“Definitely felt vulnerable, but also definitely felt supported because I had a partner like Mike Gauyo help me out throughout the typical scenes,” Elie shared recently with Shadow and Act. “Also, the people that we kept around.

He continued, “But also super excited to see how this show and story would resonate with other folks and people who have gone through similar situations, especially in the time that we’re in, where the pandemic and Black Lives Matter happened. A lot of people are missing relatives or family members that just kind of got plucked out of their lives and created this void or gap. Being able to speak on that and what that feels like, it’s been great.”

Before coming together for Send Help, Elie and Gauyo worked alongside one another on HBO’s Insecure. Building upon their working relationship, the two learned how to bounce off each other’s strengths to create an authentic story of Black people just existing and facing universal situations, which ultimately connects with their audience — similarly to their previous iconic show.

Mike Gauyo

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