STARZ - AMERICAN GODS 1x02 Promo "The Secret of Spoons" + Cast Q&A & More
Click to view[synopsis]Mr. Wednesday begins recruitment for the coming battle; Shadow Moon travels to Chicago with Mr. Wednesday and agrees to a high-stakes game of checkers with the old Slavic deity, Czernobog.
Creators Neil Gaiman, Bryan Fuller, Michael Green, and actors Yetide Badaki, Ricky Whittle, and Ian McShane, sat down for a Q&A (going to place the highlights in parts to save on post space) :
[highlights pt01 00:00-18:05]
- On the parallels of the book's premise and the current social and political climate surrounding a divided America, Gaiman states that it's "Peculiar." That for a book he wrote 17-18 years ago, and Bryan and Michael wrote scripts for two to three years ago, and that they filmed one year ago is now "Ridiculously prescient and appropriate and like a political statement. When, when I was writing it, I didn't think stating that this was a country of immigrants, and that was a good thing, was actually a political statement. I didn't think that having a racially diverse cast of characters in my book, that represented and reflected America, was a political statement. It just seemed like, the kind of thing that looked pretty damn obvious." They didn't set out to make a political statement with the show at first, but now they are.
- In regards to addressing the synergy of current events and the show itself, if there were any changes or such on the show that they did in response to that, Fuller states there weren't much changes just that they were more aware of what they had gotten themselves into. He recalls a story regarding Orlando Jones (Mr. Nancy). [Spoilers for Ep 2]The opening scene of Episode 2 finds Mr. Nancy, on a slave ship, addressing the black men in the slave hold, just what is awaiting them in America (Gaiman adds, "And for the next few hundred years"). That after the scene was finished, the black actors playing the slaves gave Jones a standing ovation.
- It turns out Ian McShane was originally set to play Czernobog, having had a past working relationship with EP Michael Green on the short-lived NBC show, Kings (OP : JUSTICE FOR KINGS GOD DAMN IT) but Ian felt "A load of actors could play this better than me." When Ian inquired about Mr. Wednesday, Michael was surprised thinking Ian wouldn't be interested in working on a TV series again with that big a role. In the end, Ian was happy with the change since Peter Stormare is "Fucking amazing as Czernobog".
- On Yetide's character, Bilquis the Goddess of Love, she's asked about Bilquis's need for worship and her source of power being sexuality - "Well, I'd say it's more about deep human connection and a great need to be seen, and to see each other fully, but yeah (laughs)". Fuller chimes in, "A *REALLY* deep human connection". Moments earlier, Ricky warned Bryan to behave.
- Yetide, having grown up in Nigeria, was asked about her experience there as well as how it helped her to approach such a character. She states that depending on the generation (pre-colonialism), there were varying views regarding sexuality and one's own body. She herself, growing post-colonialism, there was a much more conservative view on these subjects.
- Recalling the conversation she had with her stepmother, who is very conservative : "She's like, 'Okay, walk me through this, what are you about to do?' " "You might want to sit." Michael Green jokingly adds.
- Yetide continues "But then it turned out to be an hour-long phone conversation, where we talked really frankly about intimacy and sexuality and what it meant to me and what it meant to her. And I remember putting that phone down, very calmly, after that conversation, and realizing that is the first time in my life that I've ever had that conversation with my mother. And that was a profound moment for me, and made me think if this is the kind of conversation that can happen on any level after this viewing, I would feel very lucky to be part of that."
- Michael Green praises Yetide's performance on the role, stating she brought "Depth, sensitivity, integrity to the role". It's also revealed that that scene was actually Yetide's audition scene (!!). "What we saw there was vulnerability in a role that people have taken as just cheek, and we could see years with this character as a result."
- It was revealed that the hardest casting was Shadow himself, and Neil shares that he found out that he had only seen half of the 1200 applicants that tried for the role. Ricky went through 16 auditions or so in five months. "I felt like I was in American Idol, every week I sang a different tune"
- Ian shares a story about his kissing scene with Cloris Leachman's Zorya : "When I kissed her she said, 'Was that it? (laughs) No tongues?' "
- On the subject of expanding the roles of Laura and Bilquis, Neil shares that in the novel, it was from Shadow's point-of-view so readers didn't get a glimpse as to what Laura's life was outside of her scenes with him. The show allowed them to explore that more, to build up her character as a proper co-star. In regards to Bilquis, Neil says that was all Bryan and Michael's idea and that he absolutely loved what they came up with and hopes, network willing, that they can explore that more in the seasons to come. "I just love that we have more and more Yetide on the screen." ♥ (OP : It seems this Q&A was held prior to the news that S2 was already green-lit!)
[highlights pt02 18:06-28:05]
- S2 will begin with House on the Rock. Neil talks about the attraction, and how it houses "The biggest carousel in the world, and you're not allowed to ride on the biggest carousel in the world, except they let me. And several years later, they let Bryan. And the photographs of us, on the biggest carousel, show the happiest men in the world."
- Ricky and Yetide share their stories about how they felt, not just acting out these scenes from the book, but after being able to watch a few episodes, were just in awe of how the show lifted these scenes from the pages and onto the screen. There will be all those moments you love about the book and more, for both fans of the novel as well as those new to it.
