O-T Fagbenle joins Jenny Curtis on Hollywood Unscripted to talk about THE HANDMAID’S TALE, being a new part of the marvel universe in BLACK WIDOW, and his new Hulu show MAXXX. Through the conversation they discuss: 

1:02 - creating MAXXX

2:09 - working with Second City improvisers when developing the show. 

4:23 - a hiccup in starting production and changes that C4 wanted changes

6:21 - bringing on more weight to the production team

7:31 - reflections of O-T in the character of Maxxx. 

8:16 - exploring the cultural phenomenon of social media in the show. 

9:20 - O-T seeing himself in his characters and leaning into different parts of himself. 

10:23 - really embodying the character

11:18 - working with his brother Luti and the gift of working with family. 

12:13 - Getting Christopher Meloni involved

13:16 - The struggle of working on a passion project and the blessing of hiring a diverse crew. 

14:45 - Finding believable extras for the party scene by casting from a real fetish community. 

15:44 - The two opposing songs in MAXXX. 

17:16 - learning to play drums, guitar and bass specifically for the show. 

18:05 - loving to play in the cringe-worthy moments and the British tradition of that style of comedy. 

18:57 - getting Jourdan Dunn on the show and expanding her role. 

20:40 - the development of the character of Tamzin and the talent of Pippa Bennet-Warner.

22:19 - Maxxx’s adopted son and the dynamic of the non-binary love affair. 

26:40 - The joy of experiencing Luke’s pain in THE HANDMAID’S TALE

27:45 - The crew of THE HANDMAID’S TALE helping O-T prepare for MAXXX. 

28:24 - The best advice showrunner Bruce Miller had for writing. 

29:18 - The funeral scene in MAXXX being the seed of the idea for his character. 

29:50 - Joining the Marvel Universe with BLACK WIDOW and the surreal path his career has taken. 

32:07 - Almost passing on the audition for BLACK WIDOW and his story of booking the role. 

35:47 - Trying to not care about accolades and focusing on what’s important. 

36:44 - His charity, ABC foundation (find more at www.abcfoundation.me)

38:24 - Choosing theater or film, the relationship with the audience, and the style of writing in theater. 

40:15 - Loving the language of Shakespeare and Jenny’s favorite Shakespearean insult. 

41:21 - Final thoughts on MAXXX and finding peace. 

Find more about O-T's charity ABC Foundation: https://www.abcfoundation.me 

Learn more: Hollywood Unscripted

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Hosted by: Jenny Curtis

Guest: O-T Fagbenle

Produced and Edited by: Jenny Curtis

Executive Producer: Stuart Halperin

Theme Music by: Celleste and Eric Dick

A CurtCo Media Production

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