'Government Cheese' on Apple TV+: Why Quebec brothers are the crime family in David Oyelowo show
While Government Cheese on Apple TV+, created by Paul Hunter and Aeysha Carr, starring David Oyelowo, brings us into this incredibly detailed world of the late 1960s San Fernando Valley in California, there's a Canadian reference that will likely pique your interest. In the series we meet Hampton Chambers (Oyelowo) while he's doing time for cheque forgery, leaving prison with an idea for a new invention: a self-sharpening drill.
When he returns home, planning to sell his invention to a company called Rocket Corp, he hits a significant snag. He owes $2,000 to a French-Canada crime family, the Prevost brothers, and Hampton doesn't have the money.
With Hunter basing the Chambers on his own family, there was an interesting connection that led to Hampton having to manage the threat of a Quebec mob family.
"How that connected for me, my family is from New Orleans, so we kind of have a French vibe. And so I was thinking, how do you sort of connect that world," Hunter told Yahoo Canada. "We knew some family that was called the Prevost that we grew up in the valley, so it was just great to sort of dig into that."
"I thought it would be interesting to have characters be in the San Fernando Valley, ... they kind of had finished whatever drama that they had going on out in Canada, so the next step was to come out to California. ... Got into the valley and dealt with the motorcycle gangs ... and now they have their little corner. And I just thought it'd be a lot of fun. You hadn't seen, for me at least, those kind of characters in the San Fernando Valley."
With Hunter brining so much of himself, his family and his upbringing to this story, he was an incredible resource for everyone working on the series.
"I asked him so many questions. I had to see pictures. I had to understand who all these people were," Carr said. "And so it was really a joyous, sometimes therapeutic process of just really getting to know each other."
"Paul's whole family was all over all of it. His daughter was in our writer's room, she was one of our writer's assistants. With Paul, it's always a family affair."
Additionally, Hunter's mother, who inspired the character Astoria (Simone Missick), Hampton's wife, was on set, and even makes a small cameo in the show.
"Initially I was very emotional about it. ... She came around just before the set pieces actually, when we were just really building the set, and she walked through and it's like showing her, 'Hey, Mom. This room is inspired by you.' Purple was her colour that she loved, so we painted the room a lavender."
"I think we really took a lot of time and care in the creation of Astoria, and I think we painted her beautifully, as she is such a beautiful woman, and really came to parenting in this left-from-centre approach," Carr added in a separate interview.
Two things really stand out with Government Cheese. There is an unpredictability with the format, with each episode having a different feel to keep you on your toes as a viewer, and there is an incredible amount of detail put into this show, from the cars to the set pieces and costumes.
As Carr described it, "clear lines" were established for the narratives of each character, "where they were coming from, where they were going, and all the things that needed to happen to them in between."
"I think once you draw that story map, you can paint all the different segments a different colour, because you're very clear on what you need to get across in those moments," Carr said. "And so once stay true to that, you can have so much fun with the style and the tone a little bit, because you're very clear about what you need to get out of each episode."
But Hunter also highlighted that he really wanted to "shake up" the traditional format of a TV series, while also playing with genres.
"I resisted coming to the television space for a long time, just because of the way things sort of lay out. ... When the streaming came in, it allows you to have different time lengths, play with format. My thoughts coming in was to sort of inspire everyone to think, let's shake it up. And I wanted each episode to feel like a short film so that we could play with it and push it around. ... I directed the first couple of episodes and then some in the middle, and then I thought the other filmmakers would have fun to be able to play."
When it came to the characters, the actors were drawn to the script, including Bokeem Woodbine who plays Hampton's friend Bootsy, who's instrumental in trying to help Hampton get the money he owes to the Prevosts.
Woodbine initially turned down the project because his schedule wouldn't allow for enough prep time, but luckily things changed and he was able to join the show.
"I felt like I knew who Bootsy was and I had an idea how to approach the character, so I called my agent ... and I said, 'Hey, man, this a drag that this isn't going to work out, because I really love this show, and I love this character.' And he said, 'Well, guess what? I've been on the phone with them and they decided to give you some more time to prepare, which was all I needed to hear," Woodbine said.
