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      Craig Mazin Says ‘The Last Of Us’ Was Created ‘From a Place of Purity.’

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      The amount of pressure that came with trying to turn the dystopian video game “The Last of Us” into an HBO drama was intense: There were the expectations of tens of millions of fans of the best-selling game. The astronomical costs required — a reported production budget of more than $100 million — to pull it off. The legacy of dozens of subpar video game adaptations that had come before it.“You need to tune it out because it will destroy you,” Craig Mazin, 52, a creator, showrunner and writer on the zombie thriller series, said in a call on Wednesday afternoon from his office in Hollywood.So it was rewarding on Wednesday when the nine-episode series with a no-longer-so-fantastic premise about a viral outbreak that leaves society in shambles — though granted, this one turned people into fungal zombies — picked up 24 Emmy nominations. They included nods for best drama, writing and directing, and acting nominations for the series’s stars, Bella Ramsey and Pedro Pascal.“We were all really blown away by the reception — the enthusiasm and the love for the show is astonishing,” Mazin said of the series, which is the first video game adaptation to be a serious contender for top awards in Hollywood.In an interview, Mazin, who won Emmy Awards for best writing for a limited series and best limited series for HBO’s “Chernobyl,” discussed what distinguished “The Last of Us” from the many video game adaptation flops that preceded it, whether that model can be replicated and his hopes for the second season. These are edited excerpts from the conversation.Given the various pressures and challenges involved in adapting something like “The Last of Us,” how did it feel to rack up 24 Emmy nominations today?It’s stunning, particularly for a show in its first season, and a genre show. We were overwhelmed, though it’s a mixed-emotions day because our business is in trouble, and it is the fault of the people for whom we work. Even though it’s a day where you want to freely celebrate, there are so many people — working crews and actors and artists — who are suffering because the companies simply won’t do what’s required. What made “The Last of Us” so different from the many subpar film and TV adaptations of video games that came before?For starters, we have “The Last of Us.” It’s an amazing video game, which I played when it came out in 2013. Even then, I could see it was also just an incredible story with remarkable characters and, most importantly, remarkable relationships. It was a story that was a game, not a game that also had a story.The other big part is this wasn’t something where a company bought the rights to a thing and then went around going, “Hey, we want to exploit this I.P.” This was me and Neil Druckmann, the creator of the game, coming to HBO and saying, “We want to do this out of love.” So we came at it from a place of purity. What was the most challenging part of bringing the series to life?The size. There are more words to write, more days to plan, more actors to cast, more stunts to approve. It becomes an endurance test. We shot for 200 days, living away from home during Covid — my wife couldn’t even come to the set because it was a violation of the Covid rules. It was a very arduous thing to do day in and day out in the heat, in the freezing cold, in the rain and the snow. And yet, we did it, a bit like women who go through labor and are like, “Oh my God, I’m never doing that again,” and then a few years later are like, “Maybe I would do that again.” I’m that mom who’s like, “I think I want to do it again.”What are you most excited about for Season 2?I like tracking the growth and evolution of people, and I like the way we get to continue this show but do a season that is not the same. The thing about “The Last of Us” is that the story is constantly moving — we don’t live in the same neighborhood; we don’t go back to the same shop or store or house. Even episode to episode within a season feels like we’re in different places, different kinds of movies. So, more of that.There are a number of other popular video game franchises with film and TV adaptations in the works, including “Twisted Metal,” “Ghost of Tsushima” and “Assassin’s Creed.” Can the model for “The Last of Us” be replicated?If they are starting from a place of purity, a place of creative passion, then anything is possible. If the source material has great stuff to adapt — and ideally, if its creator has the kind of generosity and intellectual flexibility that Neil Druckmann has — then you have a real chance of doing something that makes the fans happy but also makes new people happy. What’s the point of making the show if you’re only making it for the people who read the book, or who played the game?That’s why Neil wanted to do an adaptation in the first place: There are millions of people who will never pick up a controller and never play the game. They will never know this story, and he wanted them to know it. And if people are coming at it like that, they have a real shot. More

