The Lone Star State is truly having a moment right now. With Megan Thee Stallion taking a break from her reign at the forefront of pop culture, fans hungry for more of her Texas twang have plenty of options thanks to Big Jade and Erica Banks. The two rappers link up in the video for Jade’s new single “Dem Girlz” featuring Beatking to champion around-the-way girls over a chopped-and-screwed sample of David Banner’s 2003 hit “Like A Pimp.” The celebratory video sees the trio surrounded by lowriders at a car meet, a Houston, Texas staple.
The song will appear on Big Jade’s upcoming debut album, Pressure, set for release soon from Alamo Records. Like its latest single, Pressure will be a showcase of Texas talent, with appearances from DJ Chose, OMB Bloodbath, and Houston legend Slim Thug. Jade’s been promoting the upcoming album through a series of freestyles and music videos for songs like “Gucci Bag” and “No Hook,” but will surely receive even more attention thanks to Erica Banks’ appearance. Banks’ song “Buss It” was recently a viral hit thanks to the TikTok “Buss It Challenge” that saw the song jump from regional banger to the Billboard charts.
Watch the “Dem Girlz” video above.
Erica Banks is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Livestream concerts have become increasingly common since the start of the pandemic, and while getting ready to check out a virtual concert isn’t as big a deal as going to an in-person show, there’s still usually some warning that it’s happening. That wasn’t the case with Adrianne Lenker this weekend, who decided to hop on Instagram Live and play a quick set of songs without any prior announcement (as NME notes).
Over the course of about 17 minutes, Lenker, wielding an acoustic guitar, ended up playing four songs, all from her 2020 album Songs: “Not A Lot, Just Forever,” “Forwards Beckon Rebound,” “Half Return,” and “Anything.” There was no chatting between songs or any talking at all from Lenker, who decided to let her delicate guitar-playing and singing carry the broadcast.
(SPOILERS for The Falcon and the Winter Soldier will be found below.)
Emily VanCamp’s MCU character, Sharon Carter, made a (jaded) splash in Disney+’s The Falcon and the Winter Soldier after a years-long absence from the superhero realm (following 2016’s Captain America: Civil War). Although Carter doesn’t have superpowers, she potentially set herself up as the new big bad (for the fourth Captain America movie or a Season 2) as the Power Broker, but during interviews, she’s still fielding questions about that kiss. Yes, people are still all worked up about Steve and Sharon kissing when he was in love with her great aunt.
VanCamp has previously communicated how she knows that the scene didn’t work well. She also pointed out that, if it helps at all, Steve was the one who made the first move. Now while speaking with Collider, she’s further explaining how a very positive thing (the push-pull dynamic of Sam and Bucky) sprang from that otherwise awkward scene.
“[Y]ou don’t want to sort of say, ‘Well, it was a terrible moment and it didn’t make any sense,’ because everyone’s just kind of doing the best they can to service the story in that moment, really. And so, yeah, we were all just, I think, doing the best that we could and something great came out of it, which was this dynamic between Sam and Bucky in the car! And so something great did come of it, ultimately. And here we have The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.”
Yup, here’s where that buddy-comedy vibe was born.
Also, yeah, people shouldn’t hate on Sharon for going in on that kiss because (let’s face it) she really had a pretty rough few years in the aftermath. Sharon became a fugitive to help Steve Rogers, Sam Wilson, and Bucky Barnes, and she didn’t receive much gratitude in return. She didn’t seem too bitter toward Steve in particular (especially concerning that kiss), although it was clear that the experience of being shafted by heroes (after helping them) left a mark. So yes, it’s Power Broker time for Sharon Carter, who’s probably gonna sell all the secrets and weapons prototypes as a double agent. Watch out, United States of America.
No matter how many times #TuckerMustGo trends, Tucker Carlson isn’t going anywhere.
The morally repugnant Fox News host and “terrible, terrible person” brings in big ratings for Fox News, and as one ex-staffer told the Daily Beast, that’s the only thing that matters. “Fox cares nothing about integrity, character, decency,” former-host Juliet Huddy said, while another one-time employee added, “The dirty little secret is that FNC doesn’t care about losing advertisers. They make their money via cable conglomerates that pay them much money so that dumb fucks who worship FNC can continue being told what, in their heart of hearts, they want to believe. And that’s a lot of people.”
