[This story contains mild spoilers from I’m a Virgo.]
As an executive producer in search for some of the more out-of-the-box movies and series (Prometheus, The Leftovers and Pachinko, to name a few), Michael Ellenberg’s gut instinct propelled him to pursue the possibility of developing something with exploding writer and filmmaker Boots Riley.
Nearly five years ago, Ellenberg watched Riley’s film, Sorry to Bother You, and it blew his mind, he told The Hollywood Reporter. Riley presented something fresh and forward-thinking, and Ellenberg wanted to tap into that “newness” he felt Riley offered. Ellenberg started aggressively pursuing a creative relationship with Riley, and it ultimately yielded the whimsical urban fantasy tale about a 13-foot giant teenager in Oakland, I’m a Virgo starring Jharrel Jerome (now streaming on Prime Video).
In Ellenberg’s view, describing the limited series makes it sound simpler than it is. And he believes it’s really Riley’s story to tell, but the producer, whose studio Media Res produces alongside Amazon, took some time with THR to give his best representation of how he believes Riley would describe the genre-bending fantasy project. (Note: Riley wasn’t available to speak to THR due to the ongoing writers strike.)
How do you describe I’m a Virgo: Is it a superhero origin story? Is it a coming-of-age tale? Is it a love letter to protests and movements like BLM?
Yes, is my answer: It’s all those things! I think first and foremost, it is a coming-of-age story. It’s just the most unique coming-of-age story you have ever seen. It’s an origin story: Cootie’s [Jharrel Jerome] journey to self; Cootie’s journey to voice. And it’s about the have nots, and it’s about heroes.
In this case, The Hero [played by Walton Goggins] is actually the villain in the piece. He operates as an individual. He alone decides what’s right and what’s wrong. He alone decides which stories happen and don’t within his company. [The Hero is a superhero who also owns a comic book publishing company that produces copy about his adventures.] And Cootie and his friends achieve power and identity through community. So, you are watching sort of two competing visions of what power looks like, and what justice looks like.
And all of this is wrapped in a wild mind-bending ride where it is joyous, it is raucous. It is rebellious, it is inhibited. It’s loose and free. Also on a basic level, this expands your mind and the realm of what is possible. And hopefully, it is letting people see that the world as you see it doesn’t have to be like how you think it is. I think this show is saying: Don’t be so sure that things can never be different, but you got to look beyond the everyday to get there.
How did you get involved with this project?
I was at Sundance when Sorry to Bother You debuted and, like a lot of people, I was blown away by it. I’d never seen anything like it in my life, and I don’t think anyone else had either. It’s an experience in my job that we chase the most, which is the discovery of an original voice. And while Boots was a first-time filmmaker, he’s been a musician, artist and activist for many years. His was not just an original voice, but a mature voice emerging.
So, I chased the hell out of Boots at that point, saying, “You should do a show. We should do it together!” And after a few meetings, he was finally like, “Alright, I’ll do it.” And the first idea he pitched was to do a story about a 13-foot giant who leaves his home on or about his 19th birthday. And we were like, “Yes, let’s do this!” That was the beginning of a pretty magical journey.
Cootie is an innocent, very spiritual human being. It’s interesting that his parents tell him in episode one that people will try to exploit him, and when they have no further use for him, they will kill him. Is there some type of spiritual symbolism to Cootie’s character?
I think there is certainly some spiritual connotation to Cootie and the story. It’s a mythic tale, right? I’m a Virgo… it’s like the stars aligned and for some reason, Cootie emerged in the world. It’s intentional that we don’t learn his full backstory here. It was meant to be mysterious; it was by choice, and that was a choice Boots made.
So, for sure there is a spiritual dimension to it and, what did he arrive here for? Does he have a special purpose? And is that purpose to serve himself or to serve others? Cootie is wondering why he’s there, and the season is asking: Is someone else going to tell him what his role is or is he going to find it himself?
And I think there is also an everyday aspect to Cootie’s life. Certainly, anyone can relate to the notion of being a young man or woman who is on the cusp of adulthood, who is trying to have friends for the first time; fall in love, have a job and have political awareness. It was also meant to be an African American in that spot, and particularly an African American man. So, the world looks up at you in that spot, and the world looks down on you. And that was very central to Boots’ concerns; one that he wanted to explore and that resonates with you if you are African American. And if you’re not, hopefully it could lend you some insight on what it’s like to walk through the world.
In essence, is Cootie learning that he needs to make the world feel comfortable around him?
Cootie has a large voice. He has a large profile! And yes, he has to figure out if the world is comfortable with both his stature and who he is and what he is about. Can he be himself? So, he has to sort of shrink himself, right? And then, once you do achieve some status and the world is somewhat comfortable, what do you do with that status? But Boots never wants safe answers to these questions. Cootie can elevate himself, or he can elevate his community.
We have two stories here, but let me go with the spoilers story for a moment, in which we have a character who gets lost fairly quickly. This is a joyride, until it’s not. It’s tragic. And Boots’ take is that it’s never just one thing, because joy kind of goes with the tragic, right? And it’s really not for me to say, but in Boots’ absence, I think some would say that is the Black experience in America.
Every character’s strengths are tied in with their weaknesses. Like with Flora [played by Oliva Washington], she’s super fast. It’s amazing. But [the supersonic speed] also hurts her life in all kinds of ways. But the characters with superpowers end up being the people who can see the truth the most. So, I think Boots is also trying to inspire us, not just trying to tell us how things are messed up in the world.
Where did you film the series?
We filmed in New Orleans and in Oakland. The stage work was filmed in New Orleans and the exterior shots were filmed in Oakland.
Is there a lot of CGI used in the making of this series?
It’s super old school. We had to talk to people who worked on Star Wars in the ‘80s. It was essential that this show be tactile, handmade. It’s fantastical. It’s absurd. It’s surreal. But it is not artificial. There are some CGI elements in it, and you can tell when it arrives. But there’s animation, there’s 2D in it, there’s cel animation. It was old school in an awesome way.
Who are Cootie’s adoptive parents?
Boots should speak to this if there are any further spoilers, but we get answers in terms of Cootie’s background this season. And if there is more story to tell, we’ll learn a whole lot more in the future. That’s all I can say about that.
In episode seven, Jones (played by Kara Young), shows The Hero how he may be the villain through his policing of ordinary citizens. She breaks down how some turn to crime because they are denied basic human rights like healthcare or have been denied a legal way to make a living to feed their families. She says a true hero is a “revolutionary”! Can you expound on this concept?
These are Boots’ politics and words and ideas. But I think what you are seeing in that final episode is, yes, a true hero is a revolutionary. And maybe what the moment needs is seeing the world that we live in through fresh eyes. The things that are holding us back have become like oxygen, and we think it is the equivalent of oxygen or the water we drink, and it’s not. It’s a reality that has been constructed, and it is hard to see through it. So, in that episode sequence, Jones is trying to reveal to you that hidden structure underneath. See those who you look down upon with greater love, greater humanity. And free yourself.
Will there be a second season?
We are certainly hoping for one and aiming for one, but it’s too early to tell. But it is built to go on. It’s a mystical Oakland and there are many things we said that have paid off, and there are many things we said that haven’t paid off. And we hope to get the opportunity to do so.
Interview edited for length and clarity.
I’m a Virgo is now streaming on Prime Video.
Source: Hollywood
