The cast and creative crew of the new drama-crime series, ‘The Drop: A Snowfall Saga,’ streaming on Hulu and Disney+, discuss the creative process in bringing the characters and world of music to life.
‘The Drop: A Snowfall Saga’ continues the stories of Wanda Bell(Gail Bean) and Leon Simmons(Isaiah John), set in 1990s Los Angeles. After audiences saw the fall of the crack epidemic in ‘Snowfall,’ this sequel shows the rise of West Coast hip hop. Leon and Wanda face new opportunities that create meaningful music as well as violence from the street politics they are trying to get away from.
During our interview with the cast and crew of the new series, everyone was consistent in expressing their desire to show a world portraying real people navigating life, flaws, and human mistakes. Peyton Alex Smith and Asante Blackk portray brothers, James and Lamar Kinsley. Smith’s role as the older brother, James, is complex. He faces the inner battle of the protective brother he needs to be and the person he wants to be after leaving the gang lifestyle behind. Emphasizing the humanity of the characters, Smith says, “These are normal, regular people in certain circumstances and so these people still have families, mothers, brothers, sisters, aunties and so I think it’s super dope that this show is showing that side of somebody from that world.” Real people make mistakes, and ‘The Drop: A Snowfall Saga’ naturalizes that in a meaningful way.
Although the past tries to follow them, Wanda and Leon are trying to create better lives for themselves. Their characters also allow audiences to relate to living in the moment and striving for a better future. Reflecting on Wanda’s past, Bean says, “Our past is our past, so instead of trying to run from it, acknowledging that it is a part of me and what helps shift and make me who I am now, I do that in my real life, and I try to do that with Wanda as well.”
The new drama-crime series brings violence, success, music, and family bonds to the test. Check out our full interview above with Gail Bean, Isaiah John, Peyton Alex Smith, and more on creating the world of ‘The Drop: A Snowfall Saga,’ now streaming on Hulu and Disney+.
