Did you ever stop to think about how completely wild that is?
O-T FAGBENLE: Oh, yeah, because its totally unfeasible as a thing to do.
So, we were quite lucky like that.
It seems like it would have been an insane amount of work.
you better have leverage.
So, I started writing to direct.
Image via Hulu
So, I had to act in it and write it, to get to direct.
How were the show and the character born?
Was there something that inspired all of this in particular?
Image via Hulu
FAGBENLE: It was a combination of things.
Television is so often typecast.
They meet you and go, Oh, youre a nice guy.
Image via Hulu
Im gonna cast you as nice guys.
FAGBENLE: On the face of things, he can be a really unlikable character.
He does a lot of despicable things.
Image via Hulu
Hes not a great father, hes not a great boyfriend, and hes not a great artist.
It was like, why would you like this guy?
FAGBENLE: In the show, the character plays three instruments.
Image via Hulu
He plays the drums, the bass, and the guitar, and I dont play any of those.
I could just go rewrite it and have not have myself do this?
Youve previously said that Christopher Meloni was your first choice, for the character of Don Wild.
What was it about him that made you want to get him involved?
That was really challenging.
I didnt find a way to give a hundred percent to both.
You vacillate between one or the other.
But it really helped to have Nick Collett, the co-director, who could really support me.
He was my rock.
How did you go about approaching getting a co-director and who that would be?
FAGBENLE: We went through different iterations of it.
There are a lot of wild things that happen in this show and in this world.
What was it like on set, that day?
Were there a lot of laughs?
FAGBENLE: Its funny on the one hand, they were doing some really funny stuff.
On the other hand, youve gotta be really sensitive to people being in a vulnerable position.
There were points where I was directing in my underwear.
FAGBENLE: Im so pumped about being able to connect with the American audience.
And Hulu has been so great to me.
Theyve changed my career, to be honest.
Its so fitting that I get to do my first TV show with them.
What are the challenges of living in a world like that throughout the shoot?
But the world has just got weirder and weirder in 2020, so anything might be possible.
Where do things stand for you withThe Handmaids Taleright now?
Are you going to be returning, for the next season?
Were just waiting to find out when that is.
People who have only seen you in that will certainly be blown away by how differentMaxxxis.
Was that part of what led you to want to do this show, in the first place?
Was it to do something so completely different?
FAGBENLE: Yeah, absolutely.
I personally find it so much more fun playing insecure, maniacal characters.
Dont get me wrong, I love playing Luke.
So this is my chance.
You also got to join the Marvel Cinematic Universe and work opposite Scarlett Johansson inBlack Widow.
What was that casting process like?
FAGBENLE: Oh, it was all pretty late in the day.
In fact, the scenes that I auditioned with dont exist in the actual movie.
I have to say that Marvel have been great.
They have worked around my schedule and let me have a look at the material.
I really felt supported by them.
What was it like, when you actually did get to read the script?
Did have armed guards watching you, to ensure that you dont tell anybody anything?
FAGBENLE: There were various electronic passwords and stuff like that.
They take it very seriously.
You cant do that!
I learned to be a lot more careful.
Was there anything that most surprised or impressed you about being on a set like that?
FAGBENLE: I think it was how responsive they were.
The fantastic writer, Eric [Pearson], wrote some amazing lines, but he was responsive.
And Cate [Shortland], the director, was very responsive.
FAGBENLE: Honestly, Im just really hoping to do more characters like Maxxx.
Im hoping that I get some acting opportunities to explore that side.
But I love directing.
It is a specific thrill, directing your own material.
Were there things that you couldnt have known until you actually did it?
FAGBENLE: Good question.
I know a little bit better about how to pace myself, especially through post-production.
But the show is actually made in the edit.
Going through that experience was a learning curve for me.
What was it like to actually finally put the show together?
FAGBENLE: Yeah, its never done.
You never feel like you get everything that you want.
I was bowled over by that.
To that extent, I feel like I got more than 50%.
Theres a character in that, where Id like to play something like that sometime.
Whats it like to work in and collaborate with your brother Luti Fagbenle?
What is that working relationship like?
FAGBENLE: He cares about me, but he also cares about the quality of the work.
We have a shorthand with each other.
We dont have to go through niceties, and we can tell each other when its not working.
I couldnt have done that without him.
Maxxxis available to stream at Hulu.
Christina Radish is a Senior Reporter of Film, TV, and Theme Parks for Collider.
you’ve got the option to follow her on Twitter@ChristinaRadish.
