Ramy’s MaameYaa Boafo Wants to Be More Like Zainab in Real Life

Despite how egregiously Ramy’s titular character betrays his fiancée Zainab in the season-two finale — cheating on her with his cousin the night before the wedding, marrying Zainab anyway, and telling his new wife about his infidelity only after they consummate their relationship — actor MaameYaa Boafo wasn’t expecting a Team Zainab to form among the show’s viewers. “Ramy would text me comments people would make on Twitter, like, ‘I can’t believe it! Justice for Zainab!’� she remembers. “I felt like, Okay, people want to see more of Zainab as well. They need closure just like I do!�

That closure arrives toward the end of the series’ third season in the form of a stunning plot twist: Zainab gave birth to a daughter, Amina, and has been keeping her secret from Ramy in the two years since their divorce. Until this point in the season, Zainab is discussed but not seen: Ramy owes $100,000 for her dowry, he’s lying to his family about why they divorced, and he feels spiritually destroyed after so profoundly hurting the woman he thought he loved. Zainab’s return in episode eight comes as a surprise for viewers — who learn of the existence of Ramy’s daughter before he does — that’s even more shocking when they discover Zainab’s not sure she wants him to meet their daughter at all.

But Zainab knows Ramy better than anyone else — even better than her father, Ramy’s former spiritual adviser, Sheikh Ali Malik (Mahershala Ali) — and can’t hide the child once Ramy learns about her from a shared acquaintance. When the one-time spouses finally reunite in the finale, “We Gave It All Up for Hot Dogs,� so Ramy can meet Amina, Boafo wields a relatable mixture of bemusement and disgust at the man who’s spent the season chasing wealth and neglecting his faith. Zainab’s composure felt natural because of the strength of the writing. “I could relate to what it must feel like to be the daughter of someone well respected in the community, to represent the Sufi Center, to represent my family, to be an upstanding citizen,� Boafo says. “It all fell into place.� But in the third season’s graceful execution of Zainab’s secret, Ramy also allowed Boafo’s character space to get angry and vulnerable via a situation the actress calls “a beautiful mess.�

When you were filming the season-two finale, did you know you would be back for season three?
I didn’t know. I was hoping it wouldn’t be the end, because I was like, “I need closure!� When I first met Ramy during season two, I had my audition and callback online. When I met him in person the day before we started filming, he tells me, “We’re going to get married, and I’m going to leave you in a certain way.� And I was like, “Wait, wait, hold up. Let me breathe! What happens?�

Did you anticipate that closure for Zainab would include a baby reveal? The season is structured to maximize that surprise. 
Ramy’s always finding new and interesting ways to get himself in trouble. Once I got the script, I was like, Oh, okay, we’re going there! It’s a way to see if Ramy is going to be responsible now or if Zainab is going to allow that relationship. Keeping Amina away from Ramy’s knowledge is an act of not just defiance but protection. Ramy is figuring stuff out, and in putting another life in that world, Zainab has to be the responsible one and make certain decisions.

Was there anything you did differently with your performance now that Zainab is a mother? 
Her dad’s not in this season, so she’s stepping into a new role of representing the center. She also has a mother figure now — her real mother passed, as we saw in season two, and so she’s creating this new relationship with the sheikha and stepping into her father’s shoes. What does that mean? How was her father a parent to her, and how is she going to be that to her child?

Obviously she loves her father very much — they have a close relationship, it was just the two of them for a very long time. And now, that has been re-created with Zainab in the parent position. So thinking of it not necessarily as What would my dad do? But What have I learned, and what part of me is being tested and put into practice now that I am a mother?

In the finale, we finally get an interaction between Zainab and Ramy after she avoided him for two years. You play this scene restrained but also cutting once Ramy dares to question Zainab’s choice to name their daughter after her deceased mother. Did you have an opportunity to play around with Zainab’s tone here and with your unimpressed facial reactions and body language? 
This whole production is a safe space to try things. Ramy is someone who will be like, “I know this is what it said in the script, but let’s try it this way.� I had the freedom to come in and try it a whole bunch of ways. Also, with the knowledge that there’s a baby — our child — in the room, and not wanting our child to be aware that I’m saying certain things, I have to be careful. Once again, I’m protecting my daughter, but this is also my chance to say everything I’ve been bottling up. I didn’t have a chance to say them because I left, and now, I have to deal with this face-to-face. This is my chance to give it to him. It’s “F you,� but in a very protective way because my daughter is there. [Laughs.]

Was there a favorite moment for you? At one point Ramy says something particularly inappropriate. You tilt your head in a very indicative way that made me go, “Ooh,� but also laugh. 
There were times where I had to not laugh, you know? When he’s improv-ing with his excuses, I’m trying to keep a straight face, trying not to break, when it’s his shots and his close-ups and trying different lines and seeing what sticks.

I remember sitting there on set and, not being American myself, just being like, Wow, I get to be part of an immigrant story — part of this story — filmed here in America. Tyson Bidner and some of the other producers are these white guys who believe in supporting the story, making sure it’s out there. This is a story that you didn’t hear before. There aren’t many Muslim American stories being told, so the reality of this being told in this climate, in this country, supported by different people from different races and religions and cultures? I’m so proud to be part of this.

When we see Zainab for the first time this season, she’s giving a Sufi Center presentation at the Muslim conference. She says, “We have to be taught how to navigate the heart in the unseen.� That line really struck something in me — it certainly made me consider my own relationship with faith. I’m wondering how you approached it and if, in that scenario, you think Zainab considers herself the teacher or the student.
Ramy had told me this was originally going to be Mahershala’s line. When I knew that, I immediately thought to myself, This is something I learned from my father. I’m echoing my father’s words. Now I’m stepping into his shoes. I am paying it forward. A gem that I have been taught is now what I am teaching to these audience members. I’m also reminding myself of it as well.

I would like to be more like Zainab in real life. She’s down to earth, very articulate, she knows what she wants, she is not afraid to ask for things, and when she’s in a situation that doesn’t serve her, she will remove herself. She will also tell it like it is — with some censors, because of who is around her, like Amina. How you navigate life, regardless of what faith you are in, is applicable to the human condition — how you treat other people and how you think and feel about yourself. Ultimately, you will be projecting that.

Did Zainab get the closure you would like, or is there more story to tell about this character in a potential season four? 
I would love to come back. For Zainab, there’s more to life. I don’t think her identity is Oh, I’m just a mom now. I would be interested in seeing how she explores being a mother, having a sheikha and a mother figure, being back in Ramy’s life. They have a child, so her daughter deserves to meet her grandparents and the other side of her family — out of respect, but also for her daughter’s sake. I’m interested in seeing what it means to be an ex-daughter-in-law but still have a connection because of Amina. I’d love to see a stand-alone episode of Zainab and her world now.

I’m wondering about your thoughts on Sheikha’s snack of Diet Coke and Pop-Tarts. Would you eat it?
I would not. What would my equivalent be? Izze — the black currant one is pretty yummy. I’m not really a sweet tooth, that’s not my vice. I would have to go with some baguette and cheese. Some Gruyère cheese, let’s be specific, with baguette and a cold, chilled bottle of black-currant Izze.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.