When Michelle Núñez first stepped onto the set of Tyler Perry’s Ruthless, she knew she was in for a wild ride. Playing the deeply layered character of Zane, the Afro-Dominican actress has been on a journey full of twists, challenges, and powerful moments. In a recent interview with Actors With Issues, Michelle opened up about her experience working on the long-running BET+ series, now in its fifth season, how she prepares for intense scenes, and what this role has meant to her both professionally and personally.
“When I first started, I was just in awe of everything,” she recalls. “You get this opportunity, and it’s like, wow, Tyler Perry believes in me. I didn’t want to mess it up. But I quickly learned that the way we shoot Ruthless is unlike anything else. We move so fast, sometimes just one take, and that has taught me to trust myself in a way I never had to before.”
Núñez admits that the fast-paced nature of Tyler Perry’s productions was initially intimidating. “I remember in season one, there was a moment where I kind of broke down,” she shares. “I was overwhelmed. It was my first big role, and I felt like, what if I’m not good enough? What if I’m not giving him what he needs? And I actually expressed that to Mr. Perry. I said, ‘I just don’t want to let you down.’ And he looked me in the eyes and said, ‘I will tell you if I need you to do it again. I brought you here because I know you can do this.’ That moment changed everything for me. From then on, I walked onto set every day with confidence, knowing I was supposed to be there.”
Since joining Ruthless, Núñez has expanded her resume with roles on The Rookie: Feds and Dr. Odyssey, experiences that provided a stark contrast to the rapid-fire nature of Tyler Perry’s productions. “With network TV, it’s a completely different experience,” she explains. “You have time for multiple takes, time to try different things. I’ve worked at Tyler’s pace for so long that I go on to other projects and I’m ready to go on the first take. Sometimes a DP on a show or the director will want to do it again, but I think ‘I think we got it that first time, but I’ll keep going!’” she laughed. “I think there’s just a world where it’s so raw and pure and authentic on a 1st take.”
Network television is especially strict with improvisation as scripts have been meticulously combed over by the Standards & Practices department to ensure nothing potentially crude offensive slips through and upsets advertisers. Streaming series are more lenient and allow actors to improvise and Ruthless was no different. “We have our scripts but the directors always allow us to changing or rewording things as long as it makes sense in the context of the story,” she explained. “If it felt right, we just went with it and that’s special. That’s where the good stuff comes out.”
Michelle teased an intense and emotional return for Ruthless in the second half of Season 5, promising fans a shocking moment right from the start. “The season premiere starts with a really, really big, heart-wrenching moment for Zane and for everyone involved,” she shared. “We had a whole stunt team and there’s a lot of emotional turmoil, as we do, but this time around, there are a lot of broken ties, new identities—all of this sort of stuff. I think we really cracked open a new world in this second half.”
You can see Michelle Núñez in new episodes of Tyler Perry’s Ruthless, Thursdays on BET+
