ALISHA WAINWRIGHT DIDN’T THINK TWICE
before signing on to play Nicole, a single
mother in Atlanta struggling financially
while trying to help her gifted son (Ja’Siah
Young) thrive, on Netflix’s Raising Dion.
“You come across so many superhero sto-
ries that usually are from the perspective of
the person inflicted with the powers,” says
the 30-year-old actress. “It was so refreshing
to hear the story from the person whose
life is so dramatically affected by that: the
caregiver of that young person.”
Indeed, Dion’s “gifts” are of a supernatural
nature. (Telekinesis is one that manifests
early on in the nine-episode series, which is
based on Dennis Liu and Jason Piperberg ’s
comic book of the same name and launches
Oct. 4.) But Dion has a pretty good sense
of humor, too—a trait shared by 8-year-old
Young, who says he took the role because
“I should be a role model. And I really like
superheroes!”
The drama also stars Kevin (Probably)
Saves the World’s Jason Ritter as Pat, a close
friend to Nicole’s late husband, Mark, a
scientist who died under mysterious circum-
stances. Mark, a recurring character on the
series, is played by Raising Dion executive
producer Michael B. Jordan. As a Black Pan-
ther fan, Young says it was “amazing ” to work
with Jordan. And although he was a “bad
guy” in that movie, Young is quick to point
out that Jordan is “a good guy in real life.”