"Bootsy is a veteran, a combat veteran from the Vietnam War, and I had worked in a few pictures prior to this that dealt with that subject matter, the Black experience in the Vietnam War, which is a very specific type of challenge. And there's a book called 'Bloods' that deals with that. And so I reread several chapters that spoke to me the most from the book 'Bloods,' and then I talked to Paul about his memories. And then I have my own interpretation of who Bootsy is, and I just kind of used that as my basis to prepare."
There's one particular moment that stands out between Hampton and Bootsy, when the pair end up robbing Temple Hillel, ad it's a stand-out for Woodbine as well.
"Working on that scene was some of the most fun I've had in my 30, however many years I've been doing this. It was so fun," Woodbine said. "I couldn't believe they were letting us do this."
"If you've ever been a kid and got to stay up past your bedtime for whatever reason, ... you feel giddy. ... You don't even really do anything, but it's just the thrill of being awake past the time you were supposed to be asleep. That's what it felt like the whole time we were doing those scenes. ... I read several parts of that twice, like, am I reading this correctly? Let me put my glasses on. I know they're not going to let us do this. And then, sure enough, they let us get loose, and they let us express ourselves."
But what remains at the core of Government Cheese is a story about this family, with Hunter pulling from memories of his own childhood.
When Hampton first arrives home, his wife isn't particularly enthused by the events that led to his arrest, neither is his son Harrison (Jahi Di'Allo Winston). But Hampton's son Einstein (Evan Ellison) is that person who always sees the world with positive light.
"One thing I wanted to make sure was [that it was not] one note the entire time, because he is very matter of fact, kind of off the cuff," Evan Ellison said about playing Einstein. "So there was that fine line of trying to bring nuances to the character and actually have an arc to the character, but I think ultimately, it was a blast kind of being that curious, optimistic guy in the room."
"I think he was eager to have a fellow intellectual back in the house that he can invent things with together."
A significant evolution in the show comes when Hampton takes Harrison on a fishing trip, where you really get deeper into this father-son relationship, which is different than what Hampton has with Einstein. It's where Hampton also talks about how, while Harrison doesn't understand the decisions he's made, he tells him everything is led by providing for his family. Thing then take another turn when Hampton leaves his son alone in a tent that night to go on the robbery job with Bootsy.
"It was really like being on our own adventure, being out there," Winston said.
"Up until that point Harrison, the way we see him, is sort of one-dimensional. He's very deadpan, very sort of jaded and closed off, but we finally get to see him soften and be that little kid that is just looking for that sense of affection from his dad. So it was really fun to shoot. And actually, I was fortunate enough Paul showed me a little short snippet, probably close to when we were done shooting, and just watching it, I felt the weight of the emotion watching just the little tidbit of footage that he showed me."
Leaning into the absurdist quality of Government Cheese, Woodbine highlighted that it was appealing to see a Black family leading a story with this tone, instead of the more typical civil rights-related stories we usually see with a Black protagonist.
"One of the things that might be kind of jarring, but in a positive way, is the depiction of the Black family in a kind of setting that is usually reserved for say a Wes Anderson picture, or Tim Burton-esque imagery," Woodbine said. "You generally don't see Black people depicted in that quirky, eccentric kind of surrealist manner."
"So you're seeing elements and genre mashups that are disparate, but we brought it all together into this unique examination of a time period and a family. It has universal overtones and it's just not been done before."
