Supacell is Netflix’s latest unmissable drama, following the lives of a group of South Londoners who suddenly develop superpowers.
In a recent episode of Seasoned Sessions, we had the chance to sit down with two of the great minds behind the show – creator Rapman, and Tosin Cole, who plays Michael – to discuss all things Supacell. Here's some of our chat!
A superhero-esque show is always on people's minds, but this is quite special. What was the inspiration that brought it to life?
Rapman: Yeah. For me, I'm a big fan of the superhero stuff. I've been watching Marvel and DC. I used to collect X-Men cards. I was slightly a nerd, secretly, when I was younger for things like that. The only thing is, with it, I never saw a show that I really believed there was world that I could live in. So, I always wanted to see powers in the real world. And I think shows got close. Shows like Heroes, Misfits made me think, “I'll see where they're going”. But it wasn't me, the world that I lived in – how would that look like with powers in it, growing up in South London and all of that? So, I suppose it always sat in the back of my head. But at that time, I didn't know how to bring it to the screen. And obviously, as my creative journey grew and I got opportunities, I was like, this is what I want to do next. And I don't even call it a superhero show. It's more like normal people with powers.. But it was always a passion because I'm a massive fan of just the super-powered superhero genre.
At what point did the sickle cell part come into it?
Rapman: From early on. So, it formed in lockdown when the George Floyd stuff was going on. I remember when everyone was protesting, and I just felt like everyone was trying to do their best to do something for the injustice, and I just remember thinking, “What can I do?” Like, man, go down to Trafalgar Square, have a picket sign, or do something. And in them days, I didn't know how TV worked.
I'd think, okay, I want to write this show now. I wanted the show to come out at the end of the year, as my tribute. Four years later, obviously, I didn't know it took so long. But I just wanted to do something that empowered Black people at the time, because we were just down in the dumps, man. We were already in lockdown, and the George Floyd thing, it just hit differently than all the others. It was just like the straw that brought the camels back. You know the one that was just a cherry on top? We had enough. So, I started off wanting something that empowered us. With sickle cell... I never understood something that only hurts black people. So I said, “how can I make this something that can switch it around?” Like, “if I have to suffer as a parent with this illness, I'm ready to take it if my kid becomes extraordinary”.
I made the title years ago, and that was one thing that never got pushed back. Netflix loved it from the jump. They just loved the whole sickle cell, supercell comparison, and it just stuck forever.
Sickle cell is obviously such an awful condition that has such a negative impact on most people's lives – it’s so interesting to see it presented with a positive spin.
Rapman: Yeah, that's why I wanted to get a bonus. Living with sickle cell is hard, but if it means your child becomes super, that’s a win. So, I was wanting something to boost people up, and the biggest thing was to raise awareness. Even when I was doing it, a lot of people on the show had never heard of it before, so that was crazy to me. So, I was like, you know what, this is going to start the conversation again with people.
So Tosin, when you got the script and you saw the idea, what drew you to it?
Tosin: The characters and all the individual stories. As you start reading and you start turning the page and you start seeing this character and their relationships and the other characters and their relationships, you're like, you know a Rodney. You know a Sabrina. You know a Charlene. You know an Andre. So, it's like, you know all these people and all the kind of situations they're kind of going through and you're just invested, you know what I mean? And I was like, yeah, I can see this kind of happening. And I just wanted to be a part of it and tell the story. And I'm from South London as well, so it's only right!
Speaking of which, you’ve had a mix of American and British roles. What are the biggest differences you see working in the US compared to the UK?
Tosin: Funny thing. Prior to Supacell, I hadn't used my own original accent in years. Even if you're watching Doctor Who, I'm from Yorkshire.
I think the main difference is, in America, for the most part, there's more variety in terms of what roles get offered in the scale of things, you know what I'm saying? I think over in the UK, there's stuff there, but it's limited almost. There's not as much opportunity to kind of showcase different roles. So, for doing something like this in South London on this scale with the imagination that Raps has had, it's just like a no-brainer. I mean, not a no-brainer. It took me a while to kind of figure it out. I just wanted to be a part of it. But, yeah I'm happy I made my decision, I think it's really good.
Another part of the series obviously plays on conspiracy theories that we've heard in the past. So, what conspiracy theories do you believe in?
Rapman: That's a rabbit hole, you know. I'm always deep in there. Honestly, I'm the type of person that I don't dismiss anything 100%. Because I don't know. So, if you were to sit here and tell me this, this and this, I can never say “you're lying. I don't believe.” I don't know – I can't say no, and I can't say yes because I haven't seen proof. Someone's looking at something somewhere. But when you watch the show and you can see that they're being watched, there's no way in this world where someone in South London gets powers and they’re not hitting somebody's radar. So, for me, I believe in that.
Well, speaking of conspiracy theories, do you guys remember Negro Solstice Day? If you don’t remember, a while back somebody tweeted that on December 21st, all Black people would get superpowers.
Rapman: I do remember Black people getting ready to get superpowers on a certain day. I remember hearing that! I was like a year into writing Supacell and I got that link and I was like, “are people going to connect this to that when it comes out?”
If you were to get powers, firstly, what powers would you want to get? And then also, what would be the first thing that you would do?
Rap Man: I want Michael's powers, that's why I wrote him! Those are the powers that I think are the most important for me. Like, I want to be able to get from here to there, here to there, here to there, here to there. I don't like travelling, but I like going places. I don't like being late, but I tend to be late the odd time. If I need to be somewhere, I'm there. And I love the whole freezing as well. Honestly, the powers I wrote for his character, are the most convenient, to me. Like, you can do anything with that. If I was a crook, which I am not, or never have been – that's a nice disclaimer there – I could just freeze the bank and walk in and take some money. There's just so many things you can do with that power. We might be leaking a bit of season two right now.
But in general, his power, to me, it can cause the most damage. To be honest, that's why the most level-headed character out of the whole five, I suppose the nicest person on paper, at the moment, got the most powerful powers.
So with great power comes great responsibility, but why can people just get powers and vibe?
Rapman: That's the thing with our characters – none of them are trying to save the world. They are vibing, but they've got issues. They're trying to save their own world, so none of them are really trying to stop bridges from falling or nothing. They're not really heroes at all. And I feel like Supercell shows what normal people would do if they actually got powers, instead of getting spandex and the capes.
So how do you think people are going to react to the series and what are you expecting the conversation to be?
Rapman: Well, if they know anything about good storytelling, then, you know, they're going to like it! But you just never know.
Tosin: I think we've got a bit of everything for everyone. Yeah, yeah. I'm very confident with the show.
Rapman: I want everyone to love it, but I made a show that I love. You know what I'm saying? I made something that I would watch and feel like it's entertaining. So, I want the world to take it in. And I think exactly what Tosin said, there's something on the menu for everyone. If anyone watches it from one to six, if you give it a proper chance, I find it very hard to believe that you won’t find something about it that you enjoy.