In March and April alone, Carlson hosted Matt Gaetz in the midst of a sex trafficking scandal, reported on “the biggest story there is” (it involves sperm and smoking weed), angered military leaders after ridiculing female service members, supported Piers Morgan following his Megan Markle comments, defended the attack on the Capitol on January 6, endorsed a white supremacist theory, asked his viewers to harass people wearing masks in people, and spread “crazy conspiracy lies” about the vaccine. He’s been busy! But even though Carlson is “one of the most prominent vessel[s] in America for white supremacist talking points,” as John Oliver called him, he’s “untouchable.”
“He’s untouchable. He knows it, his staff knows it, everyone knows it,” one Fox News insider said of Carlson’s standing with Fox management. “The Murdochs love him,” another former Fox News personality said. “Like them, he is a rich, prep school kid born with a silver spoon who traffics in populism while living in an expensive ivory tower and never meeting in real life the people he gins up for ratings.”
One person even said that if Donald Trump is the most dangerous person in the country, “Tucker is a close second.” Something tells me Carlson considers that a compliment.
The Weeknd may never be nominated for another Grammy, but not because the quality of his work is about to drop off: After somehow being completely snubbed at the 2021 Grammys, the artist declared that he is boycotting the awards and will no longer submit his music for consideration. The Recording Academy has faced a ton of criticism over the past year-plus, but a few days ago, they announced “significant changes” to their voting process, including the elimination of “secret committees.” While The Weeknd thinks that’s cool, he says he’s still going to stick to his boycott.
In a statement to The New York Times, The Weeknd said, “Even though I won’t be submitting my music, the Grammys’ recent admission of corruption will hopefully be a positive move for the future of this plagued award and give the artist community the respect it deserves with a transparent voting process.”
Interim Recording Academy president/CEO Harvey Mason Jr. also offered a statement, saying the changes come as part of “a year of unprecedented, transformational change,” adding, “This is a new academy, one that is driven to action and that has doubled down on the commitment to meeting the needs of the music community.”
Black Panther star Lupita Nyong’o has opened up about the daunting prospect of forging ahead with a sequel to the groundbreaking first film following the shocking loss of Chadwick Boseman. The actor passed in August 2020 after a years-long and secret battle with colon cancer, which obviously left a significant (and some might argue irreparable) hole in the upcoming sequel, but Nyong’o recently revealed that writer/director Ryan Coogler has been rising to the challenge of reworking the movie to honor Boseman’s legacy and move the world of Wakanda forward. Via Yahoo:
“And his idea, the way which he has reshaped the second movie is so respectful of the loss we’ve all experienced as a cast and as a world. So it feels spiritually and emotionally correct to do this. And hopefully, what I do look forward to, is getting back together and honoring what he started with us and holding his light through it. Because he left us a lot of light that we’re still going to be bathing in. I know that for sure.”
While the details of Black Panther 2‘s story are under wraps because it’s still being developed, and also Marvel is gonna Marvel, Michael B. Jordan is lowering expectations that he’ll return for the sequel. Here’s what he told The Jess Cagle Show when asked to rate the possibility of him returning on a scale from 1 to 10, with 10 being the most likely.
“I’m gonna go with a solid 2,” Jordan said. “I didn’t want to go zero! Never say never. I can’t predict the future.”
Empress Of has popped up here and there since releasing her 2020 album I’m Your Empress Of, and this weekend, she returned with new material: As part of the Sound It Out project, she has released a new song, “One Breath.”
Empress Of explained the premise of the project and the origin of her song for it, writing on Instagram, “OUT TODAY is an album called Sound It Out in which artists speak to kids about how they are feeling and we transform that into music! I spoke to Marianne, a 14 year old Honduran girl who moved to the US with her family. What an incredible moment to share my own story with her and how much I could relate to her and her mother.”
