Collider: I absolutely love this show, and I am so happy to talk to you about it!
I was excited to hear that you were directing the pilot.
GINA PRINCE-BYTHEWOOD: So good to hear you love it!
Had you been seeking out work with Marvel, or did Marvel come to you?
PRINCE-BYTHEWOOD: Its a place that I was absolutely eager to go.
I love the Marvel Universe.
Image via Freeform
I got the call and it was an easy, Yes, Id love to read the script.
What was your first meeting with Marvel like?
PRINCE-BYTHEWOOD: Thats an interesting question.
Image via Freeform
Im not gonna lie, you walk into the Marvel offices and its like, Oh, shit!
Everything that theyve done is lining the walls and you feel the bigness of the moment.
Its also a unique love story, which I love, as well.
Image via Freeform
What did you specifically want to bring to this, and what did you specifically want to avoid?
PRINCE-BYTHEWOOD: Foremost, authenticity was our key word, so it starts with the casting.
We did not want90210.
Image via Freeform
It was important, for authenticity, that youre looking onscreen and believe that these are teenagers.
Also, I just didnt want these characters to be soft.
Its a teen show, and I wanted it to have an authentic edge to it and feel real.
It was very hard to find those two, and it really did come down to the eleventh hour.
That was a really big thing.
I just wanted you to focus on the story and the characters.
Were you also very aware of how these two teenagers were speaking?
PRINCE-BYTHEWOOD: Thats whats exciting about having real teenagers.
Joe wrote a very, very good script, and it was great to get into rehearsals.
PRINCE-BYTHEWOOD: Oh, absolutely!
We saw them, as individuals, in their audition on Friday afternoon.
And then, there were about six people left, so it was about putting the together.
If the chemistry is not there, its almost impossible to create whats not there.
And then, I pulled them outside and gave them this improv to do on the fly.
I just wanted to see where they would go with it.
They authentically, truthfully, really dig each other.
You cannot fake that.
They genuinely like each other and are supportive of each other, and theyre fun to watch.
That shows up in the relationship, on screen.
Thats something you’ve got the option to identify with.
Its a beautiful thing, and I hope thats what audiences ultimately gravitate towards.
PRINCE-BYTHEWOOD: Well, absolutely the most challenging day was that the whole opening sequence.
That was extremely hairy.
We were like, Oh, my god, they arent gonna be able to do this!
It was so scary.
So, she was down there, and it was just about being creative and figuring it out.
I watch the sequence now, and I love it so much.
I dont think it would even come into anyones mind that those two couldnt swim.
Those two did their own stunts, and it was exciting to see that they were down for it.
They were eager to do it and, obviously, safety was paramount, so we practiced a lot.
That was a fun day.
Thats gonna take time.
So, we have to get the script right, and Im okay to wait.
PRINCE-BYTHEWOOD: I guess I would say, on the film side, everything is magnified.
Its a lot of money.
Theres more voices and more money, and its just a bigger sandbox.
Marvel Television is doing such cool, innovative things.
Well, I was very fortunate, 18 years ago, withLove & Basketball.
Everybody turned it down, and then I went to Sundance, and that gave it new life.
He just gave me my first shot.
Nobody ever stood over my shoulder.
It was such an incredible first experience, with the trust that he gave me.
It was pretty great to be able to start that way.
It gave me incredible confidence.
And then, the reception and reaction to it obviously upped my confidence, as well.
Starting out that way really influenced how Ive moved through this industry.
Every project Ive done has been a fight, but you just need one yes.
Remembering that gets you off the floor, when youre getting a thousand nos.
MarvelsCloak & Daggerairs on Thursday nights on Freeform.