- Regarding the Coming to America vignettes that were found in the book, this was the one thing that Bryan and Michael would not budge on and strongly pushed to keep in the show. There was a lot of push-back from the network on this subject, even going as far as asking Neil whether or not this was a good idea, and he'd always say yes, and that after they've watched what the show did, the network always loved it. A very asking the other parent situation.
[highlights pt03 28:06-44:23 Audience Q&A]
- The first fan question asks to the entire panel, what about this project/material drew them to it? Neil reveals he wrote this because he was an immigrant, and he had thought for years that he had an idea of what life in America was like due to absorbing things from TV and films, and writing about America and whatnot. But after finally living here, he concluded "I have no clue. This place is weirder than I ever imagined."
- Yetide : "Just the idea of a female agency there, there was such a power in Bilquis. And such an ownership and no apologies about the intimacy and about the sensuality which I thought was really great."
- Bryan : "I was transported by this novel, sixteen years ago. And I love at its core it is about religious equality, and religious tolerance, and the beauty of the immigrant story to be a stranger in a strange land."
- Second fan question asked if there was anything they were able to experiment or go in a different direction in translating from page to film. Fuller : "We were mostly fidelitous to the novel, and there were slight flourishes that we were allowed, just in the translation. I'm excited for people to see the Salim-Jinn story, [BOOK SPOILERS]and the beauty of that sex scene. Which was not a small feat for two gay Muslim characters to have a beautiful, sophisticated, sexual experience. And what it's like for us visually to give you an idea of what it's like to take a God inside you. Felt like it was a wonderful metaphor. "
- Ian chimes in, reminding Michael what Mousa Kraish (the Jinn) said in regards to the scene : [Spoiler (click to open)]" 'When you're doing the special effects just give me a beautiful cock, okay?' "
- Third fan question asked was what the conversation was like when they first began in making the transition from book to film. What decisions were made about what to keep in, to leave out, and what to bring new to the series.
- Michael : "I think we just started with, what do we love and what do we want to see, and what do we need to see. Some of it was, let's get it in the first season in case there's only one. And just how can we best tell the story."
- Neil shares how during a recent interview, Bryan described things such as exploring more of Laura's story as being able to write "fan-fiction" for the show. And even when the interviewer tried to say Bryan is more qualified than that, Bryan just repeated "I'm a fan, this is fan-fiction."
- Fourth fan question is in regards to the Gods added for the series [Spoiler (click to open)]such as Vulcan and Jesus that were new to the story or given more of a role for the show, and how did that decision come about with the writers.
- Neil : "There were stories that I told Bryan and Michael about, that didn't get in. Things that I wanted to do that there just wasn't room for." One of the things we can expect more of : more Coming to America vignettes that were cut from the book ♥
- Final fan question was in regards to their approach to expanding more on the female characters and that side of the story that wasn't present in the book.
- Neil : "It was genuinely frustrating that I had these amazing women characters, and then we didn't get to spend much time with them. So I was so thrilled, that, particularly I think with Laura, just that we got to go and live in her head, and we got to go see what she was thinking and who she was."
- Turns out, [slight show spoilers for Ep 4]Episode 4 is an entire retelling of the show from Laura's perspective.
Tonight! Series premiere of @AmericanGodsSTZ at 9PM est/pst! Media infiltrates your screens next week, get ready...💄📺 #bts #AmericanGods pic.twitter.com/TCENsSZ6lO
- Gillian Anderson (@GillianA) April 30, 2017
Next week, the Goddess, Gillian Anderson, finally graces our screens once more ♥ Still heartbroken she won't get official promo material...
HAPPY 91st, CLORIS! One Year Ago Today, she celebrated her 90th on the @AmericanGodsSTZ set! @andmichaelgreen @neilhimself pic.twitter.com/6ff16IRIDZ
- Bryan Fuller (@BryanFuller) April 30, 2017
Happy 91st birthday to Zorya Vechernyaya herself, Cloris Leachman! Perfect birthday cake for an icon.
The #GodSquad went to #SXSW and had some fun with @Buzzfeed. We found the adorable evidence: https://t.co/DDuCj3XzvQ #AmericanGods
- American Gods (@AmericanGodsSTZ) April 28, 2017
Love this show, love these people: 13 Photos Of The #AmericanGods Cast Being Too Cute For Words https://t.co/SsoJh9S1HR pic.twitter.com/yYMNLvV0jf
- Jarett Wieselman (@JarettSays) April 28, 2017
Cast photoshoot at SXSW ♥
ORIGINAL PRODUCTION CONCEPT ART FOR THE #BONEORCHARD @andmichaelgreen @AmericanGodsSTZ @neilhimself @MrRickyWhittle @DAVID_A_SLADE pic.twitter.com/Pu2sCqrNXl
- Bryan Fuller (@BryanFuller) May 1, 2017
Concept art for the Bone Orchard =)
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Loved the premiere =) Thoughts, likes/dislikes, and whatnot on "The Bone Orchard"? What are your hopes and expectations for the season? I already want more.
Spoiler-tag for those who need it :