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      For J. Smith-Cameron, ‘Succession’ Was ‘More Than the Sum of Its Parts’

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      The world is her slime puppy now.As Waystar Royco’s corporate counsel, J. Smith-Cameron’s Gerri Kellman spent four seasons as a beacon of competence in the roil of nepo babies and sycophants that was HBO’s “Succession.” The role earned Smith-Cameron an Emmy nomination last year, and on Wednesday she received another. (Eight of her fellow “Succession” cast members have also received nominations in the acting categories.)Reached by phone on Italy’s Amalfi coast, where she had accompanied her husband, the playwright and filmmaker, Kenneth Lonergan, Smith-Cameron swore that this nomination was every bit as exciting as the first. “Because this was our last season,” she said. “And we’re very proud of ‘Succession.’ So it’s just wonderful.”These are edited excerpts from the conversation.How was it playing one of the few capable characters on the show?I think it’s lonely at the top for Gerri because she never gets any credit for it. People begrudgingly take her advice. She knows she’s right. She’s confident. That’s why it stings so much in this last season when Roman fires her and tries to say it’s because she’s not good at her job. She has put up with so much.So many of your “Succession” colleagues have also been nominated. Was there some on-set alchemy that helped everyone do career-best work?I think so. It was more than the sum of its parts. There was something about everyone being at the top of their form and inspiring everyone else to rise to the occasion. But performances can only be as good as what’s written.Still, you wrote Gerri’s most famous line, calling Roman Roy (Kieran Culkin) a “little slime puppy.”That’s true, darling. I did. That just came out of my mouth. But “Succession” was an unusually well-written show.What made Gerri tick? And why did she put up with so much nonsense?Well, this is what she’s good at. And she is addicted to it; it’s an adrenaline high. She’s really good at problem solving. I never thought of her as angling to be C.E.O. She liked being the interim C.E.O., but I don’t think she likes to be the one with the target on her back. She likes practicing law because it’s like a logic puzzle. So she was doing what she loved even though it was so stressful.I mean, I’m in a career that seems unnecessarily stressful. People ask me, How can I bear it? I don’t know what the answer is. Except I love to do it, and it’s what I do best. That’s the answer for Gerri.Have Gerri and the fame she has brought changed you in any way? Do you have a real penchant for skirt suits now?This was a really delightful thing to happen for someone my age, in my 60s. For her to be such a popular, fan-favorite character, it feels like a big win for us women in general. Because it doesn’t matter her age — she got to have a sexual profile, she got to be really great with her work, she got to be funny. Most of all, she got to be really human. She wasn’t just a barracuda in stiletto heels. She got to be human person biting her nails and plotting and worrying. That feels like a big win for all of us.What do you imagine happens to Gerri in the future?She could rise to even greater heights. Who knows? Or she could go down in flames. But I think Gerri has done well for herself. More

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      Jessica Williams Celebrates Her Emmy Nomination on the Picket Line

