Actress Regina King is currently living through the unimaginable. Last month she lost her son, Ian Alexander Jr. The devastating news shocked Hollywood to its core as many of King’s famous friends have rallied around her in support and protection as she unpacks this catastrophic loss. While King has yet to release a statement, fans resurfaced a clip of her expressing her fears of taking on a role where her character would lose their child. Even sadder, her son is by her side in the clip.
In 2018, Regina King starred in Netflix’s Seven Seconds. The crime drama was based on a Russian film titled The Major and centered around King’s character Latrice Butler. In the show, Butler’s son is hit and critically injured by an off-duty police officer who attempts to cover up the accident. Her son eventually dies while she struggles to find answers and uncover the truth.
Despite Seven Seconds not being renewed by Netflix for a second season, it was still a critical success and scored King an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie. That same year she was also up for a Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actress in a Limited Series, or a Motion Picture Made for Television. While she did not win, she did attend the event with her late son Ian.
Speaking with Ryan Seacrest about the role, King opened up about initially not wanting to play Latrice. According to her, she felt like she had played too many mothers and wanted something else. Eventually, she decided to take on the role at the director’s persistence. It was only after accepting it that she realized her true fear was having to portray a woman dealing with the loss of her son.
God please cover Regina King. pic.twitter.com/G9C7XfZot0
— EgoTripIn321 (@MyEgoMadeMeDoIt) January 22, 2022
Looking at Ian, King expressed how much joy and love he brought her. “This makes me happier than anything in the whole world,” she said, pointing at him. She realized that the role would make her face her worst fear and something she never ever hoped to experience in life.
It is unclear what led Ian to take his own life and if he was dealing with that during the clip, but he does look down when she mentions losing her son, a chilling moment that seemed to foreshadow their futures. The family did release a statement following his passing. “Our family is devastated at the deepest level by the loss of Ian,” the statement read. “He is such a bright light who cared so deeply about the happiness of others. Our family asks for respectful consideration during this private time.”
Ian was King’s only child whom she shared with ex-husband Ian Alexander Sr. He was a a singer/songwriter and gearing up to release new music. Fans have been combing through his social media looking for answers or signs that something might have been wrong. One of his final tweets read, “I don’t think Instagram is healthy for me.”
I don’t think instagram is healthy for me
— desdune (@desdunemjv) January 15, 2022
A fan responded to this recently saying, “I can only imagine how his mother feels, especially when the writing was on the wall. They were do close and I wonder if he tried to talk to her about his state of mind. It’s so unfortunate!”