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New Hampshire city in 'Jumanji' marks 30th anniversary with animal costume race
Madeline Murphy remembers the instructions she was given on the set of 'Jumanji' when she was an extra some 30 years ago: 'Pretend you're frightened and you're screaming because an elephant's coming after you.' So, that's what she did in the Central Square of Keene, New Hampshire, running back and forth, over and over, on a long day in November 1994. 'I was pretty tired by the end of the day, and it was cold," said Murphy, 61. She got a check for $60.47 — and several seconds of screen time. Murphy was one of about 125 extras cast in the classic Robin Williams film, which is marking its 30th anniversary. It's spawned several sequels, including one planned for next year. The city of about 23,000 people in the southwestern corner of the state is celebrating its ties to 'Jumanji' this weekend. A featured event is a 'Rhino Rumble Road Race' saluting the film's stampede scenes of elephants, rhinos and zebras on Saturday. Runners in inflatable animal costumes are sprinting about a quarter mile (less than half a kilometer) around the square. There's also a cast party, a parade, and a scavenger hunt, among other events. Based on the 1981 children's book by Chris Van Allsburg about a mysterious jungle adventure board game, the movie version of 'Jumanji' is set in the fictional small town of Brantford, New Hampshire. Veteran location manager Dow Griffith was crisscrossing New England in search of the right spot. A coffee lover who grew up in Seattle, he recalled feeling desperate one day for a good brew. He was a bit east of Keene at the time, and someone suggested a shop that was near the square. 'I took my cherished cup of double dry cappuccino out to the front porch, took a sip, looked to my left — and by God — there was the place I had been looking for!" he told The Associated Press. 'So really, we have coffee to thank for the whole thing.' 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In the movie, he had just been freed from the game that had trapped him as a boy for years. 'He's shorter than I thought he was!' one viewer said, according to local chronicler Susan MacNeil's book, 'When Jumanji Came to Keene." Others said, 'He has great legs — muscular, isn't he? But so hairy!" and 'Isn't he freezing dressed like that?" The mayor honored him with a key to the city. Williams, noticing the mayor was a bit shorter, suddenly announced at the presentation, ''I am the mayor of Munchkinland,'' with a voice to match, City Councilor Randy Filiault recalled. He stayed in character for 15 to 20 minutes, 'just bouncing off the walls," approaching people in the audience and pulling their hats over their eyes. Eventually, he stopped, ending with a solemn 'Thank you,' Filiault said. 'I am really seeing something cool here,' Filiault remembered thinking. 'How fortunate we were.' When Williams died by suicide in 2014, people left flowers and photos beneath a painted 'Parrish Shoes' wall sign advertising a fictional business left over from 'Jumanji." Former Keene police officer Joe Collins, who was assigned to watch over then-child actors Kirsten Dunst and Bradley Pierce, also died by suicide, last year. Festival organizers planned a discussion about mental health and suicide prevention to pay tribute to Williams and Collins. 'I think Robin would have been impressed with that,' said Murphy, who met Williams and shook his hand.
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New Hampshire city in 'Jumanji' marks 30th anniversary with animal costume race
Madeline Murphy remembers the instructions she was given on the set of 'Jumanji' when she was an extra some 30 years ago: 'Pretend you're frightened and you're screaming because an elephant's coming after you.' So, that's what she did in the Central Square of Keene, New Hampshire, running back and forth, over and over, on a long day in November 1994. 