Inside the ‘absurdist’ ‘concept album’ that is ‘Atlanta’ Season 3

The final time a brand new episode of “Atlanta” aired was in Might 2018. And clearly, a lot has modified since then — if not “Atlanta” itself, whose third season, premiering Thursday, opens with a stand-alone horror story earlier than shifting the motion to Europe. (A fourth and closing season has already been shot and is ready to premiere later this yr.)

Created by and starring Donald Glover, the present follows the exploits of his character, Earnest “Earn” Marks, a university dropout who returned residence to Atlanta and has been struggling to seek out route in his life. He latches onto managing the rap profession of his cousin, who goes by Paper Boi (Brian Tyree Henry), whereas coping with his on-again, off-again relationship with Van (Zazie Beetz), mom of their daughter, Lottie. Additionally of their orbit is Paper Boi’s buddy and right-hand man, Darius (LaKeith Stanfield).

Within the time because the earlier season, the solid’s careers have all taken off in numerous instructions, with Glover reaching better fame as a musician working underneath the identify Infantile Gambino, whereas Beetz, Henry and Stanfield have all pursued profitable movie careers.

What stays intact is the collection’ eccentric, unpredictable attract. Among the many key collaborators in crafting its extremely daring and free storytelling — taking outing for an episode the place Paper Boi will get misplaced within the woods or Darius meets the gloriously bizarre one-off character Teddy Perkins — is director Hiro Murai, who transitioned from a profitable profession directing music movies to working in tv and was lately nominated for a DGA Award for his work on HBO Max’s collection “Station Eleven.”

A couple of days earlier than a screening of the Season 3 premiere closed the South By Southwest Movie Competition, Murai received on the cellphone from his residence in L.A.’s Silver Lake neighborhood to speak — as a lot as he may — about what to anticipate from the upcoming seasons.

Contemplating the lengthy break in manufacturing between Seasons 2 and three, what was it like returning to shoot Seasons 3 and 4 back-to-back?

We’re reuniting in London throughout a pandemic, and none of us had seen people for a minimum of a yr. So, in some methods, it was probably the most “Atlanta” reunion ever: It was the strangest circumstance for a reunion. However it was actually sort of beautiful and emotional as a result of all of us began working in tv collectively on this present, except for Donald. And since then, we’ve carried out so many issues, but it surely was good to return again collectively and look again on the present and the way it was working collectively again then and who we are actually.

The principle solid of the present — Donald, Zazie, Brian and LaKeith — their careers have all taken off in such thrilling methods because the present began.

In some methods, I used to be actually nervous, ‘trigger I believe what was nice in regards to the first two seasons, simply the expertise of constructing it anyway, was that it simply felt very scrappy, and we felt like a really tight unit. I used to be half anticipating to return again and half of us be divas or one thing, however as quickly as we received in a room collectively, it simply sort of all clicked in once more. It simply felt very acquainted, like we grew up collectively in a household or one thing and we had been coming again collectively for a reunion. And so my worries, they dissipated fairly shortly.

What are you able to inform me about that call to take the present to Europe? Each story-wise and production-wise, that looks like an actual break from quite a lot of what “Atlanta” has carried out earlier than.

Every part we do on the present simply comes out of what naturally occurs within the writers room, with Donald and all of the writers. And I believe that they had quite a lot of tales to inform and issues to unpack from being away from residence, being on the street. It’s such an enormous a part of being a musician. There’s one thing particularly very fish-outta-water about touring Europe, ‘trigger clearly all of the cultural issues, however you might be additionally bringing American Black music to a special land, so the story naturally bent that manner. However clearly, the present, it’s additionally a really bizarre factor to have a three-year absence. After which sort of take out the core factor of the present, which is the town of Atlanta, for the present. It was nearly like a thought experiment: What does this really feel like on this new setting with these completely different faces?

What was it like capturing the present in these completely different places?

In some methods, it looks like a bizarre one-season spinoff of the present. I believe it knowledgeable quite a bit about aesthetic selections and the way we wished to method these tales. And I believe we did one thing very completely different from Season 1 and a pair of. However I additionally assume it’s very genuine to how we felt on the time that we made it. We had been in a good bubble due to the pandemic, and we felt a bit bit disconnected from the world, and it was a bit bit isolating. And clearly all of the locations we visited had been so attractive, but it surely was sort of on this unusual pandemic time.

From what audiences learn about this new season, it offers with how racism travels internationally, the best way it’s completely different from nation to nation and place to position. Is that your expertise as a Japanese American, are the microaggressions or ways in which racism reveals itself completely different from Germany to England to Italy than they’re in New York or L.A.?

I believe that’s at all times true: You’re making an attempt to bridge tradition gaps, and quite a lot of it’s how individuals deal with race. I can solely communicate from my very own expertise, however I believe an enormous takeaway for me was that possibly race is much less central to conversations exterior of the States. Perhaps it’s much less ingrained within the story of every nation. In speaking about racism, it’s extremely unavoidable whenever you’re speaking in regards to the historical past of America in a manner that’s possibly not the case as a lot in a number of the international locations we visited. So even that was only a unusual factor to barter and notice as you had been telling these inherently charged tales about race with completely different crews in numerous international locations.

