Lovecraft Country Emmy nominees reflect on the show

Lovecraft Country isn’t returning for a second season on HBO, but it’s still buzzworthy, particularly after it received 18 Emmy nominations. Deadline invited the cast and crew to participate in a series of panels at its Deadline Virtual House to talk about bringing the show to life.

Lovecraft Country is based on a novel of the same name by Matt Ruff, which provided a great template for the series. “You know, it already had kind of this episodic TV feel because he had written it for TV as a TV pitch before he wrote it as a book, because no one would make it at the time,” said showrunner Misha Green.

Jonathan Majors says being on Lovecraft Country was like the Olympics

Lead Actor in a Drama Series nominee Jonathan Majors said that bringing Atticus Freeman to life was “what it is like to be an Olympian emotionally, physically, et cetera. And we had a coach, and that was Misha.”

Jurnee Smollett, whose performance as Leti led to a nomination for Lead Actress in a Drama Series, said that her role took her places that most never do. “Our heroes are on a quest to  restore balance late in their world. However, when you place Black folks in the center of a classic story, and you make it very specific and unique to our experience, it becomes a whole different ballgame, right? And that just was so disruptive to me on so many levels, and so exciting on so many levels.”

Other panelists included Michael Kenneth Williams, Aunjanue Ellis and Courtney B. Vance. All three are nominated for their work on the show. Vance is nominated for his guest starring role as George Freeman. The experience left a mark, personally and professionally. “This show is much bigger than anything I’ve ever seen on television before,” he said.

The first two panels of the night covered the sounds and sights of the show and featured eight members of the Emmy-nominated crew. Composers Laura Karpman and Raphael Saadiq, music supervisor Liza Richardson and sound supervisor Tim Kimmel spoke about the show’s unique tapestry of music. Costume designer Dayna Pink, director of photography Tat Radcliffe, VFX supervisor Kevin Blank and makeup effects artist J. Anthony Kosar talked about the challenges and rewards of working on a show that transcends so many genres.

Though Lovecraft Country won’t be moving forward at HBO, this isn’t the end for Smollett and Green. DC Films has tapped them to make a Black Canary movie based on Smollett’s appearance in 2020’s Birds of Prey. Smollett will reprise her role as Black Canary and Green will write the script. It’s possible she could direct as well, but the project is still in the early stages.

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