Government Cheese is a new series on Apple TV+ created by legendary music video director Paul Hunter and writer/producer Aeysha Carr. Set in the late 60s, we follow a burglar-turned-inventor who returns home to his family a changed man. Starring and executive produced by powerhouse actor David Oyelowo who channels off-kilter energy in this surrealist comedy drama. Joining him along for the ride is Bokeem Woodbine, a fine actor who has a long history of compelling character parts in dozens of films and TV shows including The Hughes Brother’s Dead Presidents, Spike Lee’s Crooklyn, Michael Bay’s The Rock, Spider-Man: Homecoming, and a memorable role in season 2 of Fargo. Woodbine recently caught up with Immersive via Zoom.
[This conversation has been edited for clarity and length]
How did you first get involved in this project?
My agent called and told me that Paul Hunter and Aeysha Carr were looking for somebody to play in scenes opposite David Oyelowo. They were having a challenging time because some actors were intimidated. He’s like a prizefighter that people don’t want to get in the ring with, especially on short notice.
I initially declined because there wasn’t enough time, so I passed without reading the script. I was headed to New York that day and read it on the plane. It was so well written that I called my agent immediately. It turned out they agreed to give extra time, so it all worked out.
Tell me about working with Paul Hunter. And about this being personal to him…
My education about Paul was through his work. He is a prolific director of music videos and visual images, and a great storyteller. It was pretty honest of him to create a visual project based on his memories. When people tell a relatively biographical tale, sensationalized or otherwise, but still, you’re referencing your own life, that’s a brave thing to do.
As a child of the 1970s, the 1960s always seemed to loom behind us. This series creates that look very well. Talk about the period crafts on this project and how that informed your performance.
They did a great job finding homes that hadn’t changed much since the sixties. Our set designs were very organic because these homes are still there. They found an array of perfect classic vehicles. The wardrobe team was gifted and serious about being honest about the period, but also open to suggestions. I had some relatively bizarre notions of how I wanted my character to look. And at every turn, they were just able to find what I was asking for.
The origins of the name Bootsy, is that a nod to Bootsy Collins?
One would think so, but it’s not. Bootsy really did exist in Paul’s past. There was a guy who was a close friend of his father’s. He went to ‘Nam and was someone who made it back, but wasn’t quite the same afterwards. He was a little different but a loving dude and a solid, genuine friend to Paul’s dad.
What kind of research did you do for this? Did you do much research about the time period or veterans?
I’ve played a few veterans, so I had that experience to reference. I reread ‘Bloods: An Oral History Of The Vietnam War’, a book about the experience of many brothers in Vietnam (this book was a major inspiration for Dead Presidents and Spike Lee’s Da 5 Bloods). I also asked Paul a lot of questions.
Let’s talk about David for a moment. What was your first meeting like? Or did you know him before? And what was the approach to working with him?
I tell people all the time, don’t be fooled by his kind eyes or his baby face, the man is a killer. He’s an assassin, he’s a monster, he’s not playing games. It was one of the reasons I initially didn’t want to do the gig on short notice. His attention to detail is almost telepathic. He’s thought of everything. That’s what it took me a second to figure out. I was like, this guy’s mapped out the entire thing. He’s also so relaxed about it.
He is so naturally gifted that you never really know what’s going to happen when the cameras start rolling. He is one of the most generous actors I’ve ever worked with. Many actors go to sleep when the camera’s not on them. The moments we share in episode five are my favorite moments of the season.
Any particular challenges or shoot days harder than others?
It was all equally challenging and equally rewarding. There were no easy days, but every day when we wrapped and I went home, I remember thinking, “I can’t believe I’m getting paid to do this. It’s so much fun.” Overall, it’s not easy at all because there are so many different factors. It’s a different time period. There were a myriad of different complex challenges for me personally.
What’s it like being on the other end of this now?
This is the fun part now, seeing how people respond and also watching it myself. It’s a feeling of satisfaction. This is the show we were making. It’s so off the wall and offbeat that you’re not quite sure sometimes how it’s going to look, but everybody’s so invested in their character and being so honest that it works.
It skirts around genres, but it never really falls into them. It pivots to something else when you think you’ve seen it before. Paul Hunter is a master of subverting your expectations. Aeysha Carr is so savvy that she wouldn’t let us fall into any clichés we had. We had a great team with us.
Government Cheese is now streaming on Apple TV+.