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      A therapist will often begin a session by asking how a patient feels today. For Jessica Williams, the answer on Wednesday afternoon was multilayered.“I feel like I’m dreaming,” she said in a phone interview. “It’s crazy. It’s really weird. It’s so cool. I’m so lucky.”Williams — an actress, comedian and former “Daily Show” correspondent — received her first Emmy nomination for playing Gaby, an effervescent behavioral therapist in the Apple TV+ show “Shrinking.” Gaby shares a Pasadena, Calif., practice with Harrison Ford’s character, Paul, a therapist facing a Parkinson’s diagnosis; and Jason Segel’s character, Jimmy, a therapist who is grieving the death of his wife. (Gaby and Jimmy also end up in bed together, a move few therapists would sanction.)“It’s a crazy day today,” Williams said, speaking from a rowdy Writers Guild of America picket line outside Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, Calif. “I have to stand in solidarity.” In the interview, Williams spoke of Gaby’s verve, heart and refusal to adhere to stereotypes. These are edited excerpts from the conversation.When I entered “Jessica Williams” and “Shrinking” into the search bar, it auto-populated with “outfits,” “water bottle” and “jumpsuits.” How does it feel to be a style icon?That’s amazing. I love it. That’s the biggest honor. Very affirming of the jumpsuits.Is the nomination something you’ll need to talk about with your therapist?I’ve been off for a few months with her, because I’ve had her for so long. This makes me want to call her and connect. I’m just happy to be in the category with these badass ladies. And I’m so proud of the show. You have to have great writing, a really supportive cast, a really supportive crew, really cool jumpsuits. And they really have to let you fly onscreen. As a Black woman, I feel really lucky because, a lot had to go right.And they found a tall enough love interest for you. That’s nice.Yeah, it’s always like, who’s taller than her? It’s like six people. When you see me in something, and the other person is tall, you should not be surprised if a romantic story line is there.Romantic? I don’t know if it’s a great idea to sleep with a colleague who is still grieving his wife.It’s a really bad idea! But that’s what I like about “Shrinking.” It’s a show that talks about how grief isn’t linear. It’s about the messiness, the boundaries being blurred. That’s what’s fun about it. You don’t know what’s going to happen.You’ve spoken of being aware of the archetype of the Black therapist and wanting Gaby to complicate that.The Black therapist can be a watered-down version of the mammy — the Black nanny or housekeeper that’s around in a “Gone With the Wind” way that people just download emotions onto. One of the reasons I was so excited to do the show is because I had the opportunity to attack Gaby with specificity. Specificity kills tropes and stereotypes. Gaby, she sings Sugar Ray in the car! It’s about not putting Black actors and actresses in a box. It’s trusting us with our characters and allowing us to bloom on camera.Are you someone who can take the win? Can you enjoy the nomination?In general, I usually poke at the win and pick up the win, but I don’t want to do that with this. I just want to sit in it and let it settle. Try to let myself enjoy it.Are you going to do anything to celebrate?Picketing, which feels good. Then later, we’re going to go to my favorite bar that does extra dirty martinis.What would Gaby, the therapist, say to you right now?Holy schnikes! More

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      Alan Ruck on His First Emmy Nomination and Saving Connor Roy

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      As HBO’s media-dynasty drama “Succession” was wrapping up its final season, Alan Ruck, the actor who plays the oblivious and often ignored eldest son, Connor Roy, admitted that he had once felt so unsatisfied with his depth of material that he suggested to the show’s top brass that his character be killed off.He is certainly glad now that he was told no.While driving to the gym on Wednesday morning, Ruck got the news that he had earned his first Emmy nomination. The role, which gained significant bulk in Season 4, with a long-shot presidential campaign and a wedding on a boat that was eventful, to say the least, landed him in the best supporting actor in a drama category.In a phone interview after his nomination was announced, Ruck, who before “Succession” was best known for playing Cameron Frye in “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” said he was “buzzing” over the news. The conversation has been edited for clarity.How different was Season 4 for Connor from the early seasons in terms of screen time and material?Way back when I auditioned for [the “Succession” executive producer] Adam McKay to do this thing in 2016, the email from my agency said: “Connor Roy. Only child by the first marriage. Not in line to be C.E.O. of the company. This part will grow over time.” In the first seasons I had a few things to do, and then in the second season I had some inane Connor-isms, some interjections, but I didn’t actually have a one-on-one scene with anybody. Everyone was like, “This is the best show on TV,” and people didn’t even know I was on it. So I asked to be killed off, and they said, “No, no, no, we need you.” Mark Mylod [a “Succession” executive producer and director who was also nominated for an Emmy on Wednesday] wrote something funny about how Jeremy Piven’s character on “Entourage” was not supposed to be much at all and then it grew over time. And Connor did grow over time; it just kind of took until the end of the third season.How did you feel when you saw more substantial scenes for Connor in the Season 4 scripts? For example, there’s one in the karaoke room, where he betrays his siblings in support of his father. (He accuses them of being “needy love sponges” seeking Logan Roy’s approval.)These are the best writers I’ve ever worked with, and when I finally was given these chunks of beautiful stuff, I was just thrilled. I salivated.What was your experience shooting that karaoke room scene?I was just really satisfied as an actor that I got to stand up for myself. Because if someone tells you you’re a moron over and over, even if it’s just make believe, it gets under your skin.What are your predictions for Connor’s future, in terms of his career and his relationship? When the series ends — minor spoilers ahead — Connor is potentially up for the job of U.S. ambassador to Slovenia if Jeryd Mencken, the Republican nominee played by Justin Kirk, succeeds at becoming president.If Mencken is elected president and Connor goes over as ambassador, he will delegate all responsibility. He will show up for the handshaking and the state dinners and the events. He won’t last long in that job. And then since Willa was obviously hoping that he would be away for a stretch of time, I don’t have high hopes for that relationship.What are you looking at in terms of future roles?I’m looking forward to getting hired for roles that pay money. I’m an independent contractor. I think I’ll get a chance at some different things now, but I do want to continue to play people that are damaged. Because it’s pretty satisfying. When you play horrible people, you get to get all of that nasty [expletive] out at work. More

