JONATHAN MAJORS IS ATTICUS FREEMAN
How would you describe the ideas behind Lovecraft Country?
I would explain it by saying, “Let’s talk about Jordan Peele. Let’s talk about JJ Abrams. Let’s talk about Ray Bradbury. Let’s talk about Stephen King.” This is a show that’s steeped in science fiction.
What attracted you to the project in the first place?
This show is hella entertaining, man! The script immediately caught my attention. I was on the edge of my seat reading it. I was hooked.
How hands-on was Jordan Peele?
Jordan sent his troops. He sent his lieutenant from his production company, Monkeypaw Productions. One thing I noticed about Monkeypaw is that there is such a clean spine in all their work. Their ideology and culture is clear in all their projects – and Jordan spearheads that.
How much are you a fan of the horror genre?
Before Lovecraft Country, I was a bit of a horror novice. I read Goosebumps when I was a kid and I watched some Stephen King movies. I remember watching the original film version of IT with my brother and sister – and my grandma was laughing her ass off because we were terrified!
I recently watched Pet Sematary and also Candyman. And I recently got hip to The People Under The Stairs. Now I love horror.
What did you know about HP Lovecraft?
To be honest, I didn’t know anything about HP Lovecraft before this. HP Lovecraft was a horrendous racist. On top of that, he had one of the most delicate, intricate minds when it came to sci-fi and creations. When I say creations… he has a poem called “The Creation Of N ***** s”, which is featured in the show. It’s an entire poem about my entire race and how we came to be. It’s a grotesque, immoral, inhumane example of his creations.