'Claws' ' Judy Reyes Shares What She'll Miss Most About Playing Quiet Ann: She 'Really Inspired Me'

Claws, which first premieredon TNTin 2017, follows five Florida-based manicurists as they get entangled in the world of organized crime. Reyes stars as Annalise “Quiet Ann” Zayas alongsideNiecy Nash(Desna Simms),Karrueche Tran(Virginia Loc),Carrie Preston(Polly Marks) andJenn Lyon(Jennifer Husser).

As the series prepares to wrap next year, Reyes tells PEOPLE what she’ll miss about portraying Quiet Ann: “For sure, the baggy clothes and wearing no makeup.”

“I can’t even tell you what both a relief that is and how inspiring it was to further creating the character — to create something completely different and break the way I’ve been seen as an actor and just really collapsed into being a character actor with all these other talented people who actually do the same and embrace the same,” she continues. “So the freedom of being, visually, a completely different person, just kind of really inspired me. That’s what I’ll miss.”

Reyes adds, “It’s not often you get that opportunity. I was so skeptical of even getting a chance to realize this. So, when I actually got the job, I was both nervous and completely excited.”

TNT

Playing Quiet Ann has even inspired Reyes' life offscreen. While her character’s baggy clothes and makeup-free approach are “definitely” a big part of that, she says the influence ultimately goes much deeper.

“I think that with Quiet Ann, less is more,” the actress says. “She really doesn’t give a f—. So, I got the less is more thing. I’m working on not giving a f—.”

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Claws' ending comes amid an unprecedented time in the world’s history as the ongoing coronavirus pandemic surges on, resulting in what Reyes calls a “quite anti-climactic” conclusion as filming wrapped.

“We lost a few people to positive COVID tests, so we had to scramble to rearrange how we were going to pull everything off,” she recalls. “It wasn’t like we got to all spend some time together. It was a little sad shooting that kind of show, that great and daring in the city as daring as New Orleans.”

Alfonso Bresciani

Even though the pandemic prevented a more traditional send-off celebration from happening, Reyes promises the cast has “been celebrating since the day it ended.”

“Any chance any of us are in the same city or any chance to get together, we definitely take advantage of that,” she adds. “We celebrate in other ways — supporting each other, talking to each other about upcoming gigs.”

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Teasing a bit of what’s to come in the hit show’s last run, Reyes reveals what she believes will be “the most surprising thing” fans will see this season.

Clawsairs Sundays (9 p.m. ET) on TNT.

source: people.com