Donald Glover explains why Phoebe Waller-Bridge left "Mr. & Mrs. Smith"

[nutella_forever]

Donald Glover is explaining the reason why Phoebe Waller-Bridge exited "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" and why it was her that left the series and not him.

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- JustJared.com (@JustJared) February 7, 2024
Donald Glover revealed why Phoebe Waller-Bridge left the "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" tv show for Prime Video

Comments

[sjpheartshim]

"And I look back at Atlanta, and we built a culture where we could say mean things to each other or be like, ‘That idea is kind of [crap],’ and then we’d laugh. You weren’t afraid to say something - but we also had the right to roast you. It’s just how we got the laughs"

Yeeeah, that is not something I'd be okay with. Constructive criticism is all good but if your idea of that is telling me that my ideas/work is garbage, nope. I don't blame her for leaving.

[_kleptomane]

I don't think it's his general idea or way of working, but especially with him making note of possible cultural differences, it seems that with Atlanta they created an environment where there was a certain freedom and familiarity with each other as writers to where they could roast each other without it becoming personal or just plain mean. That relaxed one on one creative environment was not something he and Phoebe could reach, to the point they felt it compromised the art, so they came to the decision to part ways. Seems pretty reasonable to me.

[sjpheartshim]

I didn't say it wasn't reasonable that they parted ways, I said I don't like that type of environment and clearly she didn't either.

I get that's how he works but not everyone is going to be okay with being brutal to each other and you will come off as an asshole if that's the only way you can work, you know?

[squirrels_oh_no]

Constructive criticism is indeed one thing. Bringing down others for laughs is not cool.

[pseudonygma]

The type of culture where people are mean for the sake of being honest seems so unnecessary to me. There are ways to be honest without being an asshole and if you can't/won't/don't know how to do that then YOU are the problem.

It sounds kinda like he got too comfortable with that type of brainstorming environment and doesn't know how to do it any other way now.

I read an interview that he did with Maya and he expressed that he was surprised she didn't write anything and she immediately snapped back with "you didn't ask me to!"--which honestly, good for her if that was never in her contract to begin with. She did did go on to say that after doing Pen15 for so long, it was nice to not do anything more than act with a sprinkle of improv in a few scenes. So I guess he realized he wanted total control of the show instead of sharing it.

[mystic_kiwi]

I read "Burn it Down: Power, Complicity, and a Call for Change in Hollywood" not that long ago and shared stories from a lot of writers who were in rooms where the person with all this power was nasty and framed it as jokes and how it was toxic and they felt that they could not push back without being labeled as difficult. So while I believe that it is actually entirely possible the Atlanta writers room had the atmosphere Glover is describing (I certainly have the kind of relationship with some of my friends where we can be like "this is the worst idea you've ever had!" and it's a laugh/no hard feelings) it's certainly a statement that makes me go "hmmm."

[sjpheartshim]

Right? Like I get that kind of teasing with friends and family but not at work, and hell no to that coming from a superior.