00:03Hi, this is Mariah Gullow from The Hollywood Reporter, and I'm in studio today with Anthony
00:08Hemingway.
00:08Hello.
00:09Hi, Anthony.
00:10How are you?
00:11Thank you so much for coming in.
00:12Thanks for having me.
00:13I'm fine.
00:13I wanted to talk to you about your amazing directing career, but also we got to talk
00:19about directing and executive producing Unsolved.
00:22Yes.
00:23So tell me how to—
00:24What do you want to know?
00:24Oh, well, I mean, okay, so who did it?
00:30Well, you know, it'd be a spoiler, I think, if I shared that right now in front of the
00:34audience.
00:35I will, you know, refrain from giving spoilers.
00:38The first thing I want to ask you is what's your favorite Biggie song and what's your favorite
00:41Tupac song?
00:42Well, my favorite Biggie song, it really touches my heart.
00:45It pierces it.
00:46You know, it's juicy.
00:47You know, I think it's been the anthem of my life, really, just rags to riches, basically,
00:54you know, knowing that I grew up in the projects of the Bronx and knowing that that didn't
00:58define me or my, you know, future.
01:02What are you most excited about people seeing when they're—as they're watching Unsolved?
01:07I mean, we're watching the investigative side.
01:10There's the wonderful, amazing 90s flashback moments.
01:14Are you excited about anything in particular for people to discover as they watch this show?
01:20I think, you know, there's so many things.
01:21One of the things that really excited me about it was the idea of changing the narrative of
01:27what we've been shared, I think, when you think of Biggie and Tupac.
01:31And, you know, to me, that is the real tragedy and the despair of not having the ability to
01:37really, I think, know who they could have been today.
01:40So the idea of being able to tap into their friendship was so exciting.
01:44And I think it's something that I have championed and really leaned into heavily just to, you
01:52know, as we try to use the platform and our, you know, ability to dimensionalize storytelling
01:59and images, especially dealing with real life.
02:04Giving examples that need to be seen, positive imagery.
02:11You've kind of become an expert in true crime drama.
02:16You know, with all of the work that you've done with American Crime Story and now with Unsolved,
02:22you're really, you're the one who kind of uses fiction to flesh out actual events.
02:30So, you know, tell me what, what are the challenges of that?
02:34It's a huge challenge.
02:36Anytime you're dealing with real life and, you know, just people, especially when they're
02:43well known, it requires a lot of tender care, you know, of just really trying to mold and
02:50shape just to, to straddle the balance of what your intentions are.
02:55Um, and I think just, if it starts with the first place of just asking yourself, why are
02:59you telling this story, which is simple, um, hopefully that will, I think, unlock everything
03:06that you need to, you know, tap into, to, to, to, you know, tell its truth and, and, and,
03:13and understand how you want to respectfully and, and, and with sensitivity, um, I think,
03:21just chronicle that storytelling.
03:23And you've said before, you, you just said, you just said a few moments ago, um, that one
03:27of the most important things about the Unsolved story is the friendship between Tupac and Biggie.
03:32Who, who's the first person who kind of clued you in onto that?
03:35Like, who, who told you about their friendship?
03:37Well, I think it's something that loosely is known depending on where you're from.
03:42Um, and of course, being from New York, like, you know, there were moments that I remembered
03:46that, like, clearly get swept under the rug when, uh, anything else comes and overshadows
03:51that.
03:51So, it wasn't a lot of discovery for myself, um, but I think even in, in, in exploring what
03:58Kyle Long created here, um, was this really beautiful, um, structure and, and, and, and
04:08ability to, I think, let it really be a human story.
04:12And, and I think, um, be relatable in so many different other walks of life is clearly having
04:18this opportunity to look back and realize what changed when that happened, you know,
04:24just in the world of hip hop.
04:25As we got deeper and deeper into it over the course of the season, there are many things
04:30and a lot of, um, I think, layers that get exposed and, and shown that we did not know.
04:36Mm-hmm.
04:37What were some of your biggest days of shooting?
04:40Like, what, uh, what do you, uh, kind of, what do you want people to see?
04:44The stress.
04:45Yeah.
04:46Tell me about one day in particular.
04:48The stress days.
04:48Like, this is, this scene was the scene.
04:51Well, I mean, I, first and foremost, the scenes that reenact their, uh, murders were the most,
05:00you know, heavy lifting and I think, um, the hardest to really figure out the right ways
05:07and how to approach it and just make sure that, you know, asking all the questions
05:11and, and getting the fine details of it was, it just was so surreal when we got to shoot
05:17it.
05:17Um, and of course, you know, outside the Peterson Museum as well in doing, uh, reenacting, uh,
05:22Biggie's, uh, murder and death.
05:25It's, it's, those are definitely.
05:26That was just a few blocks away from here.
05:27Yeah.
05:28Yes, exactly.
05:29We were right on the wheelchair and it's crazy.
05:31It's just, those are the ones that are definitely, you know, the most challenging because of, of the
05:38obvious, um, uh, layers and, and, and, and elements that have to deal with, um, that become
05:45really surreal.
05:47People seeing this, um, uh, this series, do you think it's going to shake loose some
05:53memories, um, from, from the 90s?
05:57Do you think people are going to see this and maybe start remembering things?
06:00I think so.
06:01Like, you know, even for me, like, it really was kind of very nostalgic in, in so many ways
06:06of just kind of remembering, um, moments within the story where certain songs from either
06:12of them, and I realize I never gave you a Tupac song.
06:15You asked me, I got stuck with Biggie, and like, I'm like, that's my man, you know what
06:20I'm saying?
06:20I love Tupac too, and I think, you know, just as well, I'm going to, I'm so all over the
06:24place.
06:25Yeah.