Sound It Out describes the album on its website, “This album is a tool to help you and your kid discover how to use music to explore difficult emotions and experiences. Listen to each track and see how the artists explored their feelings through the lyrics.” They also say of themselves more broadly, “Sound It Out is a new national campaign that uses the power and soul of music to help parents and caregivers better support their middle schooler’s emotional wellness. Created by the Ad Council, in partnership with Pivotal Ventures and a coalition of organizations, the campaign delivers exclusive new music and interviews from some of today’s brightest stars and offers a comprehensive guide to helping kids open up about an array of emotions and situations as well as tools that help make this important process light and interesting.”
We’re getting there, people. I repeat: We. Are. Getting. There. After longer than one year, TV is grinding toward full speed again with plenty of quality shows that have led the way into May, and thank goodness, because the small screen is almost fully where it’s at until at least fall 2021. Given the way that movie studios are adapting to post-pandemic life, too, it feels like we’re going to see a continued shifting toward home-theater viewing, which sure is helping Disney+ with their largely mapped-out schedule of Marvel Cinematic Universe and Star Wars franchise shows. The latter franchise leads the way into this month with several other series that are worth sliding into your queues.
A Clone Wars spin-off will get a little unorthodox on Disney+, a Marvel supervillain will lose his sh*t on Hulu, and a Las Vegas legend will demand your attention on HBO Max. On a slightly quieter (but no less important) note, Aziz Ansari’s brainchild will return to Netflix, and that’s only the beginning of this list of new and returning shows from streaming services also including HBO Max, Apple TV+, Amazon Prime, and Peacock. Don’t count out Showtime, either, for the premium cable channel is representing with a bold new entry. Here are the biggest shows worth noticing in May:
Star Wars: The Bad Batch: Season 1 (Disney+ series streaming on 5/4)
You might prefer to think of this show as the Star Wars franchise’s version of D.C.’s Suicide Squad, but fear no Leto-Joker intrusion. Instead, this The Clone Wars spinoff follows the conclusion of its flagship series that recently wound down on Disney+. Dave Filoni (also of The Mandalorian and Rebels) is executive producing here, and the show focuses on a mercenary squad of sorts that’s made up of (as the title indicates) “the Bad Batch” or Clone Force 99. These elite soldiers stand apart from standard clones due to their unique physical capabilities like super strength, super eyesight, and so on. They’ll try to find their place in a post-Clone War era, and the show will bridge the gap for other Star Wars franchise shows coming soon, including Ewan McGregor’s Obi-Wan Kenobi series and the Cassian Andor-focused Rogue One prequel starring Diego Luna. Disney+ can’t seem to go wrong while firmly pushing toward small screen supremacy, and the unintentionally-genocidal Baby Yoda didn’t hurt that cause last year.
The Sons of Sam: A Descent into Darkness (Netflix limited series streaming on 5/5)
Netflix continues to delve deeper into the true crime realm with new selections every month, from the ongoing Unsolved Mysteries revival to bingeworthy limited series like Murder Among The Mormons and Joe Berlinger’s haunting Crime Scene anthology show. Now, the streamer is taking on the case of serial killer David Berkowitz, a.k.a. “Son of Sam,” who was arrested and convicted after a stream of murders in the late 1970s. Upon Berkowitz’s capture, New Yorkers felt a sense of relief after Berkowitz could no longer stalk the streets, but journalist Maury Terry (author of Ultimate Evil) didn’t rest easy. He felt convinced that Berkowitz had a partner, at the very least, and this limited documentary series will dive down the rabbit hole with him. This might be a cautionary tale or the path to the elusive truth or both.
That Damn Michael Che (HBO Max series streaming on 5/6)
This show’s title kindly tells us which SNL star will be front and center. However, several other SNL stars from today and yesteryear shall be right beside him, and that includes Colin Quinn, who previously admitted that he wasn’t the best fit for Weekend Update, but he seems to be a good fit for a priest who’s gearing himself up to hear all of Michael Che’s sins. Are those limited to comedic sins (recently, he did tell a controversial joke about Israel’s vaccine rollout), or sins in general? We’ll have to wait to find out the answer to that question, and this six-episode season won’t shy away from tackling the all-too-timely issue of policing. Yes, the series promises appearances from Cecily Strong, Heidi Gardner, Ellen Cleghorne, and Colin Jost. Also expect to see Billy Porter, Method Man, Omari Hardwick, and Geoffrey Owens as part of the lineup.