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      Daniel Radcliffe Has an Emmy Nod, But His Accordion Skills Are Fading

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      It was a typical morning for Daniel Radcliffe when he got a not-so-typical call: He’d been nominated for his first Emmy Award, for best lead actor in a limited or anthology series or movie, for his performance as the parodist Weird Al Yankovic in last year’s Roku biopic “Weird: The Al Yankovic Story.””It was a genuine surprise,” Radcliffe, 33, said in a call from his New York apartment, where he had just finished bouncing his newborn son, trying to lull him to sleep.The “Harry Potter” star has increasingly pivoted to more experimental roles, chief among them his starring turn in the kinda-sorta-not-actually-true biopic about the life of the music and comedy legend, which debuted on the streaming service in November.“I generally pick things because I know I’ll have a good time making them,” Radcliffe said. “Making this was one of the most special experiences of my career, and when the love you have for something is mirrored in the reaction to it, there are few feelings that are as good as that.”Radcliffe will soon begin performances on Broadway in a much-anticipated revival of Stephen Sondheim’s 1981 musical “Merrily We Roll Along.” In an interview, he discussed his affection for Weird Al, his favorite cameo from the film’s star-studded pool-party scene and why writers are so essential to making good film and TV. These are edited excerpts from the conversation.You were initially hesitant to take this role because you, objectively, look nothing like Weird Al. But was that ultimately part of the appeal?My first reaction was definitely that there were people who were physically a lot closer to his appearance. But when I read the script, by Page 2, I got a sense of the tone of the film and what they were trying to do. I was like, “I can play this version of Weird Al.” I kind of felt foolish for ever having assumed it would be a serious, straight-down-the-line biopic. A parody of biopics is the only thing a Weird Al biopic could ever be.What was the most challenging part?The whole film was shot in 18 days, and there were these big music and dance sequences, these big fight sequences. There was a lot to do and to learn, and it was mostly a question of not going into any day unprepared. There wasn’t room for any of us in either the cast or the crew to do that. The way Eric [Appel, the director] managed to make this film in such a short time was insane. I’m sure he was having to make compromises or cut or change things, but it never seemed like it.What was your favorite celebrity cameo from the pool-party scene?The teenage boy in me was freaking out that I was getting to do a scene with Jack Black. But I think the best celebrity impersonation in there is Jorma [Taccone] playing Pee-wee Herman. He can make me laugh like few other people can.What is the best song you can play on the accordion?It will remain the opening of “My Bologna.” Actually, I can probably play a little bit more of “I Love Rocky Road” — I can get all the way up to the solo. Well, I should say I could get that far; I haven’t been practicing as much in recent months, because I have a small child in the house now who we are trying to get to sleep rather than wake up to the sound of an accordion.What is your favorite Weird Al song?Probably “Bob,” the Bob Dylan parody, which is entirely made up of palindromes. It scratches at the super wordy nerd part of my brain.Are there any other nominees you’ll be rooting for from this season?Quinta Brunson from “Abbott Elementary,” who I got to work with a bunch of times. She’s the best. I will be cheering her on whatever she does. And — if there is an Emmys ceremony to go to — it’s nice that I will at least know her.Do you have any thoughts on the writers’ strike, or the possible actors’ strike?Nobody wants a strike to happen, but it is seeming more and more like it needs to. It’s important that we show solidarity with the writers, because no actors are as good at improvising as we think we are. I would be literally nowhere in my career were it not for writers. And with all the A.I. stuff, it seems like it potentially could be a really important moment. We might be one of the first industries to have a say on how this stuff works and affects us going forward.You’re in “Merrily” on Broadway for the foreseeable future, but what about after that? Do you want to do more TV? Film? Direct?Yes to all of that. Obviously “Merrily” will keep me busy for a while, but I’ll go wherever good scripts are. When I was growing up, there was much more of a perceived gap between film and TV, and that just doesn’t exist anymore, which is fantastic. You can go wherever good work is being made. More

