Prime Video's hit reboot series, Mr. and Mrs. Smithcontinues in the second season. Co-creator Francesca SloanAmerican actress Angela Murphy, who worked alongside star and co-creator Donald Glover, shared her experiences making the show and the calls she has already received for guest roles for the upcoming season.
In an interview with Hollywood Reporter, Sloan spoke in detail about her first experience working as a show producer for this project, and one of the things she didn't expect was the prices for the sets and locations. “Let’s shoot Whitney. Then everyone says, ‘Yes, we can. Here’s the price we’ll pay.’ That blew my mind.” She adds that there are certain rules when filming in public places, a change that must be taken into account when writing and filming scenes.
“We wanted to shoot this amazing chase scene through the Highline. Because it’s so public and a tourist attraction, we couldn’t shoot. That was a disclaimer. That’s why we had a lot of hand-to-hand combat versus actual shooting during that scene. It was fun to rewrite some things to comply with those restrictions.”
She spoke about her and Donald Glover's experience deciding what genre direction they wanted the show to take. She described it as an “experiment,” and that while comedy was added when arguments arose, the show was still a character study of relationships. When discussing the first season, She brings up the truth serum scene as a representation of what they were trying to achieve with the series..
“Throughout the season, they were so hesitant — they were trying so hard to play cat and mouse because that’s what makes a good spy. And two people, regardless of whether they’re spies, can be hesitant and afraid to show who they really are at the beginning of a relationship. And truth serum is a real thing!”
There was no shortage of cameos in the first season, including Parker Posey, John Turturro, and Michaela Coel.As for potential guest stars, Sloan said it's been a lot of fun, and she's been getting calls from A-listers who have been in the business for a long time. “There are some legendary character actors” who are trying to guest star on the critically acclaimed series, she said.
“These are some icons, they're really big characters, and I think they realize that there are roles for them in this show. There's been a lot of engagement with the audience of, 'Press me! Are you serious?'”
Success and next season of Mr. and Mrs. Smith
The series is based on the 2005 film of the same name, starring Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt. The story remains similar, as John (Donald Glover) and Jane (Maya Erskine), two master spies, team up with a mysterious organization. Season 1 of Mr. and Mrs. Smith The series was critically acclaimed and received 16 Emmy nominations. The season finale ended on a cliffhanger, and when it came to continuing the series, Sloan spoke of their joy and excitement about the ideas they came up with. She added that there were many surprises to come.
“I was going from place to place to go to work. We were laughing all day. We were having so much fun coming up with where these characters were going to go. And I hope that this idea spreads to people and spreads to other people because I’ve never had so much fun making anything, maybe before.”
A second season was announced in May, though initial reports stated that Maya Erskine and Donald Glover would not be returning. However, Glover and Erskine have since hinted that their story may be far from over in the upcoming season. Sloan and Glover will return to the writers’ room, along with Stephen Glover and Yvonne Hannah-Yee, who contributed episodes to the first season. Additionally, writers from Atlanta Some new writers, such as Tawfik Koladi and Jamal Olori, may also join the crew.
Season 1 of
Mr. and Mrs. Smith
Available to stream on Prime Video.
