Rhoyle Ivy King is making history as The CW’s first Black nonbinary character, Nathaniel, on the new series, All American: Homecoming.
King, who uses he/him/they pronouns, impressed series creator Nkechi Okoro Carroll so much that she expanded the role of Nathaniel Hardin, who now appears in 10 of the 13 episodes.
TV Fanatic chatted with King about breaking barriers as the first Black and nonbinary character on The CW, his love of fashion, and working with Beyonce’s Ivy Park.
Tell us how you blew everyone away at auditions of All American: Homecoming.
Thank you. Nkechi was too kind with that comment and helped make sure Nathaniel was portrayed honestly.
But I was particular with how I wanted the character to be presented in the audition. I put in a lot of work to ensure I gave what I thought was honest.
That is excellent. What has it been like playing the first Black and nonbinary character on The CW?
It’s indeed been an honor. I think what’s made it even more remarkable has been the group of people I’ve been surrounded by this entire time — the cast, the showrunner, the producers, and the writers. They have been supportive and had a beautiful dialogue in creating Nathaniel.
Without that, the character wouldn’t represent as honestly as possible. I’m just so grateful for having a team of people to collaborate with to create her.
How involved have you been in creating the character of Nathaniel?
I have had wonderful conversations with the showrunner. Sometimes I read an episode, and we’ll talk a bit, or she would send me an idea that she had, and I’m like, okay, I think that’s a beautiful thing. Let’s go ahead and dive a little bit farther into it.
It’s been an excellent dialogue that we’ve had back and forth from the beginning. So, I would say quite involved.
Have you formed a lot of genuine relationships with your co-stars? Is the series trying to break barriers, both on and off camera?
Oh, yes, my cast and I are very close, and it’s incredibly different for me. I always tell them that I’m usually the one that I go to work, I go home, but since the pilot, we have gotten very close, spending a lot of extra time together, having lots of conversations, and lots of eating.
We love to have cast dinners and go out together. I can honestly say I have formed a personal connection with each person individually outside of work, and it’s been fantastic.
So, has the cast become like a family?
Oh, definitely, and a support team for each other.
There was a scene at the end of the first episode where we start to establish family dinners, and that’s truly how we are outside of work when it comes to meeting together or even lunchtime on set. We’ll sometimes try to sit outside together and enjoy a meal. It’s very much like a family.
Oh, I love that scene. And I love that. Your character was the one that suggested dinners at Amara’s.
Oh, yes, and it’s so important, you know to sit around a table and talk and fellowship and eat. I love to eat, and we all share that in common.
So what kind of challenges have you faced, both being queer and an African-American in this industry?
Sometimes I would struggle to find myself or see myself reflected back. I would feel a little bit like I’m in the middle of something, and I could never, really pin what it was. It’s been me trying to create how I’ve always wanted to become.
It’s been very challenging to find someone and learn from the things they do. Even with this character, she alone has been such an example for me and is trying to continue developing who I want to become in this world.
So, how important do you think it is to bring representation to TV?
Oh, very important. I told the showrunner Nkechi that this character is truly dedicated to the young queer folks, someone they could see when they’re going to class every day, or they’re living their life or shaping who they are trying to become.
They can see an example of someone so sweet and empathetic to all of her friends and someone they could aspire to become like. So I think it’s imperative, especially for young non-binary people or young queer people, to know that they do not have to shrink themselves.
They don’t have to become someone they’re not or try to fit into a binary. They truly can shape their lives and their path for themselves. So that, to me, is probably the most crucial aspect of representation.
Are we going to see Nathaniel’s journey and see her fall in love?
Fall in love? I guess you’ll have to stay tuned to watch.
I guess so. You’ve become a fashion icon yourself working with Beyonce’s collection Ivy Park. Tell me about that experience.
It was so lovely. I remember it was around the Rodeo collection, and someone reached out to me as an artist who was also from Houston, and they sent me a couple of the pieces. I got to try them and do a few photoshoots, and we’ve developed a back-and-forth ever since then.
Beyonce is someone that I could say is a throughline for my entire childhood to now, so when I received that email, I was blown away. I had to read it three or four times and go, “they want me to be a part of this?”
So that has been something that truly meant a lot to me. Actually, it made me very nervous, but I was so glad to form that relationship with them.
And how are you bringing your love of fashion and style to Nathaniel and All American: Homecoming?
Oh, well, she’s a fashion icon of her own. It was so beautiful. We met her back in the pilot at a fashion show.
I love Nathaniel so much because she incorporates fashion into her life. For my characterization in backstory, I’ve used it as something that she puts on to express something about herself, whether it’s where she’s going all day, what she is getting involved in, or who she’s helping out.
I think it’s something that I use in my own life to give a glimpse of who I am as a person, or sometimes I use it to keep me focused on what I’m doing that day. I think it’s a beautiful tool and a beautiful outward expression for people to use. I love that I get to play a character that’s part of her stories as well.
I love that you style people in the show.
Later on, we get to help Simone, supporting her in getting accustomed to an Atlanta HBCU from LA. It was such a beautiful moment because when I went to college in New York, the transition was so big that it took me a good year to explore and discover my sense of style.
It was an essential part of Simone’s Journey that they helped her push forward into her new life here in Atlanta. So yes, it was something that I thought was beautiful and a lot of fun.
Absolutely. And what is your favorite part of Nathaniel and Simone and Keisha’s friendship? They are so much fun to watch.
My favorite part is how close the three of us are as soon as they say “cut!” All of the laughter and the dancing are genuinely us. Some of that quite honestly was ad-libbed and thrown in at the moment because they kept rolling on us being silly.
I’m honored to work with two ladies who are so kind and sweet, and we get to have a great time on camera and portray these three people exploring life together and becoming closer and going through challenges and being there for each other.
What advice would you give to others starting in this acting industry?
Make sure you don’t feel that you have to bring yourself into a bite-sized piece, especially for young queer actors or young black actors. I often felt like I had to shrink myself down or dial it back so that I didn’t make someone still question who I am or what I’m trying to relay.
I would say to someone, live out loud in full Technicolor because we’re living in a world and moving forward in the space where you honestly now can exist and be your entire self.
Thank you. Is there anything else you’d like to tell me because I think we have now covered just about everything?
I hope all the viewers enjoy the show. I hope they connect with one of the characters at some point throughout the season. I genuinely love my cast, and I hope you enjoyed watching us being a family on screen and off.
All American: Homecoming Season 1 airs at 9/8c on Mondays on The CW.
Laura Nowak is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on Twitter.