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00:00 I want to first talk about Hootie's journey
00:02 throughout the series, because once we first meet him,
00:04 we know that he's been sheltered in some sort of way,
00:07 and he has certain ideas about the world that
00:10 aren't necessarily accurate.
00:12 He kind of has this rose-colored glasses view of things.
00:15 And immediately, he kind of has to come of age
00:18 and learn so much about society that he thought he knew
00:21 that wasn't entirely the case.
00:23 So from episode one to episode seven,
00:25 what, ultimately, do you think his trajectory and journey
00:28 looked like as far as becoming the hero or the villain
00:33 that he wanted to be?
00:35 Yeah, absolutely.
00:37 It's interesting, because Hootie's lived 19 years inside,
00:43 confided by his parents, who are loving parents, which
00:47 I think is the cool difference between him being trapped.
00:50 It's that he was being protected.
00:53 And so there's this naivete that goes with him.
00:56 I think he's very smart and very intelligent.
01:00 And like a Virgo, he believes he knows it all.
01:03 But there's so much that he doesn't know.
01:06 And I think within the seven episodes,
01:09 you kind of watch Hootie grow 10 years of life.
01:12 I think for 19 years, he probably stayed stagnant.
01:16 And then within a month of his life, he grew--
01:20 he actually became the 19-year-old that he is.
01:25 And I think there's something really cool
01:26 and relatable to Hootie.
01:30 I found it in myself, where I feel like I know something,
01:33 and then I learn.
01:34 And I'm like, whoa, OK, I wasn't right.
01:37 And that I wasn't right is a very strong quality to have.
01:41 And Hootie learning that is definitely
01:44 something that I feel like people
01:47 could hang on to and relate to.
01:48 Yes, yes, for sure, for sure.
01:50 And one thing that's so interesting about the series
01:52 as well is the use of practical special effects.
01:56 Like no CGI, but having to deal with smaller set pieces
02:00 and larger set pieces as an actor.
02:03 What was that experience like for you,
02:04 having to deal with miniature set pieces
02:07 and having on screen appearing bigger than everyone else
02:10 and everyone having to use ladders, whatever,
02:13 to even be in scenes with you?
02:15 What was that experience?
02:16 Yeah, mental gymnastics, man.
02:19 That's what that was.
02:20 It was a lot of mental gymnastics.
02:23 I didn't look at my scene partner once at all.
02:26 Anybody I work with, I was staring at a green tape mark
02:29 where their eyes would be.
02:30 And so it definitely came with a lot of work
02:35 offset and a lot of work within the rehearsals
02:37 to connect and exchange energy with each other
02:41 and then bring that to the set.
02:42 But it wasn't easy at all.
02:45 There was actually a lot of times on cut,
02:47 I go up to Boots like, man, was that right?
02:49 How did I do?
02:50 Because on one half of my brain, I'm thinking about my choices.
02:55 I'm thinking about my reasons, my tactics, my beat shifts.
02:59 And then on the other side of my brain,
03:00 I'm thinking about, well, I got to stay in this position.
03:04 I got to stay hunched over.
03:06 I got to remember that I'm too big for this room.
03:09 I have to remember that that's where her eyes are.
03:11 I have to remember that this is the face she
03:13 makes when she says this line.
03:15 So it's a lot of mental gymnastics.
03:17 But at the end of it, I just felt stronger.
03:21 I felt smarter.
03:22 And I'm a bit more keen when it comes to the acting.
03:24 Yes, yes, absolutely, absolutely.
03:26 Well, thank you so, so much for your time.
03:28 I can't wait for more people to see this series.
03:30 Thanks, man.
03:31 And congrats on this role.
03:32 Can't wait to see the Steven Soderbergh series as well,
03:34 coming up soon as well.
03:36 Hope you enjoy the rest of your day.
03:37 Shout out to that poster behind you.
03:39 Yes, sir.
03:41 I was actually talking to Ashton, I think, for--
03:43 I think it was during "He Was in the Black Messiah" press.
03:45 Oh, nice.
03:46 He was like, wait, he was like, wait, I think I'm behind you.
03:47 And I was like, wait, what are you talking about?
03:48 I'm like, what?
03:49 There he is right there.
03:51 That's funny.
03:52 He goes--
03:53 I really want to dive into "Skatzadeth"
03:56 and kind of how that kind of sets the--
03:59 kind of sets the rest of the series on a trajectory.
04:03 And it puts certain characters in certain positions.
04:05 And I guess it just really is like this overarching theme
04:09 and overarching event that kind of sets the tone
04:11 for the rest of the series.
