In front of a massive, enthusiastic crowd at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles Friday night, the cast and producers of Empire talked about the "growing pains" they've experienced in the s...
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| Empire cast: (L-R) Executive producer Lee Daniels, Terrence Howard, Bryshere Gray, Ta'Rhonda Jones, Serayah, Gabourey Sidibe, Kaitlin Doubleday, Grace Gealey | Photo Credits: BULBENKO/PaleyFest |
In front of a massive, enthusiastic crowd at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles Friday night, the cast and producers of Empire talked about the "growing pains" they've experienced in the show's sophomore season and teased what's ahead.
Part of the weeklong PaleyFest event honoring TV, Empire's night began with a surprise showing of its return episode, which airs March 30. After a three-month hiatus, the show picks up with Rhonda (Kaitlin Doubleday) knocked out in a pool of blood after an attack, and Hakeem (Bryshere Gray) giving the final vote to boot his father Lucious (Terrence Howard) out of the family company. Fans went wild--particularly for one scene in which Cookie (Taraji P. Henson) wields a broom, her apparent favorite weapon of choice. (Henson was not at the event Friday; she was out of town shooting a movie.)
Everything you need to know about Empire Season 2
After the screening, host Kevin Frazier, of Entertainment Tonightjumped right into the toughest question of all, asking co-creator and executive producer Lee Daniels if he agreed that the show "went left" in Season 2. "Yeah," said Daniels, sounding soft-spoken and slightly humbled. "It was growing pains and I think it would have happened to any show. We're learning." Endearingly candid, Daniels talked about having felt, at times, like "It's not enough," which created a desire to pile on more drama. But the most important thing, he noted, was "We came back." The audience cheered.
Howard, who was celebrating his birthday Friday night and was serenaded by the audience at one point, leaned into the show's melodrama, noting that Empire's balance of soapy fun and authenticity is tricky to get right. Invoking Star Trek, he said Empire tries to "transport at warp speed, but we try to keep it grounded. These are well-trained actors turning something impossible into something real. But yes," he said, mimicking reading a script, "we do have those moments where it's like, 'What the f--- is this?'"
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