Daisy Jones & The Six’s Ayesha Harris on Whether Bernie is in a Love Triangle with Simone and Daisy

Awards Daily chats with Ayesha Harris, who plays Bernie on Amazon’s Daisy Jones & The Six, about her character’s backstory and that heartbreaking moment in Greece between Simone (Nabiyah Be) and Daisy (Riley Keough).

Amazon’s Daisy Jones & the Six takes some exciting liberties from its literary source material, and one of the most interesting ones is the subplot of Daisy’s best friend Simone (Nabiyah Be), a budding disco icon who comes out when she falls in love with Bernie, played by Ayesha Harris.

I had a short email chat with Harris about the origins of how Bernie came to exude such confidence in a restrictive world and whether Simone was also in love with Daisy.

Awards Daily: Before taking on this role, were you a fan of the book Daisy Jones & The Six?

Ayesha Harris: I didn’t know it existed until I read for the role! I really enjoyed the book.

AD: I love the idea of Simone having this other life outside of Daisy Jones, which includes your character, Bernie! [The book doesn’t go into Simone’s personal life.] It really illuminates the time period. Did you do any research on LGBTQ artists from the ’70s? Were some out like Bernie?

AH: I did a lot of music research to get a feel for the sound of the time, but there weren’t a lot of “out” musicians at the time. Which is why representation of women like Bernie are so welcomed and much needed in TV and film today.

AD: Why do you think Bernie is so confident in her identity during a time period that suppressed her sexuality? Did you have a backstory for her? 

AH: I do have a backstory for Bernie! And a piece of it was that Bernie had been introduced to the gay club scene during a time period in her life that she needed sanctuary from the wild era of 1970s New York City. When she realized how much family, safety, and community she experienced in the confines of the club, she also realized that this is the place she can begin to find her strength and confidence. To be brave even outside this safe place. That confidence has its own power, and she tapped into that and built herself up in the process.

AD: What was it like working opposite Nabiyah Be? You two have great chemistry. 

AH: Working with Nabiyah was beautiful. She is a woman about her work, and I just love how confident she is when speaking her mind and fighting artistically for what she believes in.

AD: In a heartbreaking moment, Daisy claims Simone is in love with her (this is because of her awful husband). I only thought Simone was in love with your character, but I wanted to find out what you thought of this.

AH: She is definitely in love with Bernie! Schoolyard manipulation tactics by Daisy’s beau! Simone and Bernie, I just love how they support one another.

AD: What’s it like seeing everyone’s reaction to the show? Has anyone from the time period reached out to you about your depiction of an LGBTQ woman in the 1970s?

AH: It’s been an overwhelmingly good reception to the show, and it’s been wild to watch, in the best possible way! No, no one has reached out from that time, but I’m open to it! I would love that.

Daisy Jones & The Six is streaming on Amazon Prime.