Sterling K. Brown and Ernest Kingsley Jr. deliver compelling performances in “Washington Black,” the new eight-episode limited series based on Esi Edugyan’s acclaimed novel. 

Set in 19th-century Barbados and Nova Scotia, the story centers on George Washington “Wash” Black, an 11-year-old boy forced to flee a sugar plantation after a shocking death turns his world upside down. 

Kingsley Jr. steps into the role of Wash, while Brown plays Medwin Harris, a man who overcame a traumatic childhood as a Black refugee in Nova Scotia and now serves as the de facto mayor of Black Halifax. Medwin is a leader devoted to his community until Wash enters his life, awakening something deeper and more personal.

In a conversation with BET.com, the two stars opened up about what freedom truly means to them and the impact they hope the series will have. 

“Man, that's a great question because I think what we learned from the show is that we are beyond literal bondage and literal chains,” Brown said. 

“There is the sort of imprisonment that is your own conditioning and your own thinking, your own frame of mind, right? So truly free, like you have to be free in your mind first so that the rest of you can be free.” 

He added, “With regards to Hollywood... triumph and disaster are two imposters and you try to treat them both the same.” 

Brown also spoke about the emotional moments that have marked his career, particularly wrapping “This Is Us.” 

“We had this whole train motif that ran throughout the last episode. I remember my man who played the youngest version of me was just balling. I got a chance to pick up this little boy and just hold him and tell him it was going to be okay.”

Kingsley Jr. reflected on the legacy of Black actors’ shoes he’s stepping into and shared who inspires him most. 

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“I would say Daniel Kaluuya. To be honest, I just feel like he's a phenomenal actor. He's someone who makes his own work, writing his own things and curating his own work. He’s paved the way for Black British actors as well in terms of roles we can do now. I’m very grateful for him. He’s incredible.” 

When asked what he hopes “Washington Black” sparks for young Black boys watching around the world, Brown shared, 

“I hope that all members of the diaspora sort of see themselves in each other, right? I feel like there's this sort of ongoing thing that Africans and African Americans don't necessarily get along really well... At the end of the day, there's a lot of stuff that really ties us together and makes us more similar than different. I'm tired of Black folks trying to find ways of segregating themselves from each other. It's time for us to just come together.”

And when asked what he's still learning to forgive, particularly about the industry or himself, Brown didn’t shy away from honesty. 

“I think I've made a lot of peace with this industry. I used to question if I would have had the same number of opportunities if I had a different skin? Or if I was born during a different time. I've been dealt the cards that I have and I'm comfortable with the cards that I have. I've made peace with that.”

You can stream all eight episodes now on Hulu.