Donald Glover and Maya Erskine set the tone for Prime Video’s Mr. & Mrs. Smith in a new featurette.
The video shows how the series will balance added humor with the action we expect from the property, based on the film starring Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt.
“We really wanted to tone it down to a two so that when you did something that was a 10, it felt like a 100,” said Glover, who also serves as series co-creator. He also described the characters in this version of the story as “C students in an AP class” who were “really not supposed to be here.”
Francesca Sloane, co-creator of the series, also released a special letter about what inspired her. She wrote that the series embodies her exploration of mortality and humanity.
“When Donald first asked me if I wanted to make this show, I sincerely thought he was kidding around. Based on the creative work that both Donald and I have done in the past, writing a series based on a rom-com action spy thriller felt like an odd fit for us,” she said. “But Donald, in his Donald way, expressed that part of the excitement in taking this on was that it was a big swing. And furthermore, that with this project we could subvert the spy and action genre by whole-heartedly focusing on the characters, on their relationship, on their marriage. I was intrigued and I was all in. 2020 had a lot of us reflecting on our humanity, on our mortality, on who and what we kept close, on what we valued, on our loneliness. We used this ethos as the backbone and foundation of our take, our re-mix, of MR. & MRS. SMITH.”
“…While being deeply inspired by everything from classic spy hits, to Hitchcock, to Bergman, to modern reality shows like Married At First Sight, we constructed a world that aimed to subvert as many tropes as we could get our hands on, in both rom-coms and spy thrillers,” she continued. “…On our show, we go on the journey of seeing these two ordinary people become extraordinary. We watch them become stronger spies but more vulnerable humans. We hope that you laugh. We hope that it makes you feel something. We hope that you enjoy the big swing.”
Watch the featurette below.. Sloane’s full letter is also in full below. All eight episodes of Mr. & Mrs. Smith will debut on Prime Video Feb. 2.
Hello, I’m Francesca Sloane, co-creator of the television series, MR. & MRS. SMITH, alongside Donald Glover. When Donald first asked me if I wanted to make this show, I sincerely thought he was kidding around. Based on the creative work that both Donald and I have done in the past, writing a series based on a rom-com action spy thriller felt like an odd fit for us. But Donald, in his Donald way, expressed that part of the excitement in taking this on was that it was a big swing. And furthermore, that with this project we could subvert the spy and action genre by whole-heartedly focusing on the characters, on their relationship, on their marriage. I was intrigued and I was all in. 2020 had a lot of us reflecting on our humanity, on our mortality, on who and what we kept close, on what we valued, on our loneliness. We used this ethos as the backbone and foundation of our take, our re-mix, of MR. & MRS. SMITH.
As artists I think it’s typical to begin a creative journey with a boatload of philosophical questions. What would a series feel like if our heroes weren’t the two most beautiful people on the planet, but instead, were two lonely people, two underdogs, wanting more from life than what they currently had? What if our John and Jane could be anyone, could be you and me? If James Bond put it all on the line out of loyalty to his country, we had to consider why some might do the same in America. What if you were being sold the great American dream: a gorgeous house, money, travel, and a partner to spend it all with? What would an action show feel like if we considered all of the ‘in-between-moments’ rather than focusing on the spectacle? What would a show feel like if Jane more often than not had to save John, rather than the other way around? What would that realistically do to the dynamics of a relationship between a man and a woman both chasing after the same career? And lastly, but most importantly, how can two people let their guards down to fall in love with each other while simultaneously putting their lives on the line? What does love look like with spy stakes?
While we asked questions, so did the internet trolls. Once we were announced, we saw the comment, “Who needs this show?” We didn’t blame them. In a culture heavily inundated with remakes, this was a reasonable reaction. No one would need a show that retold the same blockbuster movie. But what we set out to do was to make something wholly original. This show is about a relationship, it’s about being clumsy humans. It’s about being relatable. John and Jane are offered the chance of a lifetime, whole new identities, an opportunity to be super spies. Metaphorically, though, they are C- students being thrown into an AP course. The stylish clothes (they’ll wear them), the iconic, international set-pieces (we’ll have them), the exciting shoot-em-ups (they’ll be there), will all be background to the raw and emotional components of John and Jane navigating the milestones of a real connection. We’ll watch their arranged marriage become something authentic. We’ll experience them saying their first ‘I love you’ and experience them first farting around each other. We’ll see them engage with in-laws, personal rituals/habits, sex, the topic of kids, jealousy, and eventually using each other’s deepest vulnerabilities as leverage when sh*t hits the fan. All of this while running around the world and completing high risk missions.
While being deeply inspired by everything from classic spy hits, to Hitchcock, to Bergman, to modern reality shows like Married At First Sight, we constructed a world that aimed to subvert as many tropes as we could get our hands on, in both rom-coms and spy thrillers. In episode one, John and Jane endure a brutal foot-chase through Brooklyn and end up with blisters on their feet when they get home. On our show, wearing the wrong shoes has its repercussions. (You never see James Bond tending to a callous, and that’s what we’re aiming for.) In episode two, John and Jane have to realistically deal with the awkward, daunting task of getting rid of a dead body in real time, doing their best not to puke in front of each other. We wanted it to be funny in an uncomfortable sort of way. Whenever Donald and I came up with a joke that felt potentially too spicy, we always knew that was the piece that needed to end up on screen.
On our show, we go on the journey of seeing these two ordinary people become extraordinary. We watch them become stronger spies but more vulnerable humans. We hope that you laugh. We hope that it makes you feel something. We hope that you enjoy the big swing. In such a saturated world of so many options, thank you for taking the time to watch MR. & MRS. SMITH.
Cheers,
Francesca
