Ricky Whittle defends American Gods against accusations of behind-the-scenes “turmoil”
By Ariba Bhuvad
After two years of anxious waiting, American Gods is finally returning with a second season. Reports of difficulties on set have been pretty rampant, with showrunners coming and going and multiple cast members opting not to return for season 2, including Gillan Anderson as the new god Media and Kristin Chenoweth as the new god Easter. For a while, we were wondering if we would have a season 2 at all, or if this was the end of the adventures of Shadow Moon (Ricky Whittle) and the mysterious Mr. Wednesday (Ian McShane).
But no! The second season is happening. Speaking to Vanity Fair, Whittle defended the show against people saying it was “in turmoil”. As with any show, he claims that there are ups and downs, and things will take drastic turns.
"There was a lot written — I think there was one article that came out that said we were in shambles and turmoil, and it was going to be a mess, and it was over-budget. That’s such an exaggeration and not accurate at all."
Let’s hope season 2 is good, so the cast and crew can have the last laugh. “It’s just mountains out of molehills,” Whittle continued. “Fans don’t need to worry about this. Starz is 100 percent behind us and they’ve given us amazing feedback on season 2. I genuinely feel season 2 is better than season 1, especially as we come to the finale. Fans are going to lose their minds.”
Well, okay then.
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To underscore their confidence, Showtime has released a few flashy character posters. Check them out:
And your destiny is to watch #AmericanGods on March 10. We know. We're psychic. pic.twitter.com/LVfJT9TzUT
— American Gods US (@americangodsus) January 30, 2019
Nothing to see here. Just a sweet harmless old man. #AmericanGods pic.twitter.com/OxXeyUyYWX
— American Gods US (@americangodsus) January 31, 2019
All I've ever wanted and needed is for Salim to tell me to believe in myself 😭 #AmericanGods pic.twitter.com/84GlwZRdt4
— American Gods US (@americangodsus) February 1, 2019
You're doing amazing, Sweeney. #AmericanGods pic.twitter.com/MXn34XZImF
— American Gods US (@americangodsus) February 7, 2019
Hello, dead wife. #AmericanGods pic.twitter.com/Ycf2zX82cM
— American Gods US (@americangodsus) February 6, 2019
You don't want Technical Boy to erase you. Trust me. #AmericanGods pic.twitter.com/vHsxYReMMJ
— American Gods US (@americangodsus) February 5, 2019
Sometimes, death reveals the truth–and Mr. Ibis is very comfortable with both. #AmericanGods pic.twitter.com/PBgGokeU2A
— American Gods US (@americangodsus) February 4, 2019
As fans of the book know, Shadow and Mr. Wednesday are large parts of Neil Gaiman’s story, but characters like Salim (Omid Abtahi) have had their roles greatly expanded for TV. A lot of characters got that treatment, including Jinn (Mousa Kraish), Mad Sweeney (Pablo Schreiber), and Bilquis (Yetide Badaki).
American Gods season 2 kicks off on March 10, but if you can’t wait, Showtime has released the first few minutes of footage ahead of time.
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h/t Vanity Fair and Digital Spy