‘I’m A Virgo’ Star Jharrel Jerome, Team On Magic Of Illusion And Solving Math Problems

deadline.com:

“Definitely the most challenging thing I’ve had to do thus far as an actor, a lot of mental gymnastics involved,” Jharrel Jerome admits about the uniqueness of his role in the Boots Riley-created absurdist series I’m A Virgo, on which he plays a previously extremely sheltered 13-foot-tall Oakland teen. “At no point do I look my scene partners in the eye, and as an actor that’s so critical, you know, as connection.” Jerome, an Emmy winner for When They See Us, was joined by Riley and co-stars Olivia Washington and Walton Goggins, plus costume designer Deirdra E.

Govan, for a conversation about their series at Deadline Studio at Prime Experience. Watch the interview here and see photos from the event below.

Launched in June 2023 with all seven episodes, the small-screen debut of Coup frontman and Sorry to Bother You director Riley is a true display of originality in an analogue and Situationist spirit that “never turns away from what it is to be young and Black in the Land of the Free and Home of the Brave,” as I said in my review of the Prime Video series last year. “I think the magic of what really brought me to this project was the idea of not using CGI or special effects, because that in itself is requiring a lot for the actor,” Jerome says. “And there’s no rulebook on it, right, there’s no way to do it right.

There was, we were all running on the set. “Honestly, after this everything’s going be easy,” the actor and executive producer adds to laughter from his colleagues.