Kingdom‘s Joanna Going: Accept Yourself and Be Where You Are

Start your new month by tuning in to Kingdom on AT&T Audience Network when it returns on June 1. It’s the risk-taking series about “family, loyalty, ambition, glory, lust, betrayal and the raw-nerve needs and desires that inspire people to greatness or drive them to unthinkable treachery,” says the network.

In this interview, you’ll meet the lovely Joanna Going who plays Christina Kulina. On camera, she’s the estranged wife of lead character Alvey “King” Kulina, played by Frank Grillo. You’ll meet him here in my next Mind Your Body interview.

Christina is also the mother of elder son Jay Kulina, played by Jonathan Tucker, and Nate Kulina, portrayed by Nick Jonas. (Yes, that Nick Jonas.) They’re part of the cast set in Venice, California, at Navy St. MMA Gym owned by Alvey—we’re talking mixed martial arts, a full contact body sport with striking and grappling. It’s not for wimps, and here in the United States, it’s overseen by the Association of Boxing Commissions.

Joanna played her first role at 14 in The Tempest. Now 52, she built a solid career in soap operas Another World and Dark Shadows. She appeared on TV shows including Law & Order, CSI, Mad Men and in House of Cards, as well as in a number of different films.

Enjoy this conversation with Joanna, and watch her on Kingdom Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT. AT&T Audience Network is available on DIRECTV channel 239 or U-verse TV channel 1114 and via live streaming on the DIRECTV and U-verse apps.

Joanna, your character Christina Kulina is struggling with her own demons and trying to right many years of wrongs. She is maintaining her sobriety, which is a large task in itself. How is Christina doing, do you think?

When we first met Christina she was deeply at the mercy of her heroin addiction, and supporting that by working as a prostitute. She was literally kidnapped by her son, Jay, to get forcibly detoxed. Having gotten through that brutal process, she’s kind of enjoying the novelty of a new life with sons, Jay and Nate. She doesn’t really have a replacement for her addiction, or the tool to keep her spirit occupied enough, and there’s a temptation to go back to old and familiar ways. Now we’re going to see her take a different path.

How are you and the cast feeling about the new season? Are the plot lines continuing along the same trajectory?

We are thrilled to have been able to do another 10 episodes, to live in these characters longer.

We’re very passionate about the show. Its creator, executive producer and showrunner Byron Balasco made these characters so rich and flawed, and the relationships between them so complicated but very relatable. Anybody with family can relate. The show isn’t heavy on plotline, but is much more a character exploration of relationships.

What adjectives do you use to describe the show?

Raw. Gritty. Intimate. Outrageous.

What do people need to know about mixed martial arts or MMA?

You don’t need to know anything about it to watch or enjoy it. It’s really about extended family and their relationships. It requires incredible discipline and personal strength. Byron wanted to explore why people do this. We know people need to live in extremes for personal satisfaction. It’s like an addiction to live on the edge and climb into a cage with someone who really wants to hurt you.

The cast is quite diverse: I keep expecting Nick Jonas to break into “Jealous” at any minute! Seriously now, how’s the chemistry?

We have incredible chemistry on the show, with seven lead characters this season. We rarely see each other or are in a room together. When we do, it’s a party because we love hanging around each other.

Line us up, we look like a family unit, and we have enormous respect for everyone.

What has your character not done that you really want her to do?

I’m curious to explore whether Christina is actually capable of an adult romance and sexual relationship that is not a “transaction.” She’s been living by her wits and living off her body for so long that it’s an unhealthy source of her self-esteem to see what kind of attention she can garner from men.

Now to you: Obviously, you have to be in good shape. What’s your routine?

During the first season of meeting Christina, she needed to appear as unhealthy as possible, and I worked to lose weight without keeling over. In real life, I don’t love working out, but I’ve been driven to it. I’ve done a bit of everything over the years: weight training, running, and right now Pilates and hot yoga. I have dogs and I hike.

How about your diet?

When I’m working or preparing to work, I do a kind of Paleo diet. I eat protein and vegetables without a lot of starches. I stay away from bread and pasta. But I love food, and I grew up Italian with a mom who was an amazing cook.

What role does mental balance and fitness play in your life? How do you take care of your emotional needs?

For me yoga is like a moving meditation and I do believe in a mind-body connection. The emphasis has to be about accepting yourself and being where you are that day. As a single mom with a daughter and those two dogs, that helps me be responsible. We do have depression in the family and I’ve experienced it as it pops up from time to time. It is easier to deal with when I have someone looking to me to do things.

What else have you done to stay the course?

I have been on and off medications at various points, and I have no problem saying that. I just read an article about Kristin Bell, who’s said she has depression. She said her mother told her, “You would not deny a diabetic insulin. Why deny someone with depression the chemical that balances body chemistry?”

You did a lot of homework to prepare to understand addiction as it relates to your character. What’s the most important lesson you learned there?

I’m not a doctor, but I researched the product Narcan [the opiate antidote used for emergency treatment of a known or suspected opioid overdose]. I urge anyone who is around an addict to keep this nearby. We know we are in the midst of an opioid epidemic nationally, and I hope more people can change their views from this being a criminal issue to being a health issue that requires medical treatment. And it’s not just about willpower.

Let’s not let Prince’s legacy be ruined. Remember people very often start out needing pain medicine. I broke some ribs in December and I needed help with that then. It’s good to be able to raise awareness about addiction.