By Shameika Rhymes‍Original Source: etonline.com

OWN’s Queen Sugar may be centered around the Bordelon siblings and their fight to keep their sugarcane farm and mill churning; but Darla, played by longtime TV teen star Bianca Lawson (Pretty Little Liars, The Secret Life of the American Teenager), is a quiet force that’s breaking stereotypes by shining a light on addiction and mental illness.

Lawson was immediately drawn to the recovering addict and former prostitute who is trying to rebuild a life with her son Blue (Ethan Hutchison) and his father, Ralph Angel (Kofi Siriboe), because of “her survival instincts and her resiliency,” she tells ET. “I feel like even though her story is so sad, there is something very hopeful in terms of the worst things can happen to you, and you can do terrible things, but you can still start over. There’s hope for your life.”Embodying the character has given Lawson a chance to play what is usually deemed an unflattering stereotype for black women -- “the crack-addicted mother” often avoided by...click here to continue reading