'I was pretty tired by the end of the day, and it was cold," said Murphy, 61. She got a check for $60.47 — and several seconds of screen time. Murphy was one of about 125 extras cast in the classic Robin Williams film, which is marking its 30th anniversary. It's spawned several sequels, including one planned for next year. The city of about 23,000 people in the southwestern corner of the state is celebrating its ties to 'Jumanji' this weekend. A featured event is a 'Rhino Rumble Road Race' saluting the film's stampede scenes of elephants, rhinos and zebras on Saturday. Runners in inflatable animal costumes are sprinting about a quarter mile (less than half a kilometer) around the square. There's also a cast party, a parade, and a scavenger hunt, among other events. Keene gets picked thanks to coffee craving Based on the 1981 children's book by Chris Van Allsburg about a mysterious jungle adventure board game, the movie version of 'Jumanji' is set in the fictional small town of Brantford, New Hampshire. Veteran location manager Dow Griffith was crisscrossing New England in search of the right spot. A coffee lover who grew up in Seattle, he recalled feeling desperate one day for a good brew. He was a bit east of Keene at the time, and someone suggested a shop that was near the square. 'I took my cherished cup of double dry cappuccino out to the front porch, took a sip, looked to my left — and by God — there was the place I had been looking for!" he told The Associated Press. 'So really, we have coffee to thank for the whole thing.' Scenes were filmed at the square that fall and the following spring. The fall scenes show a present-day town that had declined. Extras played homeless people and looters, in addition to panicked runners fleeing from the jungle animals. Joanne Hof, now 78, had needed her son's help to spot herself behind the elephants, running with her hands up. Hof, a reading specialist, bought a videotape of 'Jumanji' and showed it to the kids she worked with. 'They were very impressed that I was in the movie,' she said. The spring scenes, appearing early in the film, depict the town in 1969. Extras drove classic cars around the pristine-looking square and others walked around, dressed for that time period. 'I told the makeup person, 'Do you know how to do a French twist?'" recalled Kate Beetle, 74, of Alstead, who said she can be seen for "a micro-second" crossing a street. 'They just found me the right lady's suit and right flat shoes, and then the hair is kind of what I suspect did it.' The city helped transform itself The 'Jumanji' crews worked well with the city in getting the permits to transform Central Square into a dilapidated, neglected piece of public property, recalled Patty Little, who recently retired as Keene's clerk. 'They brought in old, dead shrubbery and threw it around and made the paint peel on the gazebo,' she said. Items such as parking meters and lilac bushes were removed and a large Civil War-era statue was brought in to cover a fountain. Graffiti was on the walls and crumpled vehicles in the stampede scene were anchored in place. Everything was restored, and fresh flowers were brought in the following spring, she said. Crews spent a total of about a week in the city for both settings. Little, whose classic 1961 Ambassador is caught on camera, could see everything happening from her office window. 'Did I get a lot of work done? I don't know during those days,' she said. Locals watch and meet Robin Williams A crowd turned out to watch a long-haired, bearded Williams run down the street in a leaf-adorned tunic. In the movie, he had just been freed from the game that had trapped him as a boy for years. 'He's shorter than I thought he was!' one viewer said, according to local chronicler Susan MacNeil's book, 'When Jumanji Came to Keene." Others said, 'He has great legs — muscular, isn't he? But so hairy!" and 'Isn't he freezing dressed like that?" The mayor honored him with a key to the city. Williams, noticing the mayor was a bit shorter, suddenly announced at the presentation, ''I am the mayor of Munchkinland,'' with a voice to match, City Councilor Randy Filiault recalled. He stayed in character for 15 to 20 minutes, 'just bouncing off the walls," approaching people in the audience and pulling their hats over their eyes. Eventually, he stopped, ending with a solemn 'Thank you,' Filiault said. 'I am really seeing something cool here,' Filiault remembered thinking. 'How fortunate we were.' When Williams died by suicide in 2014, people left flowers and photos beneath a painted 'Parrish Shoes' wall sign advertising a fictional business left over from 'Jumanji." Former Keene police officer Joe Collins, who was assigned to watch over then-child actors Kirsten Dunst and Bradley Pierce, also died by suicide, last year. Festival organizers planned a discussion about mental health and suicide prevention to pay tribute to Williams and Collins.