Girls5Eva (Peacock series debuting on 5/6)
Tina Fey and Robert Carlock haven’t swung and missed yet while executive producing together, and here’s their latest joint project about a one-and-done, Spice Girls-esque 1990s girl group who get one more shot at stardom. How, exactly, did this happen? Their previous hit got sampled by a rapper, so they’re giving this pop-star thing an honest go again. Unfortunately, they’re all balancing real-life stressors like family, day jobs, and aches and pains that one doesn’t exactly deal with during early-20s life when abusing one’s body simply comes with the territory. Busy Phillips stars alongside Sarah Bareilles, Paula Pell, and Renée Elise Goldsberry. If you’re already a Peacock subscriber for The Office and/or WWE, you’ve gotta at least give this one a shot.
Mythic Quest: Season 2 (Apple TV+ series streaming on 5/7)
Two pandemic specials sustained viewers between seasons of Rob McElhenney’s workplace comedy, which shall see plenty of awkward maneuvering while the crew comes back to the office after you-know-what forced the work-at-home situation. They’re hoping to build upon the Raven’s Banquet success with a new expansion, but nothing’s going smoothly for creative direction, and office romances are (naturally) complicating everything. In short, sometimes the bigger battle than the work itself is learning (and in this case, relearning) how to achieve harmony with one’s coworkers, but here’s great news: Snoop Dogg stops by this season to spread his feel-good… vibes.
Jupiter’s Legacy (Netflix series streaming on 5/7)
Kick-Ass and Kingsman creator Mark Millar is to thank for this epic superhero series, starring a heavily bearded Josh Duhamel as The Utopian. He’s the head of a superhero family that’s hoping to pass the torch to a new generation, but (no real surprise) things aren’t going smoothly on that end. Yes, this description does evoke shades of Robert Kirkman’s Invincible (currently running on Amazon), but the vibe is less R-rated and also entertaining on its own merits. No spoilers here, but there are twists involved with this family’s ethics as heroes, and the show answers a lot of questions left open by Marvel Studios’ The Avengers with all of its collateral damage.
Ziwe (Showtime series streaming on 5/9)
Ziwe Fumudoh’s former status as a Desus & Mero writer will be no shocker for anyone who catches her new variety series. As the above trailer indicates, she intends to use comedy as a weapon to examine the hardest-issues out there, and those will include cultural issues including race, but also, as she’d like to know (of Fran Lebowitz), “What bothers you more, slow walkers or racism?” Expect to see similarly uncomfortable interview appearances (from Jane Krakowski, Bowen Yang, Phoebe Bridgers, and Julio Torres) as Ziwe continues to spread her brand of unfiltered chaos, which viewers of her YouTube-turned-Instagram Live comedy show, Baited, will recognize.
Hacks (HBO Max series streaming on 5/13)
Jean Smart’s not-so-quiet domination of recent prestige TV shows (Fargo, Watchmen, Mare of Easttown, Legion) and other popular shows of late (Big Mouth, Dirty John) has finally culminated with this leading-lady turn in a role she was arguably meant to play. Hacks hails from executive producer Michael Schur and has three Broad City alums (Paul W. Downs, Lucia Aniello, and Jen Statsky) in the writers’ room, so get ready for a (Las Vegas) buffet of complex female characters. Smart portrays a legendary Vegas-rooted comedian who forges a “dark mentorship” to a 20-something newcomer in town. Among other highlights of this trailer, we see Smart shouting, “Eat your heart out Celine!” Don’t even think about missing this one.
Trying: Season 2 (Apple TV+ series streaming on 5/14)
Esther Smith and Rafe Spall return as a married couple who are painstakingly wading through the adoption process after learning that they’re unable to conceive a biological child. That particular angle on parenthood isn’t frequently tackled on TV, but as the couple moves past conquering the almighty adoption panel, they’ve got even harder work ahead of them. This show’s already landed a Season 3 renewal, so there’s an ultimate plan out there for this couple as they continue to seek what they believe will eventually fulfill them. It’s a frank, funny, and occasionally heartbreaking series that tackles a subject not frequently seen as fodder for entertainment, but oh, it scores.
