Actress and producer Gabrielle Union said her experience with being a survivor of sexual assault made her the “best person for the job” in her new role as Eva Pierre in the anthology series “Truth Be Told,” which is centered on the world’s obsession with true-crime stories. However, Union shared that despite feeling like her work on the show was also a responsibility, being on set “triggered” her for months.
It’s Season 3 of “Truth Be Told,” and the Octavia Spencer-led drama series is back with a new case for Poppy Scoville (Spencer) to tackle. This time Poppy focuses on the disappearance of several girls in a community. Union joins the cast as Eva, an outspoken high school principal who becomes embroiled in a problematic incident. Because of her personal experience as a survivor of rape, Union says she knew she was fit for the role.
“I read the script, I met with Michelle and Maisha, and I realized I’m the best person for this job,” Union said during a panel discussion at the Television Critics Association 2023 Winter Press Tour. “I have the lived experience of being a Black teen experiencing sexual violence in the Bay Area and understanding I have a very large platform, and we have opportunities like this to expand the conversation and remind people that the most marginalized people of us are the easiest to target precisely because folks don’t care about the pain of Black and Brown folks.”
Union added: “This conversation— being able to be up here to work through my own personal trauma through art, there was no way I was going to turn that down.”
This isn’t the first time Union has opened up about her sexual assault, the NAACP Image Award-winning actress initially shared she was raped in an excerpt that published by Glamour. In the interview, Union said that at age 19 she was raped at gunpoint while working at a Payless shoe store — which is where “Truth Be Told” is shot. Since then, Union has used her platform to speak out about the incident in hopes of helping educate people about sex trafficking and sexual assault. While she has embraced being a survivor of sexual assault, Union said working on this season of “Truth Be Told” was a “trigger” for her.
“I’ve been talking about my rape publicly for 25 years, but that’s first person account,” Union began. “To fictionalize it and figure out a way into the character using my experience, I didn’t know what was going to happen. It was my first time ever doing that — that kind of deep, deep work. Every day was a trigger. “
Union continued: “There are literally locations that are part of my past, as it pertains to my rape. Every day was a trigger. To be triggered for months on end, it literally frazzled— everything I had ever used to cope did not work.”
At the end of Season 3 production, Union said her friends surprised her with a “rebirth” trip to Malibu where she was able to get a “fresh start” and move past the emotional and mental weight of the role. Union went on to say that he she hopes the show will shed light on sex trafficking and help survivors move forward after their assault.
“When you talk about how do you heal and what kind of resources do these folks need when they are saved when you do find them, it’s not one-size-fits-all,” Union said. “Hopefully through our accurate, but loving, respectful depiction of the reality of human trafficking, and the immediacy and the urgency that we are giving people to help people get on the road to healing and knowledge of how to save themselves and each other.”
“Truth Be Told,” created by Nichelle Tramble Spellman, stars Spencer, Mekhi Phifer, Merle Dandridge and Union. Spellman, Spencer and Maisha Clossman serve as executive producers, with Clossman as showrunner.
Season 3 premieres on Apple TV+ Friday, Jan. 20.