06:25Just like, uh, Juicy was such an anthem for me, Keep Your Head Up was as well, you know,
06:31and it's just, and, and those both are so, you know, the reflections of what the storytelling
06:37in, in, in their music was, um, you know, it really is really remarkable to realize
06:45that, how young they were then, you know, um, the ability and the gifts that they had
06:52to, I think, be aware of just the consciousness of, of, of their everyday and reflecting their
06:59reality and their humanity, um, was just beyond remarkable, I think, and incredible for those
07:07two kids to be able to, I think, see that and to be able to speak about it, um, you
07:14know,
07:14that's why, uh, one of the major themes in the show is perception, and how perception
07:19challenges your best judgment.
07:20It's just a really interesting thing for anyone to look in from the outside and, and create
07:28a, a, a, a, a perception, um, about someone or, or a situation that doesn't always mean
07:34that it's true, and so seeing them, you know, I think really live in this time that just kind
07:44of, it was sad just to kind of see them get, you know, kind of swallowed up in the belly
07:50of the beast like that.
07:51Right, yeah, do you think, I mean, uh, if we're looking at how much time has, uh, changed,
07:57how, how Los Angeles has changed, how the hip-hop community has changed, I mean, do you think
08:02anything like this could happen now?
08:03Absolutely, absolutely, and that's why I think it's very important for us to really pay attention,
08:09um, and reflect on these things, and, and, and learn, you know, I think we have to really
08:14understand, and, and, you know, the unfortunate, uh, of course, uh, is having to use the
08:21the, the loss of someone else's life to, to hopefully learn from, but I think, you know,
08:28it's important for us to pay attention to these things, and I think, you know, learn.
08:36Mm-hmm, yeah.
08:37Um, have you heard anything from the hip-hop community, um, has, like, Diddy or, uh, Snoop
08:43seen these episodes?
08:45You know, for the most part, I think everyone has really respected, uh, what we have done
08:50in terms of being as authentic as we can, um, knowing that we're not telling it from any
08:56perspective or another, excuse me, um, but, uh, the fact that it is ringing bells, is being
09:06nostalgic, uh, for a lot of people, and just, you know, uh, I'm hearing great reactions, and
09:14I'm, I'm hoping that, again, you know, any of the parties that are, are, are affiliated
09:20with it in story and character, you know, are not sitting back feeling, you know, um, attacked
09:27by any way, because that was never an intent, uh, any of our, um, intentions.
09:32Mm-hmm.
09:32Um, but, of course, just trying to tell it as truthful as possible, and as, you know, layered
09:38and complex as we could.
09:40Yeah, my guess is if anybody had a problem with it, you probably would have heard it from
09:44you already.
09:44I think someone would have said something, but I'm just proud.
09:47It's like, you know, we had a screening in New York, and Dougie Fresh is a really good
09:50friend of mine, and he hosted that screening, and, um, you know, for him to see it and, and
09:56be affected by it, you know, of course, someone who was even, uh, more of a contemporary,
10:01uh, to both of Biggie and Pac, um, than any of us.
10:05Like, to see that, and to see the level of care that I think we've put into this, and
10:11really focusing on the humanity, he was blown away, um, and, and, and, and has been such
10:18a great, uh, support.
10:20A couple of quick questions before I let you go.
10:22Yes.
10:22Um, the first job that made you say, I've made it.
10:27When President Barack Obama said thank you, and my name rolled off his tongue.
10:34Wow.
10:35Was the moment I arrived, and I was done.
10:39Yeah.
10:39Nothing else had to be said after that.
10:41When he clearly, publicly said to the director, Anthony Hemingway, I thank you.
10:48Wow.
10:48I lost it.
10:49I was like, oh my God, this is it.
10:51I'm done.
10:53That was the moment.
10:54That's great.
10:55Uh, best biographical story that you haven't seen made yet?
11:00It's not totally biographical, but it is close enough, and it's close to my heart.
11:06Um, it's a little generalized, but it's, uh, James Baldwin's book, uh, Giovanni's Room.
11:13Um, that's a story that I love, um, a story that is a part of my, um, my reality, and
11:21I
11:21want to tell that story so much, so bad.
11:25Um, wow, there's a lot.
11:27I could give you a list.
11:28Set deep well again.
11:29Um, last social or political cause that you championed?
11:34I'm trying to think, the last one I did, I supported MC Lights Foundation, um, that supports
11:44and champions inner city kids, um, that was one, but I'm all over the place.
11:49I, you know, contribute to, um, uh, you know, the AIDS Foundation, um, there's a lot.
11:59I just, I'm all over the place.
12:01I want to be a vessel to help heal the world.
12:03Very nice.
12:05Uh, worst Biggie Tupac conspiracy you've heard?
12:09Conspiracy theory.
12:10Ugh.
12:11Like, the worst one, like, ugh, no.
12:14I don't know.
12:16I don't know that, that answer.
12:18They're all bad.
12:20You know, I'm so acutely aware of all the misconceptions and conspiracy theories.
12:26It's crazy, like, hmm, I don't know.
12:30I pass.
12:31Okay.
12:32Next.
12:32Mark and Wavy were, uh, I think they said, uh, the one that, uh, Tupac's, like, living
12:37in Cuba.
12:38Oh, yeah, that's a, that is so awful.
12:40It's so terrible.
12:42We actually, well, I'm gonna spoil it.
12:44Okay, yeah, that's a bad one.
12:46So, Anthony, thank you so much for being here.
12:49The show's Unsolved.
12:51It's, it's on every Tuesday night?
12:53Every Tuesday at 10 p.m., 9 central on USA Network.
12:57Yeah.
12:57All right.
12:59We air decibel.
13:02Yeah.
13:03No.
13:04All right.
13:04All right.
13:04Thanks.
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