David Oyelowo on Why He Made It a Priority to Shoot ‘Government Cheese' in Los Angeles
But in the surrealist comedy, anything is possible. 'That is definitely part of the joy of both doing it, and I hope watching it, is that you're getting to see scenarios you haven't really seen before,' Oyelowo says. That includes 'seeing a Black family under these circumstances that you haven't seen them in before, but in a familiar time.'
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Oyelowo spoke to the Awards Circuit Podcast about 'Government Cheese,' including the unconventional storylines and shooting in the deep San Fernando Valley. He also shared more details on his production company, and what's to come. Listen below!
'Government Cheese' is based on creator Paul Hunter's family and his experiences growing up in California. Oyelowo stars as Hampton Chambers, the patriarch of a family living in southern California's San Fernando Valley in 1969. The Chambers – wife Astoria (Simone Missick) and sons Einstein (Evan Ellison) and Harrison (Jahi Di'Allo Winston) — are a quirky bunch pursuing lofty and seemingly impossible dreams.
The plot kicks off when Hampton is released from prison, and, as the series synopsis explains, his long-awaited family reunion doesn't go quite as he'd planned. During his absence, his wife and kids have formed an unconventional family unit, and Hampton's return spins their world into chaos.
'The first thing that drew me in was Paul Hunter, the filmmaker,' Oyelowo says. 'When he asked to meet me, I took a bit of a dive into the work he'd done — most of which was seminal music videos that I had watched, not knowing that the same person had done all of these visually stunning, culturally potent, short films.'
In the case of 'Government Cheese,' Oyelowo says he also was inspired by the scripts, filled with 'this sort of parabolic, biblical, whimsical, surreal component. Of this guy who's going on a spiritual journey… you're just in his POV, so you have to go along with it. Him being stuck in the belly of a catfish, him finding himself in a flood, him having a death and resurrection experience. These are all biblical references, but they are played as as literal. But because the world is so fantastical, you find yourself going, 'is this real or imagined?' And without any need, as far as we're concerned, to explain that.'
As for the location, also inspired by Hunter's upbringing in the Valley, Oyelowo could also relate: He's lived in places like Studio City, Sherman Oaks and Tarzana for nearly 20 years. 'It's incredibly unique as a California location, it has a very specific light and still looks a little bit like it's stuck in the past, depending on where you go,' he says. 'When Apple was talking about, which tax break town or city can we go to? I was like, it has to be the Valley. It has to be the it is a character in this show. The thing I didn't know is how populated by Black people the Valley was back in the day. For Paul, that was his experience growing up in Pacoima, in the Valley in the 60s and 70s. And that was also something unique about the show that I wanted to see.'
It also helped that after shooting 'Lawmen: Bass Reeves' far from home, Oyelowo was looking to star in something in his backyard.
'We just need more production here in L.A.,' he says. 'We're really, really struggling. And it was really typified by the fact that almost every day, a crew member would come up to me and say, 'Thank you so much for shooting this here. I can't remember the last time I got to shoot in LA, be with my family and get to do a job for six months.' Our industry has been really challenged by the pandemic, the strikes and now the fires. So that was a real joy to be able to do that.'
Might there be more 'Government Cheese' to come? 'That's the hope,' he says. 'Gosh, the last time I did seasons of anything was 24 years ago — it was called 'MI-5' here but 'Spooks' in the UK. A spy show, and we did three seasons of that. I have a very voracious and eclectic appetite. so I always like going from one thing to the next. But I loved doing this show. To do more of it would be great.'
Oyelowo and his wife Jessica are behind Yoruba Saxon, a production company that has a first-look deal with Apple, where they have several projects in development. 'A big focus for me is the African continent,' he says. 'Over a billion people on that continent, and I feel like streaming has come along and solved the piracy issue. So the excuse of it not being a valid market, I think, has been eroded. We have several projects that are going to be be African, in either in location or in subject matter, which is something I'm deeply proud of.'
Oyelowo's upcoming projects include a film about a man coming out of solitary confinement, directed by Nate Parker; as well as a psychological thriller. He is also developing a limited series based on the Chinua Achebe novel 'Things Fall Apart' with Idris Elba (they'll also star together), as well as 'Biafra,' focusing on the civil war in Nigeria, with the BBC.
Also on this episode, Brett Goldstein discusses 'Shrinking' and 'Ted Lasso,' as well as his Emmy-contending HBO Max standup special 'Brett Goldstein: The Second Best Night of Your Life,' and whether he's working on his next routine. Listen below!
Variety's 'Awards Circuit' podcast, hosted by Clayton Davis, Jazz Tangcay, Emily Longeretta, Jenelle Riley and Michael Schneider, who also produces, is your one-stop source for lively conversations about the best in film and television. Each episode, 'Awards Circuit' features interviews with top film and TV talent and creatives, discussions and debates about awards races and industry headlines, and much more. Subscribe via Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify or anywhere you download podcasts.
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