Danielle Moné Truitt is not only the co-lead actress of Law & Order: Organized Crime, but she’s also breaking barriers by being a Black woman and queer. Her journey to becoming an actress wasn’t straightforward, but fifteen years into her career pursuit, she landed the lead role of Sergeant Ayanna Bell without even having to audition formally. Truitt feels a responsibility to properly represent the characters she portrays, especially in her role as Bell, who bears the queer identity along with being a Black woman.
Truitt recognizes the significance of her role in representing queer women, Black women, and the LGBTQ+ community. To ensure proper representation, Truitt collaborates with her queer friends and relies on insight from Law & Order: Organized Crime’s former queer showrunner, Ilene Chaiken. Truitt strives not to “caricaturize” Bell in terms of any identity and instead focuses on portraying her as a soul who wants to be loved, accepted, respected, and feel safe.
Truitt’s portrayal of Bell has been well-received, with many fans expressing how she helps them feel seen as queer women, especially Black queer women. Truitt enjoys exploring Bell’s romantic storyline and hopes to delve deeper into her queerness. In the upcoming April 6 episode, Bell will be tasked with helping the LGBTQ+ community when she must find the person who is drugging gay men, and she’ll be forced to face many things within herself in the process.
Beyond her role in Law & Order: Organized Crime, Truitt plans to revive her one-woman play “3: Black Girl Blues” for summer performances and spend time with her sons. Truitt feels honored to be embraced by queer fans and is proud to represent their community. Her journey to embracing her identity and pursuing her passion for acting serves as an inspiration to those facing similar struggles.
