‘Atlanta’: The Thought-Provoking Season Three Explores the Curse of Whiteness

This story was created in paid partnership with FX. 

After a four-year hiatus, FX’s acclaimed Emmy-winning collection Atlanta is lastly again — solely this time, they’re not in Atlanta. For the Atlanta‘s extremely anticipated penultimate season, the group has crossed the Atlantic: Earn (Donald Glover) and his cousin Alfred (Brian Tyree Henry) are touring throughout Europe to cement Alfred’s rising rap profession as “Paper Boi” with the enigmatic Darius (LaKeith Stanfield) in tow. Van (Zazie Beetz) additionally meets up with the trio in Amsterdam — however with a really completely different itinerary — as she makes use of her journey to do some severe solo soul-searching.

Regardless of the change in setting, Atlanta’s predominant pillars stay the identical. The witty collection brings collectively Glover’s attribute random humor, experimental surrealism and a beneficiant dose of chopping cultural commentary. Exploring the “curse of whiteness” is on the core of season three — particularly the various insidious methods white supremacy can present up and the way performative allyship can typically be extra dangerous than direct racism.

Over 10 episodes, a number of bottle episodes straight sort out that topic — just like the season opener “Three Slaps” and the hilarious “The Huge Payback” — in America. However episodes like “Sinterklaas Is Coming to City,” which is full of Dutch folks in blackface (to have fun the racist vacation custom of “Zwarte Piet”) unaware of the nastiness of their actions, additionally present how the characters come to phrases with their id on a world scale. However bottle episodes or not, Atlanta‘s skill to open up necessary conversations with out shedding its comedic enchantment shone by way of each single episode of the season.

THR chatted with Henry, Stanfield and Beetz about filming Season 3.

How did it really feel to come back again collectively for season three after the four-year hiatus? 

ZAZIE BEETZ It felt great, like a household reunion and like a homecoming. For me, this present baptized me into this trade in a means. It was my first large undertaking. And I believe in some methods, it actually was only a bounce ahead for all of us, and we have now this virtually sacred bond nothing else can actually change due to that. All of us had been a bit of bit nervous about reentering our characters, as a result of we had taken a step again from them and had been making an attempt to recollect who they had been within the context of who we at the moment are, as a result of we’ve all modified. However I believe we bought there.

LAKEITH STANFIELD It felt like gold. Golden honey drizzled over a frank subsequent to frites and mayo dip.

BRIAN TYREE HENRY Coming again was actually a homecoming occasion, particularly because it was the primary time many people had left our properties in over a 12 months as a result of pandemic. Taking us in a foreign country was much more of an occasion as a result of we had been going into territory that was unknown to us, however I used to be pleasantly stunned by how viewers obtained taking our present to Europe. Large assist and love throughout the pond!

How do you’re feeling your character grew and advanced over the course of the season?

HENRY I’d say Alfred’s evolution has many layers. At this level, he’s on the top of his profession, headlining excursions and promoting out amphitheaters. His posters are on each wall. However he’s nonetheless fearful about what his legacy is. What if he can’t produce one other smash? Who can have his again? What number of see him as an funding moderately than a good friend? We watch this evolution all through the season, particularly in his relationship with Earn, who’s elevated his tasks as Alfred’s supervisor. Earn’s risen to the problem of taking good care of each want that Alfred has, however the two have additionally misplaced the familial connection that introduced them collectively within the first place alongside the best way.

STANFIELD Darius is misplaced however discovering his means. He has a good bit of battle round him always, however he’s simply stoic, going through issues head on however accepting that he doesn’t at all times have management. He trusts his instincts even when they could not result in a fascinating final result. He has an inside chaos, and I believe he simply accepts that.

BEETZ For me, I actually leaned into her sense of desirous to run away and escape life, desirous to inhabit a special story of your self. I consider the track “The Weight of Lies” by The Avett Brothers. That track actually resonated with me and it’s very a lot an anthem for Van, as a result of I believe I could be any individual who’s flighty and doesn’t wish to commit. And Van wanted to have the house and room to discover these emotions. There was a theme of Van stealing various things, and I actually interpreted that as her kleptomania for identities and desirous to attempt on completely different hats — and completely different folks — till it finally culminated into this absurd existence.

What was the most important problem you overcame throughout filming?

BEETZ There was this stability to strike with Van — it’s really easy to play “loopy.” However there are various ranges to mania, proper? You could be having a psychotic episode, or really feel utterly disconnected from the world, or have connectivity however be functioning with supreme confidence. Van is clearly having an expertise like this at sure factors [where she feels lost] however can also be feeling so good and so assured that it’s unnerving. We had been actually making an attempt to strike that stability of exhibiting a sensible depiction of any individual who’s only a bit out of contact in the mean time, but additionally conscious. That feeling when one thing’s clearly happening with somebody, however they’re not speaking that something’s fallacious, and it feels a bit scary.

STANFIELD Myself.

HENRY Paper Boi’s newfound fame was very reflective of the challenges I confronted in my private life. Success can typically go away you uncovered to locations and areas which are so unfamiliar but fake to be extremely acquainted on the identical time. However this present provides us house to really feel protected. To come back collectively and marvel on the absurdity of current and previous conditions that have an effect on us all in several methods. Crucial half that we have now realized all through all of it, is that no matter how ridiculous and off-putting eventualities can appear, typically the shit is simply humorous. And it’s important to chortle. You simply should.

Interview has been edited for size and readability.