Mystical God-like wonderment could sure be used in today’s tumultuous climate
Society’s fixations are continuously evolving. And no, I don’t mean that in terms of the 21st century’s increasingly short attention span. Even in the grander scheme of humanity’s time on earth, there is seldom one singular idea or theme that has existed for more than a few hundred years. These fixations never seem to rest for too long before morphing into or out of something else. It’s an ever elusive humanist quality that, more often than not, allows one to placate fears, worries, anxieties and all other sorts of emotions into a unifying and simplistic activity or creed. Whether its monotheistic religions or evolving technologies, it appears as though social culture continuously needs something–anything–to just get us through the day. And like all of humanity’s penchant towards problem-solving, it’s an easy fix to a difficult problem.
Which is what Starz’ new TV show American Gods intends to explore in its ever-evolving narrative. Based on Neil Gaiman’s award-winning novel of the same name, “American Gods” tells the story of a war brewing between old and new Gods. The old are based on age-old myths from biblical stories and other ancient beliefs. But as religion begins falling out of favor, the old Gods begin losing their believers and thus, their power. Instead, a new sect of Gods begin emerging that reflect modern society’s penchant for money, technology, media, celebrity and drugs. We follow the story of Shadow Moon (Ricky Whittle), an ex-con who becomes a hired-gun of sorts for the Odin-in-disguise Mr. Wednesday (Ian McShane) who is gathering the forces of yore to prepare for an existential battle.
The Knockturnal had the opportunity to talk to some of the stars of “American Gods” to discuss their the cultural milieu of the show, its representation of race and all the WTF faces that emerge thanks to the brilliantly enigmatic narrative.
Anansi–the Badass God
While the Odins, the Jesuses and Anubises of the folk world have been prolific enough to make sure that their name stay in the lexicon of popular culture, others can thank TV shows like “American Gods” in bringing them into the foray of contemporaneous mythos. Gods like Czernobog, Zorya Utrennyaya and Jinn have seldom been explored in western ideology, but now they can revel in the fact that perhaps the old Gods are coming back to the forefront of worship.
And nobody’s happier about that than Anansi (Orlando Jones). The West African/Caribbean folk legend, although still a much talked about figure in their respective cultures, has seldom been explored in the West. When asked how he prepared for the role, Jones said, “I’ve been hearing stories about Anansi since I was a little kid. My grandfather would tell me those stories. He was always the spider–trickery.” Talking about the god’s presence in today’s culture, Jones discussed the fact that it is still very much prevalent among the Akan people of Ghana but that “he’s still known as a god and unlike War Machine, he’s been a part of our culture for a long time so it’s a real honor to play him.”
The actor finished by poignantly pointing out, “he’s a character that is frankly bigger than me. When we talk about our culture, when we talk about our struggle and we look at the things that are happening in the news today, these are the things that Anansi was created to combat. He’s a king but he’s also survived a lot of the oppression that our people have gone through.”
Confusion is Necessary and Good
Many TV shows in today’s ever-expanding roster have complex narratives with multiple storylines and a continuously increasing cast of characters. It’s a new age of television that relishes in the labyrinthian–primarily because the format of the narrative allows it to do so. “American Gods” seems to be no different. Ricky Whittle discusses these inherent confusions by hilariously explaining, “you are going to be so confused. If you have not heard of “American Gods” before, you will have no idea what is going on [laughs].”
The British actor went on to explain that “all the confusion is created by design. And it’s meant to be!” The actor also placated audiences’ worries about being confused by recounting, “I’ve gotten a lot of feedback that’s saying, ‘I love this! It’s incredible! It visuals and acting are so amazing! But I’m so confused.’ You’re meant to be–it’s by design. Because we are watching it through Shadow’s eyes and he’s confused.” Whittle went on to explain the narrative’s topsy-turvy approach by comparing it to a jigsaw. “When you create a puzzle, you start with one piece and you put in lots of pieces around it until it becomes clear, so as Shadow starts to figure it all out, the audience is going to begin figuring it out,” said the actor. Whittle finished by jokingly adding, “apparently I have a very good ‘What the Fuck’ face [laughs], I’ve read that online! My ‘WTF face’ is apparently on point.”
Relevance in Today’s Tumultuous World
In today’s increasingly unstable world, many are looking to make sense of the turbulent racial division within the country. From the senseless police shootings to the increasingly disjointed communities that are shaken by them, the United States is dealing with a social culture that seems more and more likely to tear itself apart. And it appears that “American Gods” attempts to make sense of this division and strife by exploring the other unexplored side of things.
Ricky Whittle explained that Neil Gaiman had originally “written it as a science fiction. It was meant to be fantastical. But [he] would trade in all the success, fame and money that this project has garnered for it not to be so politically relevant.” “When Orlando [Jones] rehearsed that [slave ship] scene in front of these guys [playing slaves], it was a very tough time. There had been a lot of police shootings of unarmed black people across America so there was a very charged atmosphere when this kind of material comes up,” said Whittle.
Check American Gods out on Starz every Tuesday at 9pm before it hits Amazon Video the day after an episode’s original airing.