Love, Death & Robots: Volume 2 (Netflix series streaming on 5/14)
Two years ago, Netflix previewed adult-animated anthology series Love, Death & Robots, from co-executive producers David Fincher and Tim Miller, with the “messed up audiences only” label. Comfortingly, it sure looks like not a whole lot has changed for the show’s vibe. As with the Emmy-winning first season of this show, this trailer tells us to expect more existential “robots-gone-wild” but fewer of them (along with “naked giants” and “Christmas demons”), as the series included eighteen short films in the initial round but will crank out eight more for this second batch. All will keep the seemingly infinite number of animation styles going, including a very simple-looking installment that, uh, involves a poop-scooping robot. Otherwise, expect several genres (including sci-fi, horror, fantasy and comedy) to gain more of the spotlight with mind-bending stories, some frivolous and some thought provoking but all entertaining.
The Underground Railroad (Amazon Prime limited series streaming on 5/14)
Awe-inspiring cinematography aside in this trailer, one of the biggest attractions to this project, of course, is Oscar winner Barry Jenkins (If Beale Street Could Talk, Moonlight) in the director’s seat while helming a 10-part adaptation of Colson Whitehead’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name. Also, Brad Pitt’s executive producing here through his Plan B production company. The story chronicles the desperate bid for freedom by slave Cora Randall (newcomer Thuso Mbedu), and she’s pursued by a bounty hunter, Ridgeway (Joel Edgerton), who not only wishes to complete his straight-up mission by returning Cora to a Georgia plantation but to settle a personal score. The ensemble cast includes William Jackson Harper (as Royal, who was born free and helps guide Cora along part of her journey), Lily Rabe, and Damon “Dewey Crowe” Herriman.
Pride (FX limited series debuting on 5/14)
You’ve probably heard of the Red Scare led by Senator Joseph McCarthy, who led a fear-mongering set of 1950s probes into alleged Communism within the federal government and the U.S. Armed Forces. This series will bring the McCarthy-instigated Lavender Scare front and center to behold even more tentacles of government-sanctioned persecution, specifically of gay men and lesbians who worked for the feds, at a time when McCarthy hysterically branded them a threat to national security. In the end, the resulting fight launched a new civil rights branch, but the journey was a harrowing one. This limited series will sprint through the decades, including the “Culture Wars” of the 1990s and the continued battles for trans rights that persist today.
Marvel’s M.O.D.O.K. (Hulu series streaming on 5/21)
Patton Oswalt’s indisputable knack for voice work recently managed to shock The Boys audience (that’s what happens when you “cameo” as a set of gills for the lead pervert character), and now he’s the leading man in a very adult-oriented animated series. Here, Oswalt’s portraying an egomaniacal supervillain (with a massive, unwieldy noggin) who’s struggling to balance his day job as a bad dude with family life (it happens, even to the most evil among us!). In the process, he’s gotta deal with a certain busybody named Tony Stark/Iron Man, who’s voiced by freaking Jon Hamm. Expect to hear Bill Hader, Whoopi Goldberg, Ben Schwartz, and Nathan Fillion all join the chorus as everyone on this show seems to want to push a bad man down.
Master of None: Season 3 (Netflix series streaming on 5/23)
It’s been (four) years since we’ve seen Aziz Ansari’s brainchild do its thing, and that’s not even (officially, at least) down to the pandemic. Ansari’s been largely out of the public eye following sexual misconduct allegations, although he did emerge a few years ago for an insightful comedy special that goes a long way to show that gazing inward, but he’s still got a lot of comedic material to mine. This season, the co-creator’s taking a step behind the camera to direct in a season that he cowrote with the Emmy-winning Lena Waithe, whose character (Denise) moves from the sidelines to the forefront. The season will largely focus on Denise’s relationship with Alicia (Naomi Ackie) to bring viewers a new modern love story. There’s no word yet on whether Aziz will make an on-camera appearance, but clearly, he remains intent upon breaking new storytelling ground.
