EXCLUSIVE: ‘Diarra From Detroit’ Creator Diarra Kilpatrick Gets Candid About Show’s Budget & Wanting To Film In Detroit

EXCLUSIVE: ‘Diarra From Detroit’ Creator Diarra Kilpatrick Gets Candid About Show’s Budget & Wanting To Film In Detroit

“Diarra From Detroit” creator and star Diarra Kilpatrick is opening up about the financial realities behind the series and her desire to bring more of the production to the city that inspired it.

During an exclusive interview with #theJasmineBrand founder Jasmine Brand, Kilpatrick said she would love to shoot at least part of the series in Detroit.

“Yes, I would love to shoot at least partially there, in Detroit, of course,” she said. “To me, that’s the cast.” Kilpatrick added, “People are like, ‘What dream cast do you have?’ I’m like, ‘Oh, it’s the city of Detroit herself. I would love to see her on screen.’”

Kilpatrick explained that the show operates with a smaller budget than some television productions, which requires her team to get creative. “Because our budget is lower than, say, a normal show on Paramount, a lot of times we do have talent come in at a lower rate.” She also revealed that some decisions that appear to be purely about storytelling are actually financial — including having Diarra inherit furniture with her house rather than furnishing the entire home with new pieces. “So we just make as many smart choices as we can.”

Despite those limitations, Kilpatrick is intentional about how the finished product looks, especially with a Black woman at the center. “Because Black women deserve it,” she said. “Because I’m so effing tired of looking at work that stars a Black woman and you can see that they didn’t have any money.”