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production on The Leftovers was ending, she started work on Season Two of American Crime, which featured a new storyline and new characters, although it used some of the same actors from the first season, including Timothy Hutton, Felicity Huffman, and King herself. This time, she played Terri LaCroix, a wealthy mother whose son is accused of rape. King, who has been back in LA since the start of the year, immediately followed up her on-camera successes by diving into her other passion: directing. In just the past few months, she's directed key episodes of ABC's Scandal as well as Shonda Rhimes's newest show, The Catch. Austin Way caught up with King to talk about her recent accomplishments, her time in Austin, and her increasing comfort in the director's chair. American Crime must have been such an interesting experience, playing two very different roles in back-to-back seasons. Regina King: They're not women you really have seen portrayed, and that just excites me as an actor. It's a welcome challenge. Within a year's time, I was able to be a black American Muslim and a black elitist. That's something you don't see too often on TV. To what do you attribute your onscreen chemistry with Outkast rapper André Benjamin in the second season? John Ridley called me while I was on vacation in Mexico, and he said, "What do you think about André Benjamin to play your husband?" I immediately said yes and thought, He'll be added to the "cool, handsome men that Regina King has had as a husband" list. [Laughs] We both have sons that are almost the same age as our son on the show; we understood that dynamic because we've both lived it. It brings even more realism to Terri and Michael's relationship. Do you think American Crime, which tackles compli- cated racial and social dynamics, is ahead of its time? This show is groundbreaking for network TV. That's part of the reason why the viewership is not as high as we would like it to be. People who watch only cable don't realize it's there, and the people who do watch networks, they're a certain type of audience. But I think that's starting to shift. Networks are going to take more risks. I wish more people were watching, so that more conversations can be had in households [across the country]. What did it mean to win the Emmy for the first season? It was special, first and foremost, because to me this show is a treasure. It was also a night with Viola [Davis, for How to Get Away with Murder ] and Uzo [Aduba, of Orange Is the New Black ] winning. That made it special. Taraji [Henson] presented my categor y, so the handoff came from her. It was like when people talk about all of the stars aligning. Winning the award itself was fantastic, but all of those little things made it even better. Since returning to Los Angeles, you've been directing television. Do you prefer that to acting right now, or are you trying to balance both? I literally wrapped directing Scandal on a Friday and on Monday I started The Catch, which is a new ShondaLand show. With directing and acting, one informs the other. The most exciting part of it is the opportunity to work with so many different people. You work with the entire crew as a director; as an actor, you don't really get that opportunity. I am directing more than I'm acting, but not because I've stopped acting. It's just that my directing plate is pretty full. I won't be back to acting until May. So it's a really fantastic balance to have. Any word on whether The Leftovers will return to Austin for its third and final season, or if you will be a part of it? It's still under wraps. I would love to come back. I think Damon Lindelof is a brilliant writer. Just how lucky am I as an actor to have the opportunity to work with Damon Lindelof and John Ridley in one year? The second season of The Leftovers was such an amazing 10 hours of storytelling that, as much as I want to be a part of it, I really want Season Three to be outstanding as well. I would not want the brilliant storytelling to be compromised just to find a way to get everybody back. I know the audience probably wants every single person to come back. When you're telling a story, sometimes it doesn't work that way. What do you love about Austin? I am actually considering moving here. I can stand those two-and-a-half months of extreme heat to live in a place where there are just so many progressive-thinking people. I was out and about in Austin all the time. I loved riding my bike around Lady Bird Lake and took a lot of great photos there. I went to Sway probably at least every week or so—it's my favorite Thai restaurant ever. I'm a huge fan of the Alamo Drafthouse and Violet Crown cinemas and was a regular at both. Not far from UT, there's Nasty's, which is a little bar, but it has a pretty big dance floor, and you can just be there in your sneakers and jeans. I'd come right after work and literally dance for hours. That would be my exercise. . "Within a year's time, i Was able to be a black american muslim and a black elitist. that's some- thing you don't see too often on tV." —regina king 82 AUSTINWAY.com throughout: Styling by trevian Kutti. hair by yvette Shelton. MaKeup by latrice JohnSon Women of poWer Women of poWer