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      Janelle James Reacts to Her Second Emmy Nomination for ‘Abbott Elementary’

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      To many television viewers, Janelle James has become synonymous with Ava Coleman, her bumbling but brashly confident elementary school principal in the hit ABC workplace comedy “Abbott Elementary.”The real-life James, a veteran comedian who for years slugged it out on stand-up stages around the country, isn’t so bumbling. But on Wednesday she had cause to be just as confident, after receiving her second Emmy nomination for playing Ava, her breakout role. She is familiar now with the choreography of the awards show: the campaigning, the events, the dressing up … the media interviews. “After the last Emmys, you kind of start getting ready for the next Emmys,” she said, joking. “But it’s still a huge deal.”Having recently woken up to several calls informing her of the nomination — once again for best supporting actress in a comedy — James discussed by phone the sitcom’s success, expanding her comedic persona and the personal growth of the delightfully self-aggrandizing comedic foil that is Ava. These are edited excerpts from the conversation.I’m going to ask you the question that I’m supposed to ask as a journalist: How did it feel to hear you were nominated? But if it’s not too early for some improv, would you mind answering as Ava, not as Janelle?This is expected. You know when I started the show at the school, I knew in my heart that this would be the outcome. Sure, it’s for the children, but I’m the glue that holds it all together. So for people to focus on me, you know, it’s all the better because then I can shift the focus, down the line, to the kids who really … deserve it.Thank you for humoring me. So — back as Janelle — tell me about your experience at last year’s Emmys.That was a wild experience for me. I had never been to the Emmys before and really did not understand what the whole process was. It was a totally new experience, and my best friend, Hadiyah Robinson, who I started in this business with, was next to me and we were truly just geeking out about seeing all of these famous people.Do you ever find yourself channeling Ava into your own life?Before this role, I remember being younger and more fabulous, pre-comedy, pre-standup and really making a conscious decision to downgrade in looks and fabulousness in order to maintain my sanity in a male-driven industry. I was doing the whole “comedian in a black T-shirt and jeans” thing. This role — the whole getting gussied up — has reminded me that I do like those things, and that is a part of me. I’m trying to bring that back.This show went quickly from being the new comedy on the block to being well entrenched in pop culture. How did that happen so fast?That’s great — that means we’re already part of the zeitgeist and the lexicon. People feel like they know us, and I feel like that’s the sign of a true sitcom: something that you watch with your family and something that feels like it’s been part of your life the whole time.What are your hopes for Ava in future seasons?Maybe more Ava outside of the school, what she does when she’s not working. We set up the fact that she’s interested in learning and maybe teaching down the line. I hope we continue down that path — Ava’s education reawakening. And more of the same. More high jinks, more lines, more laughter. More

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      Tony Gilroy Kept the Faith for ‘Andor.’ Its 8 Emmy Nods Are Affirmation.

