[This story contains minor drama from I’m a Virgo Through).]
As an executive producer, looking for some newer movies and TV series( Prometheus, The Leftovers and Pachinko, etc.), Michael Ehrenberg’s instinct led him to pursue the possibility of developing something with explosive writers and filmmakers Boots Riley .
About five years ago, Ehrenberg watched Riley’s film, sorry to interrupt, It took him by surprise, he told The Hollywood Reporter . Riley came up with some fresh and forward-thinking ideas, and Ehrenberg wanted to capitalize on what he felt was the “freshness” Riley provided. Ehrenburg began an aggressive creative relationship with Riley that eventually resulted in a story about A whimsical urban fantasy story. Oakland’s giant boy, I’m a Virgo starring
To Eilenberger, describing a limited series sounds simpler than it is. He believes this is indeed Riley’s story, but the producers (whose Media Res studio is producing with Amazon) took some time to work with THR in order to The best way to show him is how Riley believed Riley would describe this cross-genre fantasy project. ( Note: Riley cannot talk to THR due to ongoing Writers Strike. )
How would you describe I am a Virgo : This is A superhero origin story? Is this a coming of age story? Is this a love letter to protests and movements like BLM?
Yes, my answer is: all these things! I think first of all, it’s a coming-of-age story. This is the most unique coming-of-age story you’ll ever see. Here’s an origin story: Cooty’s [Jharrel Jerome] Self Journey; Cooty’s Vocal Journey. It’s about the poor and it’s about the heroes.
In this case, the hero [played by Walton Goggins] is actually the villain of the piece. He operates in a personal capacity. He alone decides what is right and what is wrong. He alone decides which stories happen in his company and which don’t. [ The hero is a superhero who also owns a comic book publishing company that makes copies of his adventures. ] Cutie and his friends gain power and identity through community. So, what you’re seeing is two competing visions of what power looks like and what justice looks like.
All wrapped up in a wild, mind-bending ride that’s hilarious and raucous. It’s rebellious, it’s repressive. It is loose and free. Also on a fundamental level, this expands your thinking and the realm of the possible. Hopefully it shows people that the world you see doesn’t have to be what you imagine it to be. I think the show is saying: Don’t be convinced that things will never be different, but you have to look beyond your everyday life to make it happen.
How did you get involved with this project ?
I was at the Sundance Film Festival when sorry to bother you
debuted, like many , I was blown away by it. I’ve never seen anything like it in my life, and I don’t think anyone else has either. In my work, what we seek most is to discover an original voice. Although Boots is a first-time filmmaker, he has been a musician, artist and activist for many years. His voice is not just raw, but mature.
So, I kicked out of hellBoots said at the time, “You should do a show. We should do it together!” After several meetings, he finally said, “Okay, I’ll do it.” The first idea he came up with was to do a About home on or around his Birthday. We said, “Yeah, let’s do it!” It was the beginning of an amazing journey.
Cutie is an innocent and very spiritual person. Funny how his parents told him in the first episode that people would try to use him and they would kill him when they didn’t need him anymore. Is there some sort of spiritual symbolism to Kuti’s character?
I think there is definitely some spiritual content to Cutie and the story. It’s a fairy tale, right? I’m a Virgo … Like the stars lined up, and for some reason, Kurti came into this world. We purposely don’t get his full backstory here. It’s meant to be mysterious; it’s by choice, a choice Boots made.
So, there must be a spiritual aspect to this, what is his purpose here? Does he have any special purpose? Is the purpose serving oneself or serving others? Cutie wonders why he’s there, and this season is asking: Will other people tell him what his character is or will he find it himself?
And I think there’s an everyday aspect to Kurty’s life too. Of course, anyone can relate to the idea of being a young man or woman on the verge of adulthood trying to make friends for the first time; dating, working, politically conscious. That place should also be African-American, especially African-American. Therefore, the world looks up to you in that place, and the world looks down on you in that place. This is what Boots is most concerned about. If you’re African-American, one he wants to explore and resonate with you. If you’re not, hopefully it gives you an idea of what it’s like to walk the world.
Essentially, does Cutie know he needs to get around comfortable in the world?
Cutie’s voice is loud. His profile is huge! Yes, he has to figure out if the world is happy with his place, who and what he is. Can he be himself? So, he has to shrink himself, right? And then, once you do get some kind of status and the world gets a little more comfortable, what do you do with that status? But Boots never wanted safe answers to those questions. Cutie can elevate himself, or he can elevate his community.
We have two stories here, but let me spoil the story first, in which we have a character who gets lost very quickly. It was a joy ride until it wasn’t any more. What a tragedy. Boots’ take is that it’s never just one thing, because joy always comes with tragedy, right? It’s really not something I can say, but in the absence of Boots, I think someone could say that’s the black experience in America.
Each character has strengths versus their weaknesses. Like Flora (Oliva Washington), she’s super fast. It’s amazing. But [the Sonics] also hurt her life in various ways. But the characters with superpowers end up being the ones who see the truth the most. So, I think Boots is also trying to inspire us, rather than just trying to tell us how messed up things are in the world.
Where did you film the series?
We shot in New Orleans and Oakland. The stage production was shot in New Orleans, and the exterior shots were shot in Oakland.
Was there a lot of CGI used in the production of this series?
This is super old school. We got to talk to the people who were involved in Star Wars in “. The exhibition had to be tactile and handcrafted. It’s so dreamy. This is ridiculous. This is so surreal. But it’s not artificial. There are some CGI elements in there, and you can tell when it’s coming. But there is animation, there is 2D, there is celluloid animation. It’s a great old school style.
Who are Cutie’s adoptive parents?
If there are more spoilers, Boots should explain this, but we get Cootie’s background on this season answer. If there are more stories to tell, we will learn more in the future. That’s all I can say.
In episode 7, Jones (played by Kara Young) shows the hero how he can be the villain he is to ordinary citizens. She breaks down how some people turn to crime because they are deprived of basic human rights like health care or a legitimate means of earning a living to support their families. She said the real heroes were “revolutionaries”! Can you explain the concept?
These are Boots’ politics, words and thoughts. But I think what you saw in the last episode was, yes, the real heroes are the revolutionaries. Perhaps what is needed now is a new look at the world we live in. The things that hold us back have become like oxygen, we think it’s the equivalent of oxygen or the water we drink, but it’s not. It’s a constructed reality, and it’s hard to see through it. So, in this episode, Jones tries to reveal hidden structures to you. Look at those you despise with greater love, with greater humanity. and free yourself.
Will there be a second season ?
We certainly hope and aim for this, but it is too early to tell. But it was built to continue. It’s a mysterious Oakland, and a lot of what we’ve said has paid off, but a lot of what we’ve said hasn’t. We hope to have the opportunity to do so.
Interview edited for length and clarity.
I’m Virgo is live on Prime Video.
