DATE : 13TH OF FEBRUARY 2021
M. Night Shyamalan is the guy behind Unbreakable, Sixth Sense and recently known for creating his own Cinematic Universe with Split and Glass. M. Night has received a lot of success on the silver screen and he hopes to achieve the same on the TV format. We recently spoke to M. Night Shyamalan on the occasion of his Apple TV Series The Servant’s Season 2 and he was kind enough to let us know what can we expect!
Q. First question is without giving anything away, what can viewers expect in season two?
M. Night Shyamalan: Season two, yeah, is about the cult. We learn that there is a cult here, involved with Leanne at the end of season one, and my aspiration for season two was that we get to learn more and more and more about this cult and their involvement. And it’s scary and weird, and who is Leanne, and what-why-what do they do in this cult? Uh, and so it’s been fun to shift the story in that direction while still keeping our family afloat.
Q. Why do you think viewers are still drawn to Servant?
M. Night Shyamalan: I think it’s a very unique show. I think its format of the 30-minute thriller, I think it all staying in one location gives it this kind of slow ticking clock quality of a play. It’s very different than anything else. We try very hard to make its very cinematic, both in its production design and the costumes, the way we light it. We try to do, uh, things that we would do normally in film so that it has this kind of resonance to it. Uh, you can feel that detail in it. And we’re telling a very unique and weird tonal story that’s shocking and moving and hopefully very funny at times.
Q. Can you talk about your process of hiring directors for this season, including your daughter?
M. Night Shyamalan: Well, one of the great aspects of doing a show for me has been a-being able to collaborate with other filmmakers, which is not normally… I don’t-I live in Philadelphia. I make films once every two years. I don’t really have that kind of fraternity. Um, what I’ve been so excited about doing is finding filmmakers around the world that whose film I see, either at a film festival, or sent to me, or they submit it to me, or I just happen upon them where someone says hey, have you seen that movie from that country? And I watch it and then I go wow, they would be great. And I call them up, and I say hey, I love your movie. I love this, this, and this about it. Would you come and direct an episode of Servant?
And what we’ve ended up happening in the second season is we have 10 episodes, seven of them were directed by women, and all of the directors were immigrants, except for my daughter. And my daughter directed, uh, two of the episodes, which is, obviously, a very, incredible moment for me to see her join this field. She’s been directing and writing forever, and obviously she’s grown up on movie sets, and then went to film school and done the shorts and the music videos and all that stuff. And she came in, and I know she was very scared, but she did nail it when she came in.
Um, and what I do with each of the directors is I try to cast them. Try to put them with the episode that best fits, uh, the things that I think that celebrate them. And so, it’s just been a wonderful year, and this show has given me the opportunity to give people a voice, uh, to be themselves, and in this format, and I get to learn from their different strengths, uh, so it’s just been fantastic.
Q. In season one and season two, some characters cannot seem to accept change. Do you think this is something that people have always struggled with? And why did you choose to showcase this?
M. Night Shyamalan: Well, it’s something I struggle with. You you know, and I think most people struggle with this idea of change, and this family that’s refusing to have a conversation about what happened, refusing to mourn, uh, is refusing to change. And it’s super scary, and I totally relate to it, and I think viewers relate to it. I’ll do anything but accept that things have changed. And that’s a poignant thing, ‘cause inevitably it’s gonna catch up with them.
Q. And lastly, what originally attracted you to this story that made you feel compelled to be involved with this project?
M. Night Shyamalan: I think Servant when it came to me had a group of characteristics that made it just impossible for me to say no. It was in one location, it was a 30-minute thriller, it had very dark humor to it that I love very much. It had a concept that I thought was powerful and potentially supernatural but very, very moving. Uh, a-the idea of woman who’s lost a child and is-and thinks this doll is her child is so twisted and bizarre and sad, and, um, I felt like I needed to know what happened to her, and I think that being compelled to find out what happens to her is what’s happening to the audience and why audiences are so addicted to the show.
The Movie Culture Synopsis
A very pleasant guy with lots to talk about. His films have been a work of art and they always leave us clueless with a massive plot twist in the end. I see you Glass.
M. Night Shyamalan is doing something extraordinary with The Servant and it’ll be interesting to meet a similar plot twist to his movies in this show.
His words on reflecting change as a central theme in the show is something to ponder upon.
Servant is an Apple TV+ Original found on their space.