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      Wednesday was a big day for the Galactic Empire. “Andor,” the Disney+ “Star Wars” prequel series that made its debut last fall, picked up eight Emmy nominations, including one in the best drama category.Over 12 episodes in its first season, the show follows Cassian Andor, the Rebel spy played by Diego Luna, who will eventually carry out the desperate act of espionage depicted in the 2016 film “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.” “Andor” has drawn acclaim for its focus on the interior lives of its characters and for homing in on the struggles of ordinary citizens. A second season of the show is forthcoming.The Emmy accolades offer a degree of vindication for the “Star Wars” executives at Disney who made a big and expensive bet on the series, and for the creator of “Andor,” Tony Gilroy, who helped write and oversee “Rogue One.”In an interview on Wednesday, Gilroy discussed the Emmy nods and how “Star Wars” has expanded on TV. These are edited excerpts from the conversation.We know that delving into the “Star Wars” universe comes with pressure. So how does it feel to rack up eight Emmy nominations today?Affirming. The past 10 months have just been such a pleasure. It’s such a huge show, but we made it so privately and quietly. When you make a “Star Wars” show or film, you can’t go out and do a lot of focus groups and a lot of testing. We really never had an audience, and the pressure to finish the show comes right down to the deadline. So really, the audience was our focus group. We really did not know what to expect as we came forward. And to end up here now with eight nominations, it’s just a gas.It’s also the payout on a really huge gamble that Disney took and that Lucasfilm took. This is not for the faint of heart, shows of this scale. And so good on them. I hope they’re happy with this result as well.“Obi-Wan Kenobi” also did well today. And “The Mandalorian” has been a success. What, if anything, does this tell you about transferring “Star Wars” stories from the big screen to TV?It’s economically challenging and its certainly emotionally and chronologically challenging to the creative team. But if you have a story that wants a larger canvas, that opportunity is now available. And there are a lot of stories that don’t want to fit into 120 pages or an hour and a half. It’s a very exciting time to be a storyteller if you can crack the formula of how to make it economically feasible.Some of the praise the show has drawn is for sort of giving us a look at ordinary people in an oppressive world. There is maybe a little less classic “Star Wars” and a little more focus on day-to-day life on distant planets. Was that intentional? Why go that direction?Those are the things that have always interested me. When Disney and Kathy Kennedy [the Lucasfilm president] came and proposed it, it was with that as a sort of genetic mandate for: Let’s go into the kitchen and get out of the dining room; let’s go to the back of the house. There are billions and billions of people that live in the galaxy. Why concentrate on the royal family and a dominant story that’s taken up all the oxygen so far? Why not see if we can’t take a deep dive into what it’s like to be at the ground level as a revolution is sweeping through?Did you have faith that “Star Wars” fans would be interested in that?I’ve been on this — in August it’ll be four years. My ability to believe and have confidence is not a constant. There have been times all the way through where I wondered if I’d made a terrible mess of my life or made the wrong commitment. It’s not like a film where you can sort of bandage yourself up and get through the experience if it’s not going well. This is a long-term commitment and the responsibility is enormous on every level.So I wish I could say that I had faith all the way through, but that would not be true. More

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      How Steven Soderbergh and Ed Solomon Straightened Out ‘Full Circle’

