Comic-Con 2020: 'Lovecraft Country' cast talks structural racism, fans call the conversation 'deep and difficult'
HBO's 'Lovecraft Country' was always going to be an intense show. The classic genre of mindbending horror from the channel introduced the concept of blockbuster TV shows to popular culture. With a stellar cast and even more impressive minds behind the camera, the show has all the ingredients necessary to create a lasting impact on its fans. However, viewers of the Comic-Con@Home panel may not have been prepared for just what kind of intensity the panel discussion would bring - though others seemed to have been prepared for it their entire lives.
The panel, simply titled 'HBO's Lovecraft Country,' featured cast members Jurnee Smollett, Jonathan Majors, Michael Kenneth Williams, Aunjanue Ellis, Wunmi Mosaku, Abbey Lee, and Courtney B Vance in a conversation moderated by Sarah Rodman, the executive editor of Entertainment Weekly. During the course of the interview, the cast shifted from a discussion on how the show tackles issues of racism in the past, to the structural racism that they continue to deal with today. Michael Kenneth Williams shared powerful and personal stories about his own harrowing incidents with structural racism and all of the cast agreed that they've had their own experiences and are sick of it.
As far as the fans seem to be concerned, this only makes them look more forward to seeing the show than ever. "We could already sort of tell this from the trailer, but this show is going to be extremely relevant in relation to the current state of the BLM movement," wrote a fan, online. "I would watch THIS CAST in anything tbh," writes another. "As a big fan of #HPLovecraft, I watched the trailer for #LovecraftCountry with my jaw on the floor. Currently watching the @Comic_Con #comicconathome panel dedicated to it, and I am SO pumped," says a third.
"The #LovecraftCountry cast said you know what, let's talk structural racism. Let's talk generational trauma. Let's GO" observed one livetweeter. "The conversations happening in this panel are deep and difficult, and I think the conversations people will have after watching the show will mirror them in a good way," notes a fan. "The cast laments (1st word that came to mind) about how America hasn't changed it's attitude towards Black people, from the 1950s - when the show is set - to now. The racism present then, is still alive now, and Black people are TIRED. SICK AND TIRED," observes another livetweeter, capturing the essence of the cast's sentiments.
"There are so many themes that we explore in this show that resonate with us as being black Americans in 2020," said cast member Jurnee Smollett on the panel and more than the monsters, the sets, the period setting or even the cast themselves, it is those themes that the fans seem to look forward to watching most of all.
You can watch the entire interview here. 'Lovecraft Country' is set to release on HBO in August 2020.