressure that I was put under. So, I'm just extremely proud that like, I get to watch something and be proud of it. And you know, not be like… “UGH”. Like, I can actually say, like, “You did a good job.” And now I can take all of these tools from this show and carry them on to my next roles.

Sh’Kia Augustin: Um, honestly, I personally am the most proud of Nijah and I's relationship. That may sound odd, but I feel like Kold and Windy. The characters have so much tension between them. But it's nothing like that in real life. Like Nijah and I, we've grown so much as friends throughout this process. And a lot of times they you know; they try to say women can't work together and whatever. There's just bickering and cattiness or whatever. But there was just none of that, there was no competition, there was no drama, like, Nijah and I were on the same page, every single day of set. If I was having a bad day, she was like, “It's okay.” And then if she was having a bad day. I'm like, “It's okay.” Like, we were literally each other's support system. And I honestly don't think I could have gotten through this show without having her as my co-star. Girl. I just, I'm just so proud of the relationship that we've been able to develop. Because even if the show goes away, you still walk away with friends, you walk away with relationships that that can last a lifetime. So that's what I'm most proud of.

This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity. 

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