04:13 So, Elias, to start off with you, you know,
04:17 when I was watching-- when I was watching the scene,
04:18 it's like I felt like I knew where it was going.
04:20 But I was still like, you know, I'm like, oh,
04:22 they're not-- they're not about to, like, you know,
04:23 kill my guy off, like, right now.
04:24 But then it-- it-- it-- it had so much meaning as opposed
04:29 to, like, what-- what was going on in the season,
04:30 especially when they were coming out of a--
04:32 well, still in a pandemic.
04:33 But like, there were so many things as far as, like,
04:35 health care and, like, access and just capitalism that,
04:38 you know, was behind, you know, "Skatzadeth."
04:41 So how did it feel for you when you-- when you first realized
04:43 that this is the trajectory that the character was going
04:45 to go on and he was going to kind of be, like,
04:47 not this martyr, but, like, just a-- a big catalyst for,
04:51 um, Kudi and the rest of the characters?
04:54 Um, there are many different ways and things that I felt.
04:58 You know, the actor in me was like, oh, man, you know,
05:00 I just think my time here was cut short.
05:03 And then, you know, I think, like you said,
05:05 watching it as compared to, like, reading it
05:07 and, like, finding out--
05:09 as someone who's, like, watching it,
05:11 you know, you know where it's going.
05:13 And I think that's OK because, you know, this is--
05:16 it's a TV-- it's a TV show.
05:18 But we're not, like, doing TV.
05:20 We're not here to, you know, pull plot twists and things
05:23 like that.
05:24 We're here to tell an authentic story.
05:26 And that is just something that-- that is-- it probably
05:29 just happened two seconds ago.
05:30 I'm in New York City.
05:31 There are so many kids riding bikes, you know?
05:33 And there's so many people on their way to the hospital
05:35 right now, you know, who can't be seen, you know,
05:39 which I've seen with my own eyes.
05:40 So I think--
05:41 I think for me, it's--
05:43 it's-- I appreciated how true and authentic it was.
05:48 And, like, aside from, yeah, like I said, like,
05:52 being an artist and, like, wanting to work more,
05:54 I don't know, I was--
05:55 I was proud to be a part of something where I was like,
05:58 OK, like, I know that this has meaning
06:01 and that this is going to tend--
06:03 we talked about earlier about highlighting
06:05 other people's qualities and, you know,
06:07 giving them the ability to use those and, like,
06:10 will that, you know, properly in the world
06:13 and, like, kind of change a lot of things
06:14 and a lot of lives for different people.
06:16 I think, you know, it's something I have no choice
06:18 but to respect and, like, you know,
06:20 be proud of at the end of the day.
06:21 So I'm really proud of this, honestly.
06:23 Yes.
06:24 Yes.
06:25 And Brent, for you, you know, one of-- one of, you know,
06:27 I feel like one of my, you know, favorite moments
06:30 of this series is kind of like this visceral reaction
06:33 that Felix has when he finds--
06:37 when he sees him there and then just, like,
06:39 every interaction that he has after that is kind of like--
06:42 it's-- it all traces back to his death.
06:46 And this is a character we've seen in the first few episodes
06:49 is very happy, is very loving, and he kind of becomes jaded
06:53 by this, you know, tragic event that happened to his friend
06:56 that he witnesses this happen.
06:59 So how do you think your character even changes
07:02 in his own thought process as far as what happens to him
07:06 and kind of like how the change that he wants to see
07:09 instituted after this?
07:10 Totally.
07:11 I think, you know, Felix is one of those people,
07:14 like you said, there was--
07:15 there's something about Felix at the beginning of the series
07:18 where, again, he's the homie with the car.
07:20 So to me, that represents this sort of, like, mental freedom.
07:23 You know, if I can't do anything, I can go sit in my car
07:26 or I can go take a ride.
07:27 And he's sort of, you know, is a part
07:31 of this group of people.
07:32 And he's always been helping Jones out with, you know,
07:36 activism and organizing in the community.
07:38 But I don't think it ever has hit as close to home
07:40 as it did with Skag.
07:42 And I think, you know, something changes in your chemistry
07:47 when you witness someone that you love pass on.
07:52 And I think for Felix, it really lit a fire under him,
07:55 not only to check his own sense of freedom
07:57 and what the world is, but also the people around him.
08:00 He has a really crazy argument with Jones.
08:03 And, you know, subsequently, every single person
08:06 in the stories, he checks them on their sort of privilege
08:09 after that to not have been there when this was happening.
08:14 And so, yeah, it was really awesome to play a character
08:18 where he got to have so much change and got to feel
08:21 sort of connected to this major event that helped
08:25 to propel the story into a completely different direction.