John Oliver devoted nearly the entirety of Last Week Tonight‘s runtime to a push for vaccination. In doing so, he took aim at two of the biggest leaders of COVID-jab misinformation out there, Joe Rogan and Tucker Carlson. As to the former, the host didn’t need to invest too much time, given that Rogan already felt the backlash after saying that healthy 20-somethings shouldn’t take COVID vaccines (and Rogan wildly backtracked, declaring himself to be a “f*cking moron”). It’s a declaration that satisfied Oliver, who agreed: “Stop listening to what Joe Rogan tells you, he’s a ‘f*cking moron,’ and those are his words, not mine.” With Tucker Carlson, however, Oliver recognizes that there’s much more work to be done, which is the case in general with the fear-mongering, conspiracy-sowing Fox News host.
Last Week Tonight viewers know that Oliver’s quest to dismantle Tucker’s grip on a decent-sized chunk of America is a long-term project, including a recent deep-dive into why Tucker’s status as a white supremacist is undeniable. On the subject of vaccines, Oliver knows that he’s not likely to convince anyone who believes Tucker’s rantings. In fact, Oliver is now urging his viewers to do the necessary work of attempting to change their loved ones’ minds. However, Oliver had some cutting criticism to offer while (around the 9:00 minute mark) handing out more nicknames to Fox News’ lead anger-bear.
“The reason we still see mask and distancing recommendations is that the CDC is being cautious and wants to be sure that it is not spreading bullsh*t around during a global pandemic like a frozen dinner duke with a TV show.” Oliver declared. He later offered, “I hope that answers at least one of your gape-mouthed bad-faith wonderings, Tucker, you scrunch-faced fear baboon.”
Frozen dinner duke (Tucker is a Swanson frozen foods heir) is one for the ages, and in between the above two nicknames, Oliver reasoned, “It is genuinely weird to see someone hosting a show on a supposed news network and ending every sentence with a question mark, especially when answers to most of those questions are out there for anyone who cares to know.” He added “That the CDC still recommends wearing masks indoors around vulnerable, unvaccinated people does not mean the vaccine doesn’t work. Clinical trials found that the vaccines are spectacularly successful at preventing people from getting serious disease. As for whether they protect you from spreading the virus, the trials weren’t designed to assess that, but evidence has so far indicated that they drastically reduce transmission.”
The entire episode is (as always) worth watching for the multitude of arguments that Oliver offers for anyone who would like to gear up on ammunition to convince their stubborn uncle that Tucker and Joe know don’t what they’re talking about. Most importantly, though, “get the f*cking vaccine!” is what resonates.
Only a handful of episodes remain in the first half of HBO’s period fantasy The Nevers and it looks like the show plans to end, not with a whisper, but with a gunpowder-fueled, opium-spewing, orgy-hosting bang.
And stars James Norton and Tom Riley are likely to be right in the middle of it. Norton plays the promiscuous, pansexual nobleman Hugo Swann, who has been busy building an underground nightclub filled with adult entertainment courtesy of the Touched — Londonites who were gifted with extraordinary abilities after a mysterious event threatened the societal hierarchy three years prior. Riley’s stutteringly-shy Augie Bidlow is another nobleman, pulled into Swann’s schemes thanks to their schoolboy friendship, who’s hiding secrets of his own. Though the women front most of the action, both of these characters have major roles to play in an oncoming battle that may decide the fate of the Touched — and of the world.
We chatted with Norton and Riley about where their characters might be headed, the logistics of building a burlesque club underground, and whether either of them is placing bets on rumors that Norton might be in the running to be the next James Bond.
The show picks up three years after this mysterious event. How much did you know about your characters and where they were headed when you came on board?
James Norton: Why we all, I guess, jumped on board was because our characters were immediately intriguing and there’s a lot going on. For me personally, there were so many questions asked about [Hugo’s] history, his past with his father and brother, and his friendship with Augie. There was an enormous amount there to go on and at the same time, we took a lot of pleasure in going away and filling in the gaps — making this even richer and delving deeper. We still don’t know really where we’re all going to end up, so a lot of it is speculation and that keeps you guessing.
So you’re as in the dark as we are, then?
Tom Riley: We have a vague idea of our individual journeys and an even vaguer idea of the universal journey, but you never know where things are going to go and how things going to change. And obviously, with the season being split — we haven’t even seen the scripts for the next six [episodes]. So we’re going to be as in the dark as the viewer by the time they get to the wild finale of this first half. Things are about to go bonkers in episodes five and six.
