The highly anticipated series Mr. & Mrs. Smith has made its debut on Amazon Prime Video, starring Donald Glover and Maya Erskine as the eponymous married spies. However, before Erskine assumed the role of Jane Smith, Phoebe Waller-Bridge was initially slated to star alongside Glover and co-create the series. Waller-Bridge’s departure from the project in 2021 has left many curious about the circumstances surrounding her exit.
Donald Glover has now shed light on the situation, describing it as an “amicable split” stemming from divergent creative visions.
Speaking on the matter, Glover likened the split to a real divorce, talking about the challenge of maintaining a fruitful creative partnership when facing significant differences in approach.
“You’re like, ‘Oh sh-t, this should have worked.’ And this is just me being honest, but I think a good relationship is one where you don’t waver from the extremely uncomfortable. And I don’t know if we were ever going to get to a place where we could be completely brutal to each other,” Glover told The Hollywood Reporter.
Glover suggested that cultural disparities may have contributed to the discord, noting that in the UK, where Waller-Bridge hails from, the approach to collaborative writing differs from his own experience in the United States. He highlighted Waller-Bridge’s solo approach to writing Fleabag contrasted with his establishment of a writers’ room for Atlanta. These differing methodologies, Glover explained, may have hindered their ability to fully engage in the creative process together.
“I don’t think we ever felt comfortable enough with each other. And that’s okay. That’s what happens when you’re two captains. It’s like, This is how I run my ship. Well this is how I run my ship.’ And it’s such a big idea, this show, I don’t think it can have two captains. I mean, she rewrote the pilot, and I saw her script and I was like, ‘It’s definitely not my style,’ but if she’d done it with her in it, we’d all be like, ‘This is a great show,” he told Comicbook.
Despite the complexities of their collaboration, Glover expressed optimism about Waller-Bridge’s potential involvement in the project had she felt a deeper connection to it. He emphasized his respect for her creative autonomy and willingness to yield control if it meant serving the project’s best interests.
A modern reimagining of the 2005 film starring Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, Mr. & Mrs. Smith follows two strangers who find themselves recruited by a spy agency. Offered with wealth, adventure, and a picturesque life in Manhattan, they agree to assume the identities of a married couple, John and Jane Smith.
As they navigate missions and newfound intimacy, their fabricated relationship begins to pose new challenges.
In addition to Glover and Erskine, the series features a star-studded ensemble cast including Parker Posey, Wagner Moura, Michaela Cole, John Turturro, Paul Dano, Alexander Skarsgård, Eiza González, Sarah Paulson, Sharon Horgan, Ron Perlman, Billy Campbell, and Ursula Corbero.
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