Brandee Evans Is Glad Her ‘Reasonable Doubt’ Character Brings More Awareness to Child Grooming (Exclusive)

Brandee Evans‘ role on Reasonable Doubt has allowed for more conversation about how boys are victims of child grooming — and the actress appreciated the chance to challenge herself with such a sinister twist.

Season 3 of the Hulu legal drama brought a new case into Jax’s life when former child star Ozzie (Kyle Bary) was accused of murdering his girlfriend, Wendy (Rumer Willis). Ahead of his trial, Ozzie revealed how past trauma — including sexual assault when he was a teenager — led to issues in his personal life.

Ozzie didn’t immediately name who groomed him but it was ultimately revealed that his manager, Monica (Evans), took advantage of him when he was 13. Monica, for her part, didn’t see it that way and up until the newest episode on Thursday, October 16, continued to defend her actions by claiming she and Ozzie were in love.

“What I love is that we’re telling the story of what is happening to young boys. Specifically, we hear so much about what happens to young girls and then we never talk about [boys as victims],” Evans exclusively told Us Weekly about bringing awareness with the season 3 story line. “That’s what I realized during my research of this role. I would talk to men and I would say, ‘Have you ever had these types of issues with an older woman?’ They’re like, ‘Absolutely.’ And they’re proud about it.”

Evans noticed how men “didn’t realize” that what happened to them as children was wrong.

“A lot of times in the communities, people are saying that it’s cool. So I’m glad that we’re bringing it to the forefront. I know it’s so hard to watch,” she added. “Honestly when I was filming, I never thought about how [Ozzie was] 13. I couldn’t. I had to always imagine this is a grown man. In my research, that’s how these women rationalized what they were doing as well. That is kind of crazy in itself.”

Before bringing the role to life, Evans devoted time to research, saying, “Being a former English teacher. I called some of my former teachers and talked to them. Then watching talk shows like Dr. Phil [with similar guests]. I was definitely doing my research, working with an acting coach and I absolutely could never think about the age. I don’t think I actually said the age until I had to really when it came time for Monica to take the stand.”

Evans also made an effort to not take the job home with her.

“I learned on P-Valley how to unplug from the Matrix. I learned how to detach. I focus on watching something on TV, working out and talking to a therapist,” she shared. “Speaking of therapists, our creator Raamla Mohamed was so amazing with making sure that we had a therapist on set at all times so we felt safe. I had done the work outside and knew how to let it go. So I didn’t need the therapist on set but she was always there. I love that we always were protected from all levels.”

There was also an intimacy coordinator present on set. “That’s what I loved on this show. We all had each other’s backs and we felt safe. We had an amazing intimacy coordinator that always made sure we felt safe,” Evans noted. “I love that they never felt like you were just going to be OK. They always had someone there to protect us.”

Thursday’s episode saw Monica and Ozzie sharing a sexually charged moment before her crimes were revealed on the stand. For now, it seems like Monica is no longer a suspect when it comes to Wendy’s murder.

“You won’t know where we’re going leading to the finale,” Evans teased. “I can’t wait because I’ve heard so many theories — and I’ve heard the right one.”

Evans also teased season 3 of P-Valley — and other roles she has her eye on.

“People are just so used to Mercedes and I love that Monica is so different. We do have season 3 coming and Mercedes is just waiting for her time to shine. Season three is life-changing,” she hinted. “P-Valley tells authentic stories, Reasonable Doubt tells authentic stories and I am [always looking for more] authentic stories. That’s what locks in for me. I do want to do some comedy and a rom-com. People are so used to seeing me do these heavy roles but I want you all to see fun Brandee.”

New episodes of Reasonable Doubt air Thursdays on Hulu.

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).