Joy Sunday Lives Without Fear

Joy Sunday can trace her love of acting back to her childhood in Staten Island. The now-29-year-old actress remembers spending hours in front of the TV, once or twice a week, watching movies while her sister did her hair. Her family stayed true to their Nigerian roots, usually opting for a production out of the country’s booming film industry, Nollywood. Perched on her sister’s lap for their at-home salon sessions, Sunday found herself in awe of the drama, humor, and possibility she saw onscreen. The performers exhibited “such energy and vivaciousness,” she recalls. “I credit them so much for who I am as a performer when it comes to gravitas, presence, and timing.”

It’s these qualities that Sunday channeled in her breakout role as Bianca Barclay on Netflix’s series Wednesday. After playing smaller parts in projects such as 2020’s Bad Hair and 2021’s Dear White People, the popular streaming series put her on the map as Nevermore Academy’s reigning siren, who can bend others to her will. Initially introduced as Wednesday Addams’s (Jenna Ortega) rival, Bianca eventually becomes the titular character’s ally against threats to their school. She also confronts her upbringing in a swindling cult called Morning Song, which she escaped before enrolling at Nevermore.

Wednesday was an instant phenomenon after its debut in 2022, becoming Netflix’s all-time global most-popular series—a title it continues to hold today. So while filming season 2, which was released in full on September 3, Sunday felt some pressure. “I was really nervous,” she admits. “Season 1 was such a hit, and I think we were all eager to make that happen again.”

The experience marked Sunday’s first time returning to a role, and the storyline presented a new challenge for Bianca and her mother, Gabrielle (Gracy Goldman), as they dealt with the aftermath of reporting Morning Song to the FBI. “It was important to make sure Bianca still felt fluid and was growing and developing, despite being stuck in her situation,” she explains. “I worked to make sure I had an intimate understanding of her.”

Now that the show’s second installment is out, Sunday admits that she feels “relieved” after seeing fans’ “love and enthusiasm” for it. Details about season 3 remain under wraps, but it’s safe to say viewers would welcome Sunday’s return.

But the actress is also looking forward to showcasing a different side of herself in HBO Max’s upcoming limited series, DTF St. Louis. The dark comedy, starring Jason Bateman, David Harbour, and Linda Cardellini, centers on a love triangle between middle-aged adults that winds up with someone dead. Sunday will play a character named Jodie Plumb. “I can’t share too much, but what I can say is that DTF changed my life,” Sunday says. “It really nurtured me and grew me into the actor that I am today, six months later.” She adds that the show is “a very different lane” for her, but the opportunity to stretch her skills as an actor built her confidence and boosted her love for the craft.

Sunday’s creative pursuits have taken her behind the camera as well. After receiving theater training at New York City’s famed LaGuardia High School, she studied filmmaking and directing in college, graduating from the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts with an honors degree in Critical Studies in 2017. She also recently flexed her directing skills, working with YoungArts, a Miami-based nonprofit that mentors young creatives, to direct the organization’s latest TakeOne videos, featuring improvised performances by YoungArts award winners who reimagined Lauryn Hill, Lady Gaga, and Bruno Mars songs.

“​​I hope to see a rebirth of independent cinema,” Sunday says of her vision for the future of the entertainment industry. “Artists should be able to create at any moment. I hope that a lot of the roadblocks that they face today can fall so that we can be in community with each other more.”

Denée Benton from The Gilded Age. We met once and decided we’re best friends. There are few of us young, dark-skinned Black actresses of our age in Hollywood, so it was nice to connect with her. I got to see her onstage in Pericles at the Public Theater in New York City, and she has a magnetic presence. She’s a wonderful spirit. I’m really excited and looking forward to supporting her, and I hope the world gets to know more of her.

I’ve been doing a lot of Ronny Kobo recently. Hermès. [Laughs.] Sounds crazy. I mean, I’ve always been a thrift girl, so a lot of my stuff isn’t new off-the-rack. But those two have really stood out to me recently. I also buy my friends’ brands—shoutout to William Ru and Bureau of Everything. I feel like fashion’s back. Identity is back, style is back. I love a very specific, unique item. So if a brand is making a lot of those items, then I’ll probably be rocking them.

Chicago. That will always be my answer.

Twin Peaks and Walking Dead, because all I wanted to do was be related to Danai Gurira. And also Pirates of the Caribbean.

Lauryn Hill or Nina Simone. There’s also a South African pop star named Brenda Fassie, who I would love to play.

Jodie Comer and Jodie Turner-Smith. The Jodies are doing well, and I’m about to play a Jodie, so I’m on my way.

Michaela Coel.

It was actually in high school. We had a musical theater class my junior year. And at that point, I had kind of given up on acting. I had developed this debilitating stage fright, which obviously does not do well with acting or singing, both of which I had to do for this class. But as we were leading up to our final [performance], where we had to perform in front of an audience, I just remember really locking in and saying, “You know what, this is your moment. Just knock it out of the park, sing this song that you love, and don’t worry about it.” And I remember belting out the final note and being clear and grounded, and everybody being really surprised. That was really special. Of course, I was singing a Chicago song—I changed it to “Mrs. Cellophane” from “Mister Cellophane.”

Just say the words.

Quitting my job at Paramount almost 10 years ago to be an actor. I was an assistant to creative executives. I had gone from an intern, to being the de facto assistant because one of the assistants left suddenly, so I filled the role.

I have to credit the show Lie to Me with Tim Roth. I latched onto it and was like, “I understand acting. It’s just about body language.” [Laughs.] I just remember really loving the show and taking a lot from it.

“Live without fear.”

The Book of Form and Emptiness by Ruth Ozeki.

Lady Gaga. She’s really cemented herself.

Busgirl at a restaurant.

Be character-forward. Know who you are when you wear something.

Languages. I’m not fluent, but I’m very good at catching on. I studied Japanese and French. I picked up some Romanian, also, when I was there filming Wednesday—that was fun.

Christian Bale.

My makeup artist, Paul Blanch.

If I had [a TikTok account], probably baby and dog videos.

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