In Is God Is, Sterling K. Brown steps into one of the darkest roles of his career, portraying a father whose violence leaves a permanent mark on his family. Directed by Aleshea Harris, the film follows twin sisters Racine and Anaia, played by Kara Young and Mallori Johnson, respectively, as they set out on a revenge-driven journey after surviving a brutal childhood shaped by fire, abandonment and lingering pain. Years earlier, their father set their mother ablaze in front of them, leaving the twins physically and emotionally scarred — a trauma that fuels the story’s emotional core and the mission they are asked to carry out.
Blending dark humor with a heavy family history, Is God Is explores how pain can take different forms, even when two people experience the same moment. Brown’s character sits at the center of that tension, a villain whose presence looms long before he appears on screen. As the twins grapple with what justice looks like, the movie raises questions about rage, survival and what it means to take control after everything has been taken from you.
In this exclusive interview with REVOLT, Brown opens up about tapping into that darkness, embracing the film's layered themes and why original projects that tell Black stories like this matter.
Is God Is gives us a clear villain, but it also shows how trauma affects everyone around him. Why did you want to tap into that kind of complexity as an actor?
I did it because when I read the script by Aleshea Harris, I thought that this was something unique and powerful that had Black women front and center, and I was excited for this story to be in the world, right? Um, we're often relegated to the sides, we’re often asked to be sort of the voice of reason, or either like a sassy friend or something like that. And I was like, no, these women get a chance to be messy and complicated, but also take agency. And I was like, yeah, this is part of the landscape of Black stories that sort of expand us and does not allow people to put us into, like, a neat and contained box. That’s why.
How did you do it?
How did I do it? Oumou, I'm kind of crazy, but not crazy enough to burn people. But I understand… A teacher of mine, Ron Van Lieu, would say that the way that you present yourself to the world means that you also understand the opposite, because you're making deliberate choices to be a certain way. So, you also understand what the antithesis of that is. So, I think by living in the light, and I try to live in the light as much as possible, it also means that I have an understanding of the darkness. I know that's scary, right? But it's true.
And I feel like in terms of the how is, like, I understand the dark. Even though I don't live this in my own personal experience, I understand the frustration that Black men and women can have with one another in terms of a patriarchal society and a matriarchal Black community because of the disenfranchisement of the Black family. And a lot of Black men [are] sort of struggling [with feeling] like, “Where do I get to be a man?,” “Where do I get to be in charge?,” “How come I can't be in charge?” or “I see white dudes get to be in charge in their families, how come I don't get to be in charge in mine?” And so I think that is the thing that sort of justifies in the mind, “Well, if I don't get a chance to be in charge of my family, then maybe I just have to start over again.”
You’ve played a lot of emotionally layered characters. What felt different about stepping into a story centered around revenge?
I feel like this movie does not function in a literal sense. Like, it's not realism. I feel like this movie is heightened and explored. I also think, because it started off as a play, that there is a natural theatricality that if you don't embrace, you sort of miss the point of the film. It's film, so you try to do it naturalistically, but it's also recognizing that, like, this is bigger than just, like, a regular dude to a certain extent. Our main protagonists also exemplify the light and dark within their own womb. You know what I'm saying? Racine and Anaia — they're allied in that they're together through the whole thing, but they don't necessarily want the same things throughout the whole thing, right? I don't know if that answers that question, but it's big.
Black storytelling is expanding. What excites you about projects like this that aren’t trying to fit into traditional expectations?
We need something new, man. I love the [Marvel Cinematic Universe] and the [DC Universe] as much as the next dude, right? But I also love original stories, and I feel like a lot of studios, to a certain extent, it's a bigger bet for them to do original stories because it's like, do we put it in the theater? Do we put it on a streamer? A lot of people are asking, “What does it take to incentivize people to leave their homes to go to the movies?” Right?
And so, they want to go back on what's tried and true, proven and known IP. So, to take a chance on a new story that they think is worthy of a theatrical release is a big deal. It's a big deal to make a Sinners. It's a big deal to make an Is God Is because you don't know, but you're hopeful, right? I feel like the more chances we take… You can't stop making new stuff, [which] is basically what I'm trying to say. Because otherwise, we start regurgitating the same things over and over again. And stuff gets played. I don't wanna live in a world where I'm just doing what other people have already done. I wanna make something new.
After stepping into a role this intense, what’s something you do to reset or bring yourself back to a lighter headspace?
My boys help me very much. This 14-year-old and 10-year-old that I love and watching them play. One plays soccer, the other one plays basketball and football. That helps me a lot. I like beating them up in ping pong because I'm still the best in the house. And I hope that it lasts for, like, another 10, 20 years. Watching stuff, right? I was just watching “Funny AF” on Netflix because I like comedy. But exercise, meditation, like, it's not hard because I don't want to carry around negativity in my life. Like, the way in which I wish to influence people is very specific, and it's not the way that the man makes people feel in the context of this movie. So, I just get back to what I know to be true, which is the fruits of the spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control. That's what I want people to feel when they're in my presence.
What’s your version of “harmless revenge” when someone gets on your nerves in real life?
When my wife does stuff to me sometimes throughout the course of the day, I haven't done this in a while, I will take toilet paper and roll it up and stick it in her nose while she's asleep and make her sneeze (laughs).
That’s crazy (laughs).
I told you, light and dark.