Is there a decision that will be made by either of these men in the next two episodes that will really change things — for them personally or in a larger context for the show?
TR: From the beginning, Augie is going through the most fundamental moment of change in his entire life because he is ‘touched’ unlike most of his class and most of his gender. For whatever reason, he has been blessed and cursed with this power. He is going through a moment of huge personal growth but who knows which direction that will lead him?
JN: With Hugo, he’s set up as very contradictory and I hope the audience will be split really down the middle. I hope that lots of people will be sort of seduced by him. And then I think others will be offended by him and that’s kind of what we hope, that’s the intention is that he is both dangerous and delightful, and I think you could either way with him. You can go really dark and also you could sort of explore his humanity. I kind of hope we do both throughout. I think that he will consistently be a big pot of contradiction.
Hugo is engaged with the touched in a way that doesn’t represent his social standing. Most of the people in his world are very threatened by the touched. He’s actually one of the very few who’s recognized that not only are they a benefit to society, but they also can be used for his own selfish gain. So he does engage with them, he gives them a sanctuary. That decision is going to be a very big turning point in his life, for better or for worse.
This show does a lot of world-building. Like, literally, you’ve built an underground network of caves for this latest episode. Were those underground orgy scenes as weird to film as they sound like they’d be?
TR: [laughs] I get to play the guy who literally walks through the whole place going, ‘Oh! Oh no!’ I didn’t have to be as comfortable in that sort of insane world that we built in this [network] of caves in the South of England. The hundreds of extra circus performers? I mean, it was not a normal day at work.
JN: It was really fun. There was this insane number of very talented burlesque dancers, circus performers, people swinging from ropes and ceilings, like contortion artists. That was kind of a pleasure to be amongst because these people are just so skilled. Actually, this is a really weird thing to say, but I have had a few orgy scenes in my career. One thing which always strikes me is how bad the smell is. Like when you get a mass of naked bodies, it really pongs. But this was a very well-ventilated cave.
Hugo is pansexual and he’s very open with his sexuality, which feels different for a period piece. Was it important to get that right on-screen?
JN: I think it’s important for the audience and what he represents in a modern context. I don’t think that Hugo himself necessarily recognizes the kind of moral conversation around that — his own sexuality and the choices which he makes in regard to the people who he sleeps with. But obviously, whether he likes it or not, he is a representative for the modern progressive world where boundaries have been broken down and we are far more accepting of people and their needs and desires. That’s what was lovely about the conflict of this character, he was both incredibly traditional and very much part of the establishment and in some ways, a really dark and sort of questionable man. And in other ways, he is a symbol for progress and for inclusivity and acceptance and all the good things. So I mean, we recognized the importance of that and the conversation which that brings about. Whether Hugo does is another question.
TR: I thought you said something really interesting about the way Hugo behaves and Hugo’s sexuality. He takes it almost for granted because of the privilege that he comes from. Other people in society wouldn’t necessarily get away with what he gets away with, they would be locked up for it. But because Hugo comes with a certain amount of privilege, he gets away with everything. Which I think is another interesting thing to examine.
JN: Yes, you’re right. Comparing Hugo to Frank — obviously, they’ve had a relationship – Frank is a police officer who was probably arresting gay men and women and putting them in jail and knowing that if he was caught, he would also be a victim of that same discrimination. You could give Hugo an undeserved amount of respect and integrity for the bravery which he presents and the choices he makes. But actually, it’s simply due to the fact that he has a trust fund to bail him out whenever it needs.
Where are you ranking in the “Next James Bond” debate as of now, James? And Tom, have you placed any bets yet?
TR: Oh, I’ve already put my money on it. [To James] I hope this isn’t crazy, but I’ve actually put 100,000 pounds on you doing this.
So if this doesn’t pan out, you could be homeless.
TR: Exactly, it’s like, my house depends on this one.
JN: [laughs] What can I say without digging a hole …? I know I can say something safely. [To Tom] You’re an idiot and you need to go and see someone about your gambling issues. It’s ridiculous.
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