08:28 It's like he-- I feel like Felix,
08:29 that was his moment of calling to know
08:31 what he needs to do next.
08:32 - Yeah, yeah, absolutely, absolutely.
08:34 Well, thank you both so, so much for your time.
08:36 I cannot wait for everyone to see this series
08:38 and I hope you both enjoy the rest of your day.
08:39 - You too.
08:40 - All right, thank you. Take care.
08:42 - Thank you.
08:42 - Kara, I'll start with you first.
08:43 Can we talk about Jones' differing perspective
08:47 on like the action to take against, you know,
08:50 the systems at play, the powers that be,
08:52 we see that, you know, her and Carmen's character,
08:54 Lafrencine, they kind of differ on, you know,
08:56 what action to take.
08:57 So how would you best describe Jones' viewpoint
09:00 and especially how that ends up
09:02 and what happens at the end between Jay and Kudi
09:06 based upon kind of like her perspective on the situation?
09:09 - Yeah, I think that Jones is moving from a place of,
09:14 I believe that the people have more power than they think.
09:20 And I think that that is how I'm moving in the world
09:23 and navigating the world.
09:24 I'm meeting people where they are.
09:28 I'm not trying to force anything on them,
09:30 but there is a spirit of,
09:33 there's a revolutionary spirit of change
09:35 and there's a revolutionary spirit of like,
09:39 to let the people know that we can come together.
09:43 And it doesn't matter where you are in your journey.
09:48 I'm gonna meet you where you are.
09:49 And I think that that might be the difference
09:51 between Lafrencine and Jones
09:54 in that particular intersection.
09:55 - Yes, yes.
09:58 And Olivia, for you, first off,
10:00 Flora is like one of my favorite characters on the show.
10:02 So when she first comes on screen,
10:04 I'm like, I love this character.
10:05 Throughout what we know so far about the show
10:09 and the marketing and just the log line,
10:11 we know that we're dealing with our lead character
10:13 who is different, but so interesting to see Flora,
10:15 who is also different from everyone else in different ways.
10:19 So how do you think that her kind of trajectory
10:23 throughout this series has kind of juxtaposed
10:26 with what Kudi's going through at the same time?
10:28 And also just over the theme of like,
10:29 not realizing what people are capable of,
10:32 subverting ableism, there's a lot to discuss,
10:36 but how do you think overall her story is juxtaposed
10:38 with the main theme of the series?
10:40 - You know, I think we all,
10:42 what I feel about this series is that like,
10:44 we all as young people have the ability
10:47 to change the world, to put it lightly.
10:50 And I think we all do it in so many different ways.
10:53 And for Flora, she does it in her idea,
10:56 her pathway is through food,
10:57 but it's really just through love
10:59 and how she loves and how she interacts
11:01 and the thing that she thought she might not,
11:03 or maybe didn't have enough of, like she can give it.
11:06 And so when she meets Kudi
11:08 in his beginnings of his journey,
11:10 she sees something in him that she can relate to,
11:12 somebody that has spent a lot of time in isolation
11:15 or a lot of time having people
11:17 might not understand them or fear them.
11:19 So I think there's something really pure
11:21 about the way that they navigate this new space together
11:25 and exciting for her,
11:26 because as she said later in the series,
11:28 so much of, people are so predictable.
11:32 So she's so bored of watching people
11:37 make the same decisions
11:38 and do the same kind of,
11:39 make the same speeches and routines.
11:41 So there's something really unique
11:43 about how Kudi is so fresh to the world
11:45 that he's kind of not tainted by certain things
11:48 and really has a pure sense of things.
11:51 And so when he goes about things,
11:52 be it right or wrong,
11:53 I think it's exciting for her to kind of blend her hand,
11:57 lend her experience, but also not judge it.
11:59 I think her ability to kind of be present
12:01 and love is really admirable.
12:05 - Yes, yes, absolutely, absolutely.
12:07 Well, thank you both so, so much for your time.
12:09 I cannot wait for more people to watch this series.
12:11 I need to talk about it.
12:12 I hope you both enjoy the rest of your day.
12:16 It was a pleasure talking to you.
12:17 - Thank you. - Oh my God.
12:18 - Trey, so good to see you.
12:19 - Yeah, so good to see you too.
12:21 Because first off, I want to talk about your character,
12:23 LaFrancine, and kind of, one,
12:26 her and her husband's decision to decide to shield Kudi
12:30 away from a lot of things
12:33 that they thought would bring him harm, one.
12:34 But also just to know already,
12:37 have this foresight to this person that he could be.
12:40 Could you speak to her decision to do that?