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an hour ago
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New Hampshire city in ‘Jumanji' marks 30th anniversary with animal costume race
Madeline Murphy remembers the instructions she was given on the set of 'Jumanji' when she was an extra some 30 years ago: 'Pretend you're frightened and you're screaming because an elephant's coming after you.' So, that's what she did in the Central Square of Keene, New Hampshire, running back and forth, over and over, on a long day in November 1994. 'I was pretty tired by the end of the day, and it was cold,' said Murphy, 61. She got a check for $60.47 — and several seconds of screen time. Murphy was one of about 125 extras cast in the classic Robin Williams film, which is marking its 30th anniversary. It's spawned several sequels , including one planned for next year. The city of about 23,000 people in the southwestern corner of the state is celebrating its ties to 'Jumanji' this weekend. A featured event is a 'Rhino Rumble Road Race' saluting the film's stampede scenes of elephants, rhinos and zebras on Saturday. Runners in inflatable animal costumes are sprinting about a quarter mile (less than half a kilometer) around the square. There's also a cast party, a parade, and a scavenger hunt, among other events. Keene gets picked thanks to coffee craving Based on the 1981 children's book by Chris Van Allsburg about a mysterious jungle adventure board game, the movie version of 'Jumanji' is set in the fictional small town of Brantford, New Hampshire. Veteran location manager Dow Griffith was crisscrossing New England in search of the right spot. A coffee lover who grew up in Seattle, he recalled feeling desperate one day for a good brew. He was a bit east of Keene at the time, and someone suggested a shop that was near the square. 'I took my cherished cup of double dry cappuccino out to the front porch, took a sip, looked to my left — and by God — there was the place I had been looking for!' he told The Associated Press. 'So really, we have coffee to thank for the whole thing.' Scenes were filmed at the square that fall and the following spring. The fall scenes show a present-day town that had declined. Extras played homeless people and looters, in addition to panicked runners fleeing from the jungle animals. Joanne Hof, now 78, had needed her son's help to spot herself behind the elephants, running with her hands up. Hof, a reading specialist, bought a videotape of 'Jumanji' and showed it to the kids she worked with. 'They were very impressed that I was in the movie,' she said. The spring scenes, appearing early in the film, depict the town in 1969. Extras drove classic cars around the pristine-looking square and others walked around, dressed for that time period. 'I told the makeup person, 'Do you know how to do a French twist?'' recalled Kate Beetle, 74, of Alstead, who said she can be seen for 'a micro-second' crossing a street. 'They just found me the right lady's suit and right flat shoes, and then the hair is kind of what I suspect did it.' The city helped transform itself The 'Jumanji' crews worked well with the city in getting the permits to transform Central Square into a dilapidated, neglected piece of public property, recalled Patty Little, who recently retired as Keene's clerk. 'They brought in old, dead shrubbery and threw it around and made the paint peel on the gazebo,' she said. Items such as parking meters and lilac bushes were removed and a large Civil War-era statue was brought in to cover a fountain. Graffiti was on the walls and crumpled vehicles in the stampede scene were anchored in place. Everything was restored, and fresh flowers were brought in the following spring, she said. Crews spent a total of about a week in the city for both settings. Little, whose classic 1961 Ambassador is caught on camera, could see everything happening from her office window. 'Did I get a lot of work done? I don't know during those days,' she said. Locals watch and meet Robin Williams A crowd turned out to watch a long-haired, bearded Williams run down the street in a leaf-adorned tunic. In the movie, he had just been freed from the game that had trapped him as a boy for years. 'He's shorter than I thought he was!' one viewer said, according to local chronicler Susan MacNeil's book, 'When Jumanji Came to Keene.' Others said, 'He has great legs — muscular, isn't he? But so hairy!' and 'Isn't he freezing dressed like that?' The mayor honored him with a key to the city. Williams, noticing the mayor was a bit shorter, suddenly announced at the presentation, ''I am the mayor of Munchkinland,'' with a voice to match, City Councilor Randy Filiault recalled. He stayed in character for 15 to 20 minutes, 'just bouncing off the walls,' approaching people in the audience and pulling their hats over their eyes. Eventually, he stopped, ending with a solemn 'Thank you,' Filiault said. 'I am really seeing something cool here,' Filiault remembered thinking. 'How fortunate we were.' When Williams died by suicide in 2014 , people left flowers and photos beneath a painted 'Parrish Shoes' wall sign advertising a fictional business left over from 'Jumanji.' Former Keene police officer Joe Collins, who was assigned to watch over then-child actors Kirsten Dunst and Bradley Pierce, also died by suicide, last year. Festival organizers planned a discussion about mental health and suicide prevention to pay tribute to Williams and Collins. 'I think Robin would have been impressed with that,' said Murphy, who met Williams and shook his hand. ___ In the U.S., the national suicide and crisis lifeline is available by calling or texting 988. There is also an online chat at Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . 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