Tuesday, March 19, 2024

‘Empire’ Co-Creator Danny Strong Says Malik Yoba was NOT Fired

Malik Yoba
Malik Yoba

*Danny Strong, co-creator and producer of “Empire,” opened up to Sister 2 Sister about the show’s success and the truth about why was Malik Yoba let go.

Empire has broken a ratings record and topped Big Bang Theory as TV’s top rated show. The show has also earned the highest rated season 1 finale in nearly a decade. Have you been reviewing the numbers for the show? Is that affecting how you are approaching the next season?

DS: It’s definitely not affecting how we’re approaching the season. We’re just going to try and continue to keep up the type of storytelling that we have been doing this season. It seems to be working for us.

Q: Lee Daniels said that he wanted to make Jamal’s character into a gay hero. What is your approach to developing his character and his life as a gay man dealing with his sexuality and the hip-hop community?

DS: Well it was always inherent in the very concept that the hip-hop mogul before he was named Lucious Lyon that he was going to have this son who was going to be this incredibly gifted artist. And that the character would hate the son because the son was gay. And that was used in the very first pitch that I ever presented to Lee with the hope and goal of addressing, tackling and taking on homophobia in a very blunt, honest and upfront way.

Q: With Naomi Campbell she plays the role of Camilla Marks. There were rumors that Macy Gray has been offered that part and she had been acting erratic on the set. Was Macy Gray at any point approached to portray that role?

DS: We shot a scene with Macy Gray in the pilot. But it wasn’t true that she was acting erratic on the set. We just shot the scene with her and we thought for the series that Naomi Campbell would be a better fit for the role. But there was no bad behavior by Macy on the set at all.

Q: Terrence Howard mentioned in an interview with Elvis Mitchell that he took inspiration from Suge Knight for his portrayal of Lucious Lyon. How do you feel about his revelation?

DS: His revelation that he took inspiration from Suge Knight? I can totally see that. I think there are so many different characters. So many different people…that I see in Terrence’s character. That I totally get that he used some of that to guide his performance.

Q: Malik Yoba’s character Vernon was involved in a surprising death in the season finale. There were rumors that Malik wasn’t happy about being killed off the show and had complained. Was there any reason for his departure from the show? Was it due to any type of conflict or was it mainly story related?

DS: It was story related.

Q: What are your thoughts regarding any comments that he had about his death on the show?

DS: What comments specifically?

Q: There may have been some comments that he wasn’t happy about the fact that he was killed off a show that was highly rated. And that he didn’t necessarily want to leave.

DS: Malik is a terrific actor. And we were thrilled to have his talents on the show. But this is where his story led us. It was completely story related.

Read more at Sister 2 Sister.

Danny Strong
Danny Strong

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