Limited series I’m A Virgo stars Jharrel Jerome as a 13 foot tall Black teen named Cootie. Cootie, a sheltered child, leaves his home for the first time at 19 years old and enters the world where he falls in love and finds his place in society. Creator, writer, and director Boots Riley wanted the series to be anti-capitalist satire, exploring how those who are different may be the most normal. Jerome opened up about his experience on the show and compared Riley’s Sorry to Bother You and the series.
Jharrel Jerome got involved in the show when Riley emailed him one day. He told The Hollywood Reporter, “Boots Riley personally emailed me; that’s the first time I got wind of this, which was already super cool. And then on top of that, the title was “13-Foot-Tall Black Man in Oakland.” So, that’ll get ya! No matter what, if you read that, that will pull you in.”
Jerome immediately accepted, and the two explored the concept, where he was immediately floored. “I was just so impressed about how creative, how out-the-box and original the ideal was. But I was more impressed with how he was willing to execute it. And that was shooting it from his perspective, and all with practical effects. That’s when I knew he was down to business!”
“And obviously, watching Sorry to Bother You, I knew he could take a fantastical journey and ground it with a deep message behind it,” he continued. “As soon as I read the script, I thought I’m a Virgo was Sorry to Bother You on steroids! It definitely pulled me in and I believed he was the one to execute it, if anyone was to come up with an idea like this. And I just knew I would be surrounded with people who I could definitely trust and lean on as an artist.”
Follow Us
Subscribe