Did the scripts or the story for Season 3 change a lot due to the pandemic and the break that you just all had in manufacturing?

[Writer and producer] Steve Glover talked about this: Loads of the ideas that they had been actually fascinated by for Season 3 had been baked pre-pandemic. And I believe they felt weirdly just like the cultural dialog was catching as much as what they had been speaking about. And so Steve at all times wished to clarify that we began scripting this not as a response to quite a lot of the issues that’s occurred the final couple years, but it surely feels extra-pertinent now, given all the things that’s occurred.

And does that must do with the pandemic or extra with the cultural conversations round race stemming from George Floyd?

The cultural dialog round race and clearly all of the George Floyd stuff. We by no means instantly discuss something that’s occurred within the final couple years, however white privilege and quite a lot of the conversations that’s actually been seen within the final couple years, it’s undoubtedly within the tales we inform.

Donald Glover in “Atlanta.”

(Coco Olakunle / FX)

The loglines for every episode, the official descriptions, are enigmatic and troublesome to parse. One in all them says “Season 1 was higher.” How do you’re feeling about that?

How do I really feel in regards to the logline “Season 1 was higher”? I believe the loglines, a part of it’s that we simply don’t wish to give away what the season is, but in addition quite a lot of the stuff we discuss, I believe we discuss in a sort of irreverent, not-so-self-serious manner. And we additionally don’t wish to put something that we contact on a pedestal. I believe, on the finish of the day, the present shouldn’t be consumed as a tutorial present. This can be a half-hour comedy with quite a lot of foolish stuff in it. We simply attempt to be very trustworthy about a number of the social topics that we personally expertise and the lens that we see it in.

One other logline says, “I used to be legit scared watching this.” So who’s the “I” of these loglines?

I believe Steve wrote all of these, truly. However I believe that logline is — ah, man, I don’t assume I can say something with out ruining these episodes. I’ll say it’ll all make sense as soon as they air.

You’ve at all times appeared to shoot the present in this sort of flat, unaffected type that creates this nice pressure with the sideways dream logic of a number of the storytelling. As you’ve traveled to Europe, did you retain that very same sort of visible type?

I believe our method has at all times been: We write it like a comedy, and we shoot it like a drama. You’re sort of hiding the jokes between deadpan realism and hoping that the jokes can mix in with issues which can be surprising or shocking or horrifying about a few of these episodes. We undoubtedly took the identical method going into Europe, however simply inherently, it turned a special season due to the setting we had been in. And a number of the tales we had been telling are a bit extra heightened too. I believe the voice is similar. I’d say it’s a bit extra like maximalist or absurdist than what’s been baseline “Atlanta.”

From “Atlanta,” however then additionally the “This Is America” video or “Guava Island” mission, you appear to have such a powerful collaboration with Donald — the 2 of you actually appear to know one another and work nicely collectively. Why do you assume that’s?

We by no means actually questioned it. I believe now we have an analogous style, and now we have very complementary strengths; our strengths are simply sort of clicking collectively. He’s like a writer-performer, and I’m very visible and camera-oriented. And I like put up and placing sequences collectively and modifying. It at all times felt very, very simple with him. We by no means needed to battle. I at all times sort of in contrast it to a recreation of scorching potato. You simply sort of tossed the factor forwards and backwards. After which by the point we’re carried out, it’s at all times one thing attention-grabbing. I strive to not be too analytical about it as a result of I don’t wish to destroy it. I believe it’s simply chemistry, like anything.

Are you able to give any hints as to the place these seasons are going? What’s the endgame, particularly for Season 4? What ought to audiences anticipate?

I’ll say each season may be very distinct and really completely different, between 1, 2, 3 and 4. And I’m hoping that, on the finish of the collection, you’ll be capable of watch all of the seasons as like a mega-arc to the present. Not in an intricate “Misplaced” plot sort of manner. Season 3, I believe it’s a sort of an idea album — we’re making an attempt quite a lot of various things, and I believe you’ll see some wild swings. I believe it’s very experimental. Season 4, I believe, is sort of a homecoming for us. Not simply ’trigger we’re again in Atlanta, however we’re sort of revisiting quite a lot of the issues that labored for us within the first season, however on the similar time you’re sort of realizing that we’re not the identical people who made the primary season. And so what I like about Season 4 is it has a sort of a cyclical, full circle feeling. And it additionally looks like a correct ending due to that.

Do you see your self transferring into options? For people who find themselves followers of your work, I believe they might be very excited to see you make a function movie.

I’d be very excited to try this too. I’m growing a number of issues, however I believe for me, the medium, the body is much less essential. And so long as I get enthusiastic about what’s contained in the body, I’ll work on that. I haven’t actually prioritized whether or not it’s a function or a TV present. I’m simply sort of floating towards no matter is probably the most thrilling factor to me within the second. However steadily, ultimately, I’d like to do a function.

Are you aware what you’re directing after you’re carried out with Season 4?

I’m doing one other mission with Donald for an episode or two. After which we truly return to modifying Season 4 in the summertime. So we’ll be mainly modifying “Atlanta” for an excellent chunk of the yr, which is why I’m stammering as I’m making an attempt to clarify these seasons as a result of we haven’t fairly made them but.