And he was like, ‘I should have listened,'" Jerome tells EW.
The title of the email was “13-Foot Tall Black Man from Oakland.”
About a week later, they met for breakfast and Riley pitched him the entire idea.
Jharrel Jerome in ‘I’m a Virgo’.Prime Video
And he was like, ‘I should have listened,'" Jerome recalls.
“I thought that was hilarious.
So that’s pretty much what it was like.
Jharrel Jerome in ‘I’m a Virgo’.Prime Video
It was very tense.
So can you tell me about how they made you seem 13 feet tall?
So they definitely pulled some magic.
Jharrel Jerome in ‘I’m a Virgo’.Prime Video
Boots came up with a really creative idea to shoot forced perspective.
So at no point during shooting were any of the actors actually looking at each other.
We were all just pulling tricks the whole time.
And then we also used miniature sets and designed miniature rooms and even the restaurant, lowering the ceilings.
So it was really all me playing on a small size set, so I felt gigantic.
How did that feel, acting without other actors around?
It was definitely a challenge, definitely one of the biggest challenges I faced on set, technically speaking.
So did you talk to Boots about his inspiration behind this character and the story?
Yeah, I did early on before I started to dive into Cootie’s mind and design stuff myself.
So once he told me that, I felt it was a lot more personal.
So how did you get into that?
How’d you play that?
I laugh at that.
I’m like, “No, I didn’t talk to anybody who’s tall.”
Just to me, Cootie wakes up every day and he’s used to being 13-feet tall.
That’s his life.
So he doesn’t wake up and look in the mirror and gasp at how big he is.
He’s so used to it.
So for me it was thinking about who he is on the inside.
And it’s a child.
It’s someone who’s incredibly naive.
Someone who’s naive but intelligent at the same time.
Cootie was just kept inside.
How do I make my face?
How do I flirt?
How do I keep friends?
How do I act cool?
How do I act normal?
I am making friends.”
He’s actually very excited to be there.
He just doesn’t know exactly how to be there.
Now, is this a limited series or is it going to be more than one season?
More than one season is the plan.
Do you know how many seasons are planned?
No, I do not know, but hopefully seven million.
No, I’m just kidding.
That would be crazy.
So not sure how long the show will last, but I know that it won’t end here.
What are you most excited for people to see with this show?
Or is there a message that you hope they take away from it?
I think that’s what madeSorry To Bother Youso special.
And I think that’s what’s going to makeVirgospecial, too.
But ultimately I hope people take away a lot of things.
I can’t even name one.
And that’s a topic that doesn’t really get addressed in fun ways, honestly.
I don’t want to take time to understand the system.
I’m already kind of set in."
So it’s almost like getting to the root of the problem.
I think Boots is able to create incredible multi-dimensional characters that we haven’t seen before.
And to see them get occupied by strong Black talent, I think it inspires a consumerist change.
And then every tall person feels loved after seeing this.
All episodes ofI’m a Virgopremiere on June 23 on Prime Video.
