Anthony Hemingway was on two panels for the Television Critics Association on two different days. He directed the pilot to the WGN America series Underground, about the Underground Railroad, and episodes of the FX drama The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story.
The pilot to Underground opens musically, with a rhythmic score and even the Kanye West song “Black Skinhead.” As you’ve seen, The People v. O.J. Simpson captures the media circus surrounding the trial. I got to speak with Hemingway about his two new shows at a reception for the Television Critics Association. Underground premieres March 9, 2016 on WGN America. The People v. O.J. Simpson airs Tuesdays at 10pm ET/PT on FX.
Anthony Hemingway Interview:
You’ve directed two historical series. Could they be any more different?
Anthony Hemingway: “Apples and oranges, but I think there’s a common denominator between the two of them which really kind of speaks to the common feeling is definitely what I believe is really examining how far we’ve come as a whole in this country, and how much farther we have to go. They’re totally two different things but I think somewhere in the ether connect. I think they’re both a part of the same family.”
Does Underground have any fictional characters in it?
Anthony Hemingway: “Yes, it does.”
And even the historical figures in Underground, we don’t have video of them so do you have a little more license to portray them?
Anthony Hemingway: “Yeah, it’s all definitely pulled from history. They’re characters that I did not know about, that I learned about. So that was very interesting. I love learning. I love just discovery but they both were, I think, two pieces of material that wanted to be approached from the left and not literally, or as anyone expected. I love unexpected things. I love thinking out of the box and I think both of them have done well in that arena.”
How did you create the atmosphere of the circus that the O.J. trial was?
Anthony Hemingway: “It was challenging but I think a lot of it came from just the research that we saw. So many of these guys, just because of the nature of what happened, it was like reality TV before reality TV. They became celebrities and it became this whole circus. Just realizing and understanding also more that I know in terms of the media from working on The Newsroom and The Wire, just really understanding things and realizing the angles and agendas and manipulation that can come in it is fascinating to me.”
Does Underground have a musical quality, in some part because of John Legend and because of the Kanye West song you use?
Anthony Hemingway: “Yes, it does have a musical quality. That was inseminated from the conception of the creation, from Misha [Green] and Joe [Pokaski], and it was such an energetic pulse that defined the old antebellum, antiquated thinking that we’ve seen over and over and over again. […] Because it was really kind of a lens into a slice of life that we really haven’t seen, we haven’t seen the celebration or have given them humanity before, in doing that we wanted to create our own language and music was definitely a device that was used. One also to connect with a younger audience who really don’t have any idea what the Underground Railroad history is. Also too it’s just a way to give it a veneer and a palette that is entertaining and inviting, to come in and be immersed into this world that you have no idea about.”
Directing the courtroom episodes of People v. O.J. Simpson, did you study the broadcasts and footage of the trial?
Anthony Hemingway: “Yes, a lot. Just even in framing, just in terms of there are moments that were so memorable. Just even homaging that, there was so much detail into it and the attention to detail just in terms of where the cameras were placed and all that kind of stuff. Thankfully we had even Jeff Toobin to really affirm those things for us.”
Did you direct the glove episode?
Anthony Hemingway: “I did.”
So did you have to be very exact with how we all saw O.J. fidgeting with that glove?
Anthony Hemingway: “There were moments, everything from him putting on the latex before it to even Chris Darden, who was played by Sterling Brown, how when he even picked it up to go take it to him, from even when Shapiro went to look at it and touching it with or without latex, from picking it up with the pen, there was so much stuff. We looked at a lot of footage to really make sure we were as accurate as we could [be]. There were so many layers to it.”
Does your career as a director spiral from once you do one show, they hire you for another one and people hear about you? Does work beget work?
Anthony Hemingway: “Yeah, at a certain point you really craft your brand. I think it’s important for me, my directing career started off on The Wire. From there, the bar was high. So it was like. ‘Where do I go from here?’ I just wanted to make sure the quality of the material I was doing was on par with that and aligned with that. It’s definitely challenging because there are things that even you enjoy to watch and you want to do, they may not necessarily be the right decision for your career. But you give and take.”
Do you still have to pitch for work?
Anthony Hemingway: “Yes, yes. Many people who you wouldn’t think have to, do. It’s funny, it’s incredible when you think about it and you look at someone’s history and the steps that they still have to go through. It’s pretty fascinating.”
Did you have to pitch for O.J. or Underground?
Anthony Hemingway: “No, for Underground I had to go meet on it. I had to go and show them why I was the best person for the job. With any of it, you have to meet on it and interview. Some are easier than others. For instance, I did the pilot to Power. The creator of that show wanted me so when I finally got around to meeting, it was an easy go.”
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