12:43 But also the decision where, of her different expectations
12:48 on the government systems,
12:49 like her and Jones have this disagreement
12:52 where they think that, of course,
12:54 the powers that be in the systems could be differently,
12:56 they kind of differ in what they think.
12:59 So ultimately, with your character,
13:01 what can you speak to her decision with Kudi,
13:02 but also her overall idea of what being free looks like?
13:08 - Yeah, great question.
13:11 Yeah, I mean, I think LaFrancine
13:14 is a very typical mom in some ways,
13:16 surrogate mom, but, you know,
13:18 caretaker of a child that she,
13:21 I think we all start out as parents
13:24 believing and hoping that our children are special
13:26 and that they're gonna do amazing things in the world.
13:28 In the case of Kudi, it's really gonna happen.
13:32 He really has that potential.
13:33 He's already, you know,
13:35 clearly this unusual looking person,
13:40 which, you know, is gonna be both a blessing
13:42 and a curse for him as he goes,
13:44 as he walks through life.
13:46 So she's already recognizing his potential,
13:50 but then she also, like I think so many parents,
13:53 myself included, you know,
13:55 figuring out how to make that stay intact
13:58 and remain fertile and full of its potential
14:02 while also presenting that person into the real world,
14:06 outside of the safety of your own home,
14:08 can be a really scary proposition.
14:11 And LaFrancine and Marti's decision is pretty radical.
14:16 And it's pretty sort of extreme
14:17 in that they just decide,
14:18 okay, you're not going out ever.
14:20 No one's gonna see you until you're really ready.
14:24 And we don't think you're really ready till you're 21.
14:26 And I mean, that's a long,
14:29 that's a whole childhood inside the house.
14:32 So Kudi has very different ideas
14:34 once he finally gets a taste of,
14:36 you know, what the real world looks like.
14:38 And I guess, you know, at some point she has to,
14:40 she has to sort of like bend to that.
14:44 But the activist in her is absolutely convinced
14:49 that he has the potential of being a leader.
14:53 - Yeah.
14:53 - And so, you know, I think she's,
14:57 I think she has this sort of like quandary,
15:00 like this sort of like,
15:01 like sort of oxymoron,
15:04 like running through her all the time,
15:05 which is like, you know,
15:06 get him out there, getting prepared,
15:08 but also keep him inside, you know,
15:11 and keep him away from the threats
15:13 that are going to come at him.
15:15 So yeah, I mean, I feel the same sort of dilemma
15:19 as a parent in America every day, actually,
15:22 you know, just knowing that I want to nurture,
15:25 like creative, critical thinking minds
15:28 that can go and be anything and do anything they want,
15:30 but also recognizing not everyone's going to see my kids
15:34 the way I see my kids.
15:35 And, you know, that's something that the show really explores,
15:38 like on a very fundamental level,
15:40 you know, that like, how do mythologies sort of like,
15:43 like develop?
15:44 So I think, you know,
15:46 one person's good is another person's bad,
15:49 one person's hero is another person's villain.
15:51 I think LaFrance's approach to that is kind of old school,
15:56 you know, she's still quoting, like,
15:58 you know, she's still talking about Che Guevara
16:00 and, you know, a certain sort of approach to protesting
16:04 and act and organizing
16:06 that is all about a leader at the front.
16:09 Whereas Jones, who's this younger generation of activists,
16:12 understand that it has to be like more of a sort of
16:14 intersectional, sort of like grassroots coming together
16:18 of people that are all sort of like working on mass
16:21 to sort of come to some kind of change.
16:26 And so they definitely sort of butt heads in that way.
16:29 But in the end, like everybody,
16:31 all these players are really trying to sort of just,
16:34 just shake up the system and figure out
16:37 how to wake people up.
16:39 Yes, absolutely, absolutely.
16:41 Well, thank you so, so much for your time.
16:44 I enjoyed this conversation.
16:45 I cannot wait for more people to watch this series
16:47 and I hope you enjoy the rest of your day.
16:48 Yeah, you too. Thanks so much.
16:50 Why do you think prom video specifically
16:53 was such a good home for a project like this
16:56 and a project from Boots Riley?
16:58 I don't know, what we know about Sorry to Bother You,
17:00 why I feel like this was perfect for prom video.
17:02 Yeah, so, you know, with Boots,
17:08 we, you know, I met Boots right after Sundance Film Festival
17:10 and was blown away by his film and thought
17:13 I'd never see anything like it.
17:15 And he's a singular artist and I was excited
17:19 by the possibility of what he could do in this form, right?
17:21 So, so shooting, we spoke for a while,
17:23 made a development deal.
