Lynn Whitfield on Lady Mae's New Journey of Self-Discovery

Lynn Whitfield, who plays Lady Mae, opens up about the challenges Lady Mae will face in Season 3 of Greenleaf. As the matriarch of the Greenleaf family and the First Lady of Calvary, Lady Mae carries a lot of responsibility in making sure that both her family and their church are protected. However, things begin to unravel for Lady Mae when she encounters marital strife with the Bishop at the end of Season 2.

"Where Lady Mae ends in Season 2 is devastation and you see these layers peeling away of this amazingly stylish, powerful, controlling First Lady," Lynn explains. "You just start to see her disappointments and her fears."
Lynn also adds that Lady Mae's and Bishop's relationship struggles are further complicated due to the pressure they face to withhold their public image as the leading figures of Calvary. "Bishop and Lady Mae are both suffering from not being able to forgive and forget," Lynn says. "They've developed such a beautiful life together and all of that is put into jeopardy and it doesn't feel the same."
Finally, Lynn addresses the threatening Rochelle Cross and how all that Lady Mae has dealt with, ultimately leads her to questioning who she is and who she is meant to be.

"From the losses of brother, of father, of sister moving away, of children moving out of the house, you see a more stripped down, more modern Lady Mae. A Lady Mae who is now starting to question who is she as a woman," Lynn says. "And the realization that the world that she created, may not be the world that she ends up with."

Don't miss the Greenleaf two-night season premiere event, airing Tuesday, August 28, and Wednesday, August 29, at 10 p.m. ET/PT—only on OWN.