Reggie Rock Bythewood, series creator of Swagger, admits that 2020 put an unexpected wrench in his Kevin Durant-inspired Apple TV+ sports drama.
“Like most people, I could have never imagined what would’ve happened,” Bythewood tells ABC Audio of the challenges that 2020 brought to his production.
Bythewood says his initial plan for the series was to follow “youth [basketball] players and…their journey.” However, his plan quickly changed when COVID-19 hit, along with the killings of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and George Floyd.
“[T]he world…felt like it was being disrupted,” he shares. “So when we shut down during the pandemic…I just really felt like we needed to address what was going on… in the show.”
In addition to capturing “real time” events, Bythewood made sure to capture the DMV culture through the use of the funk-inspired go-go music genre, which he says was a “big part of his storytelling.”
“One of my writers…was from the DMV and she spoke about it, [Durant] spoke about it, and it just felt…authentic,” he says of making go-go music a “small character” in the show.
Like the creator, the cast says they also connected with something authentic when portraying their characters.
“I channeled…my father [Ice Cube],” O’Shea Jackson Jr. says of playing Coach Ike. “My father was my basketball coach, and I went on to coach my little brother, so I already had that…love for the game.”
Meanwhile, Isaiah Hill says he tapped into his confident side when portraying rising basketball star Jace.
“I had to really bring out some anger — the desire to want that exposure, the desire to want to be seen by the world as a certain player,” he shares.
Swagger is now available on Apple TV+.
Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
Related Posts
In Brief: ‘Heartstopper’ cast grows, and more
April 26, 2024
The Netflix LGBT rom-com Heartstopper has added Bridgerton's Jonathan Bailey, Mission: Impossible…
Louis Tomlinson drops surprise live album recorded on tour
April 26, 2024
Chiaki Nozu/WireImageIf you weren’t able to catch Louis Tomlinson on his last two world tours, he’s…
Ellen DeGeneres returns to standup, addresses being cancelled
April 26, 2024
Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images for Live NationEllen DeGeneres kicked off her Ellen’s Last Stand ...…
Now on Netflix: ‘Dead Boy Detectives’
April 25, 2024
Netflix/Ed AraquelOn Thursday, Netflix dropped all eight episodes of the supernatural series Dead…
Pet Shop Boys singer says Taylor Swift’s catalog lacks “famous songs”: “What is [her] ‘Billie Jean’?”
April 25, 2024
Gilbert Flores/Golden Globes 2024/Golden Globes 2024 via Getty ImagesNeil Tennant, the lead singer…
‘The Bear’, ‘Bluey’, ‘Judy Blume Forever’ and ‘Marvel’s Moon Girl’ all nominated for Peabody Awards
April 25, 2024
'The Bear' - FX/Matt DinersteinOn Thursday, the Board of Jurors of the Peabody Awards announced the…
Sophia Bush opens up on finding unexpected love with Ashlyn Harris: “I didn’t see it until I saw it”
April 25, 2024
Lauren Dukoff/GlamourActress Sophia Bush is opening up about finding new love with former soccer…
Rebel Wilson’s accusations against Sacha Baron Cohen won’t appear in UK version of book ‘Rebel Rising’
April 25, 2024
Brendon Thorne/Getty Images for AFIWhile her new book, Rebel Rising, sees Rebel Wilson making some…