17:25 And the first idea pitched was a show about 13 foot tall giant
17:30 who leaves his house for the first time when he turns 19.
17:33 So, and that was inspiring and amazing.
17:35 And then you develop it for a while.
17:37 When we went to market,
17:38 you listen to what the market's telling you, right?
17:41 And we were fortunate to have a ton of people
17:44 were engaged by the show.
17:46 I just gotta be, it's kind of simple.
17:48 Amazon was wildly passionate about it.
17:50 Like Jen Saki was on the very first Zoom.
17:54 We did three Zooms.
17:55 They were just super passionate into it.
17:59 And Boots, there were two things we want.
18:01 We both wanted the resources.
18:03 You've now seen the show, it's wildly complex to make.
18:06 So it required both real resource support
18:08 to get everything on the screen that we wanted to pull up,
18:11 we wanted to pull off to get his vision on screen.
18:14 And then he was excited.
18:16 And we were to hit as large an audience as possible.
18:19 So the possibility of being the reach that Amazon has,
18:23 and we didn't want to just hit, we want to hit everybody.
18:25 We want all demographics, all classes.
18:30 And so give as many people the possibility to see this show
18:36 in both ways, both experience its joy,
18:38 just its brilliant visuals.
18:40 But obviously as importantly, its message and its ideas.
18:44 And so the opportunity to do this on Amazon
18:47 seemed undeniable to us.
18:48 - Yes, yes.
18:49 And I'm sure this was a part of Boots' vision,
18:52 but I want to speak to the fact that
18:54 the effects that are used in the series
18:56 are very much practical.
18:57 It's no CGI.
18:58 It's just only kind of imagining
19:00 the actors alongside the role in these scenes.
19:02 Even the miniature set pieces,
19:05 the larger set pieces,
19:06 why do you think that was so important
19:08 to have that be an aspect of the series
19:11 as far as it's developed?
19:12 - Yeah, I think this is where kind of the aesthetics,
19:16 the sensibility, even the politics are all interrelated.
19:20 So one, it's certainly on just a simple level for Boots.
19:25 His style and aesthetics, the handmade quality,
19:29 he wants the audience to be a part of how he makes it.
19:34 So you can see the seams occasionally.
19:36 That's very intentional, right?
19:37 So it's real, it's happening.
19:39 He doesn't want you to experience this at a distance.
19:42 It's CG and it's artificial, right?
19:45 So even though the ideas are radical,
19:47 13 foot tall, giant,
19:50 there are much smaller people in the show at some point.
19:52 Super fast people.
19:55 There's all kinds of dazzling moves,
19:57 but he wants you to experience them as much as possible
20:00 as if they're real and possible.
20:02 And then it informs everything on the set too, right?
20:06 Because the actors, there's some CG in it,
20:11 but by and large, they're interacting with each other.
20:13 They're interacting with physical objects.
20:15 It's handmade and they experience that
20:19 when they're filming it.
20:21 So it keeps everyone on the ground and allows it,
20:24 I think it's what's pretty unique about his sensibility,
20:26 which is it can feel as kind of naturalistic as a moonlight
20:31 in terms of just how you experience it,
20:33 but it's as dazzling as any kind of comic book extravaganza
20:37 you've seen, right?
20:38 And so it's giving you the best of all worlds in a way,
20:43 which is you get a sumptuous visual feast,
20:45 but there's a texture, it feels real.
20:48 And it feels like they're really in it
20:54 and living it and experiencing it.
20:55 - Yeah, yeah.
20:56 It's something like a moonlight meets the boys kind of.
20:58 - Yes, yes.
20:58 - I think that's something.
21:00 - Yes.
21:01 - Very much that, very much that.
21:02 - Yes.
21:03 And so it's like two things,
21:04 that's what Boots' specialty is,
21:06 which is it's two things that you don't think
21:08 belong together and somehow watching it,
21:11 you're like, this is just right.
21:12 And it allows an audience to lower its inhibitions
21:17 and kind of go with something.
21:19 For me, the res and for him,
21:24 God knows for Boots,
21:24 we wanna make things that you lean in.
21:27 You know, when you feel like,
21:30 oh, if I look away, if I go grab a beer,
21:33 I might miss something, you know?
21:35 This is something where hopefully,
21:37 I love that you watched in the binge,
21:39 'cause we want people to feel glued to this,
21:43 you know, and it rewards careful and close viewing.
21:46 - Yes, yes, absolutely.
21:48 Well, thank you so much for your time, Michael.
21:50 And I can't wait for everyone to see the series.
21:52 - Thank you so much.
21:53 - Thank you.
21:54 - I really appreciate it.