https://blackgirlnerds.com/legacy-and-light-j-alphonse-nicholson-on-freight-fatherhood-and-stepping-into-the-dc-universe/

J. Alphonse Nicholson has long made waves on stage and screen, from his compelling performance in P-Valley to powerful turns in Just Mercy and They Cloned Tyrone. But with his latest project, Freight: The Five Incarnations of Abel Green, Nicholson takes a transformative leap behind the camera, making his directorial debut with a deeply personal, spiritually resonant one-man show turned film.

In conversation with Black Girl Nerds, Nicholson opens up about the journey of bringing Freight to life, the ancestral grounding behind his performance, and how he’s using art to break generational cycles, on and off screen. He also discusses his role in the upcoming HBO series Lanterns, J. Alphonse Nicholson steps into a powerful new dimension, portraying John Stewart’s father, John Sr., a man forged by history, hardened by duty, and deeply layered beneath the surface.

BGN: And congratulations too on your directorial debut with this film.

Nicholson: Thanks.

BGN: What led you to go behind the camera, and what was it about this project that made you say yes to directing?

Nicholson: I’ve been wanting to get behind the camera for a while. This piece is interesting because it’s a combination of theater and film. I’ve been going to plays with my buddy Joseph since 2008 — well, really 2012. It’s been a journey, from New York to L.A.

Being a director in theater is so different from directing in film. I brought all my experience from being on set and shadowing directors for weeks, whether it was P-Valley or Just Mercy. Watching these people inspired me to want to put stories together.

I knew there was always a director in me. Coming from the stage, I had directed a few plays, including a one-man show for someone else. When you’re doing a one-man show, you’re essentially directing yourself, doing all that work at home. So that part of my brain was already working.

Bringing that knowledge into film and TV, and then partnering with Joelle Taylor—who helped me and who also worked on They Cloned Tyrone, which was here at ABFF a couple years ago, was incredible. We also brought on Lindsay Armstrong, an amazing editor who did Young. Wild. Free. Shout out to my good sister, Tabitha Brown, who came on board as our lead investor. She really made it happen.

BGN: That’s beautiful. What initially drew you to the character of Abel Green, especially given the story’s exploration of reincarnation and spiritual evolution?

Nicholson: I had been working with Howard Craft, the writer of Freight, for many years. He’s an amazing playwright and a professor at the University of North Carolina. I fell in love with his work.

Originally, Freight was written for an older man. I was 22 when he first wrote it. It started as a five-minute piece inspired by a painting—Slow Down Freight by Rose Piper. That initial minstrel piece was what I first saw, and I told him, “Brother, you gotta let me do this.” It was rich, intense, and gave me a chance to really flex my acting range.

At first, we could only perform it for five people at a time in front of the painting at a museum. I took that piece to New York, used it in auditions, and told Howard, “This should be a full-length play.” He came back five or six weeks later with The Five Incarnations of Abel Green, and I was blown away.

The piece takes you through a journey of a Black man in America from 1910 to 2010 in a witty, not-on-the-nose way. I was completely engaged. It stretched me—90 minutes on stage, solo. That became my masterclass in acting. It trained me and gave me the chops to eventually take that work to Broadway.

BGN: So well done. Was there a common emotional or spiritual thread you maintained across all five versions of Abel Green to help ground your performance?

Nicholson: Great question. The common thread was my ancestors. I could hear them and feel them while performing, especially my father and grandfather. The women in my life too, my aunties. That energy has always been a part of my work as a theater artist.

The first time I really felt it was while filming Just Mercy. I walked into a room with Michael B. Jordan and felt my dad squeeze my shoulder. Like he was saying, “You got it, baby.” That opened me up emotionally.

With Freight, you have to be grounded and breathing. You have to let your ancestors hug you through the process. It’s about making this man’s journey relatable. We’ve all been scammed. We’ve all felt duped. We’ve all worn the metaphorical “blackface” to perform.

Every incarnation — from the minstrel to the FBI informant — I could relate to. They were grounded in reality, but also playful and familiar, like people we knew growing up. And understanding their backstories deepened the performance. So yes, my ancestors, and my real-life experiences, guided me throughout.

BGN: Speaking of real life, what did you discover about yourself — emotionally and spiritually — through playing this role?

Nicholson: So much. You can’t hide from the truth in your life. If you don’t face it, you can’t move forward in a peaceful, fulfilling way or build real connections.

Being an actor — and doing Freight — taught me that. To be a good actor, you have to work on being a great person, father, and husband.

I learned I had to face fears, take accountability, and stop repeating the same mistakes. Who knows how many lives we’ve lived already? Hopefully, I can learn the lesson this time and finally reach Saturn.

BGN: Wow, powerful. We’re Black Girl Nerds, so I have to ask: You’re playing the young version of John Sr. in Lanterns. We’re excited about that series! Can you share a little bit about your character and his relationship with John Stewart?

Nicholson: I can’t share too much, because they’re keeping the show quiet. But I can say it’s been awesome to work on. I’m working with Aaron [Pierre] and Jasmine Cephas Jones, who plays my wife on the show. It’s this cool mix of a period piece and modern-day storytelling.

I’m in multiple episodes and have a strong presence in the story. I’m really excited to be in my “father bag” now playing a dad. My son just graduated 8th grade, and my stepdaughter’s at NYU studying acting. So stepping into father roles is meaningful.

We’re still filming. I just flew back from North Carolina for my son’s graduation, went to L.A. to shoot, and now I’m here in Miami. I’ll be back filming again on Friday. We’re almost done. Shooting wraps in July. I’ve got one more episode to go.

BGN: Final question. If your soul were repeating lives to learn a lesson, what do you think that lesson would be?

Nicholson: It would be to learn how to forgive your parents for the things they didn’t know how to tell you or teach you. As you get older and become a parent yourself, you realize how those things impact you.

You learn the value of being transparent with your kids so they aren’t naive to the world. So yes, learn to forgive your parents, and break the cycles they didn’t know how to.

Freight: The Five Incarnations of Abel Green premieres today at the 2025 American Black Film Festival. The festival runs June 11th – 15th in South Beach Miami.

The post Legacy and Light: J. Alphonse Nicholson on ‘Freight’, Fatherhood, and Stepping Into the DC Universe appeared first on Black Girl Nerds.