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      Their gripping new crime thriller for Max is loaded with twists and layers. But it is actually much simpler than what they originally conceived.The first time the director Steven Soderbergh and the screenwriter Ed Solomon worked together was on the murder mystery “Mosaic” (2017), which could be watched as a choose-your-own-adventure-style story using a smartphone app or as a six-episode HBO mini-series.“Mosaic” drew mixed reviews, but the two men learned a lot doing it. For their next collaboration — what eventually became the six-part series “Full Circle,” debuting Thursday on Max — they envisioned another show that would have two distinct, separately shot versions: one told in classic, linear fashion and another that would present the same events told from different perspectives and whose meaning changes depending on which path the viewer chooses.The idea was greenlighted in 2021, and Solomon started writing two versions that would tell the same story differently. Then last spring, reality hit.“When I got the schedule and I saw the number of days and the page count of just the linear, I was like, ‘This is physically impossible,’” Soderbergh said in a recent joint interview with Solomon. He added: “I had visions of ‘The Sorcerer’s Apprentice’ — that this was going to become a legendary folly.”Soderbergh decided to jettison the branching version. But then he had to tell Solomon, who had already written 175 pages of it in addition to the six linear episodes.“That was not a lunch that I was looking forward to,” Soderbergh said. It turned out, though, that Solomon already agreed with him. “It was just too much,” he said.There are few better ways to spend an afternoon than talking about film and television with these two men, who love making and watching stories. Soderberg’s résumé careens among blockbusters (“Ocean’s Eleven,” “Magic Mike”), daring oddities (“The Girlfriend Experience”) and the odd Liberace biopic (“Behind the Candelabra”). Solomon’s often has comic undertones, with films including “Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure” and “Men in Black.”Together, their efforts have had a decidedly noirish bent — sandwiched between their two series is the 1950s crime feature “No Sudden Move” (2021), for HBO Max. The premise of “Full Circle” follows suit, inspired by Akira Kurosawa’s suspenseful 1963 film “High and Low”: What if there were a kidnapping but the wrong child was taken?Even without branching, the story delivers plenty of twists and layers, toggling between two families in an unlikely entanglement: One is the Manhattan family of a celebrity chef played by Dennis Quaid (with Claire Danes as his shot-calling daughter and Timothy Olyphant as his son-in-law with a mysterious past); the other, led by a criminal matriarch (CCH Pounder), is rooted in a Guyanese community in Queens. In the middle stands a rogue Postal Service inspector played by Zazie Beetz (“Atlanta”).Timothy Olyphant and Claire Danes, right (with Lisa Janae), play a wealthy Manhattan couple who become entangled in a botched kidnapping of their son.Sarah Shatz/MaxCCH Pounder (with Phaldut Sharma) plays a crime boss based in Queens; she has mysterious historical links to the wealthy Manhattan family. Sarah Shatz/MaxSoderbergh and Solomon’s methods and history of close collaboration helped them turn on a dime and adapt the show as they went along.“Scenes were being rewritten, lines were being thrown in while we were doing it,” Phaldut Sharma, a Britain-based actor who plays Pounder’s right-hand man, said in a recent video call. “It was my first my first experience of doing a job in America and I thought this must be the norm, but members of the crew told me this is not really the way it normally goes.”Soderbergh, 60, and Solomon, 62, sat down for a lengthy chat at Soderbergh’s office, in the TriBeCa neighborhood of Lower Manhattan. These are edited excerpts from the conversation.Steven works famously fast, editing himself at the end of every day on a shoot. How does the writer factor in?ED SOLOMON Most weekends we would meet, usually on a Sunday. I would get a text: “Are you around?” Which meant “I’m going to be in the office for the afternoon.” [Laughs.] And we would just talk through: “Where’s this going? And what does that mean for what we’ve got?” We were constantly reassessing — the writing continues as the shooting starts, and it continues as the editing is happening. I really appreciate how fluid you are with that.STEVEN SODERBERGH It has to swing both ways. I can’t say to Ed, “Rethink this,” or, “Rejigger that,” without looking at my own work and going, “I’m throwing out stuff that I worked hard on trying to figure out and shooting.”SOLOMON Sometimes the show outgrows your original idea, which is part of what’s exciting.“Full Circle” relies more on detail than on back stories — Quaid’s character, Chef Jeff, has a ponytail that speaks volumes about his personality. Was there a deliberate effort to be lean?SODERBERGH There can be a tendency to spoon-feed the viewer about the back story of the characters before you’ve even really gotten into the story. That’s something that I resist as a viewer, and it’s something that I’ve tried to resist as a filmmaker. Most things that I see, both movies and television, are too long. My motto is, if it can be pulled out and it still works, it should be pulled out. I want this thing to be all marrow as much as possible.Dennis Quaid plays a celebrity chef whose empire has some unsavory ties.Sarah Shatz/MaxThe loose, sometimes shaggy atmosphere recalls the noir movies of the 1970s. Were they part of your influences?SODERBERGH I’m after a sort of discovered precision. I want the construction of something that’s been considered, but I want it to feel like it’s happening right in front of me for the first time. I was looking at “The French Connection,” the Sidney Lumet cop films from the ’70s, because I did want that kind of feeling.What draws you to noir?SODERBERGH It’s just a very cinematic form of storytelling. The conflicts are clear, they’re interesting. They inevitably lead to some burst of violence, either physical or emotional, because the pressure builds up in the clash between people’s dreams and desires, and reality, and shifting loyalties, mistrust, all of these things. It’s a very sexy genre to work in as a director.SOLOMON When people are hiding their truth from others, and then the circumstances pressurize them and they’re trying harder and harder to keep that from coming out — to me that’s an exciting place to write from.SODERBERGH Genre is just a great and efficient delivery system for ideas. It’s built to have a sort of superficial narrative layer and then this subterranean thematic space that you can put anything you’re interested in, and that’s what makes it fun.Zack Ryan’s score is interestingly jarring. Why did you set a gritty thriller to such lush music?SOLOMON We talked about Douglas Sirk at the very beginning.SODERBERGH I like the juxtaposition of that visual aesthetic and the sonic aesthetic of a ’50s melodrama. I didn’t want a hip, trendy score — I wanted something very classical and emotional. Which is not typical for me, to be this in your face or in your ears with the music, trying to enhance the emotional state of the character you’re watching.SOLOMON I never told you this: I had a theory that the score was doing the work that the original branching narrative was going to do, which was all about inner life and people’s emotional experience, while this other crime story was going on.It’s always a risk when form and content don’t gel.SODERBERGH I’ve seen extremely skilled filmmakers whose style is so developed and so detailed, you can feel the intelligence and the work. It exposes the fact that the script they’ve shot isn’t as good at its job as they are at their job. Your talent has to match your ambition — you need both, but if they’re out of whack, it’s not going to happen for you. I’ve seen talented people who are not ambitious enough. We see many more people who are more ambitious than they are talented. The universe eventually tends to catch up with them.Too much back story is “something that I resist as a viewer,” said Soderbergh (right, with Solomon, middle, and Olyphant). “And it’s something that I’ve tried to resist as a filmmaker.” Sarah ShatzDo you feel the writers’ strike is making people think harder about how movies and TV are made? Are you reflecting on the way you create?SODERBERGH It’s something I think about a lot. My entire career has been a test of my ability to improve and optimize my work process, which is about getting to the best version of something as quickly as possible with the least amount of drama and ego. I don’t feel that the work we’re doing is necessarily important with a capital I, but it’s also not meaningless. I want to be in that space of taking it as seriously as it needs to be taken to be good. Because if you take it too seriously, it tips over into indulgence, and that’s not what I want.SOLOMON I think art made by human beings has a feel that cannot be replicated. The problem is, the people making decisions on the highest level that are all about bottom line and “How can I get rid of as many human beings as possible?” don’t have the ability to judge what is good art and not good art. My fear is, if we don’t draw a line in the sand now, we’re going to continue to a place where a lot of people are out of work.What keeps you on your toes?SODERBERGH I need a pocket of fear to keep me alert.Where was that pocket on “Full Circle”?SODERBERGH The complexity of the story, of the schedule. You need that sense that this could go sideways if I don’t execute at the best of my ability. You’ve got to find this balance of being self-critical without being paralyzed. You have to make decisions but you’ve also got to be willing to say to yourself: “That can be better. It has to be better.”SOLOMON I want to be a better writer on the other end of it. I want to know that I will have learned a lot about myself, about this project. I will push myself to a degree that when I come out the other end of it, I’m moving forward, I’ve learned stuff. More