“ Empire ” was the biggest thing on television last season, and
the production has literally grown for season 2. The set in
Chicago, built in a cavernous studio occupying a former steel mill,
features new additions like a lighted tunnel leading into the club
Leviticus, designed for entrance scenes worthy of a ‘90s rap video.
Being a ratings freak of nature—a show that grew its audience
every week—brings other perks, too. Super-producers jumped in to
contribute music (Ne-Yo, Swizz Beatz), celebrities lined up as
guest stars (Chris Rock, Pitbull, Alicia Keys, Lenny Kravitz), and
the costumes have gotten fancier (read on for Gabourey Sidibe’s
feelings about her new wig).
On a recent visit to the “Empire” set, we hunkered down near a
bar of fake booze in Leviticus to talk with cast members (minus
Terrence Howard, unfortunately , who wasn’t present) about
what to expect from season 2, premiering Wednesday on Fox.
Edited from interviews.
Taraji P. Henson (Cookie Lyon)
“You’ll see Cookie develop a strong relationship with her other
sons, Andre and Hakeem. And maybe another love interest.
I did have a sit-down with the writers. That’s what makes the
show so great—they consider the fact that I live with Cookie, so
I know her probably best. We needed to see what happened to
her in prison, so you’ll see flashbacks to her time there.
When you first met Cookie, she had come out of jail and was a
bit stuck in a fashion time warp. She was 17 years behind the
curve. So you’ll see that she has caught up–and she has money.
In this industry I have been told not to expect much from black
projects. But I always knew you were lying to me, Hollywood! I
just don’t want to see the rise and fall of “Empire.” We have a
[group text message] thread that we use to check on each other.
I’m always checking on my boys [actors Jussie Smollet and
Bryshere Gray] to make sure they’re good. That they’re not
spending money!”
Jussie Smollet (middle son Jamal Lyon)
“Jamal is dealing with a new problem: You have the money, you
have the fame, but are you successful? Because in actuality, he was
probably more successful in life when he was singing for cookies
and cakes. He’s losing himself, and becoming who he didn’t want
to be. But I hope he comes back to center when the dust settles.”
Bryshere “Yazz” Gray (youngest son Hakeem
Lyon)
“Hakeem is not fond of his brother Jamal, but he and Cookie are
getting along—it’s like Team Cookie-Hakeem now. He really
hates Lucious, but he’s okay with Andre.”
Trai Byers (eldest son Andre Lyon)
“This season, the show is a lot more sophisticated–and I use
that term loosely. Not that it was ever checkers, but season 2 is
truly a game of chess. It’s not as explosive as last season. It’s
asking the audience to use their eyes and ears, and go along on a
real life journey. There’s a lot of shifts in identity this season, but
that’s true to life. We made an effort to make the characters as
three-dimensional as possible, to give viewers [a version of] their
father, their sister, their uncle, themselves, what they’re going
through.”
Gabourey Sidibe (Becky, a former assistant
at Empire Entertainment)
“We definitely have more stuff. When you’re a hit show you can
say, “I need a $5,000 wig.” They needed to put more coins in to
give me a better wig. People tweeted me about that. There was a
whole rumor last year that [series co-creator] Lee Daniels had
fired me because people didn’t like my clothes or my hair. The
blonde wig was his idea! Becky was originally written as, it said in
the script, “a boyish, petite white girl.” Sorry!
At the end of last season Hakeem asked her, “What black girl is
named Becky?” and she said, “My mom’s white.” I don’t know if
she was joking. Her mom could be white—she could be adopted
or genuinely biracial—or she could have been kidding. I’ve asked
the writers, but nobody answers me.
In season 2, Becky is no longer an assistant. Now she’s head of
A&R, so instead of getting people tea and answering phone calls,
she’s handling artists and music.
Our wardrobe designer Paolo [Nieddu] modeled each character
on a figure from media. Jamal is a young Lenny Kravitz. Becky is a
young Oprah, so she has cute tops and gorgeous dresses. Now that
we’re in on the plan, it’s easier to see the evolution of our style.”
Ta’Rhonda Jones (Porsha, Cookie’s
assistant)
You’re going to enjoy Porsha’s hair.
Also, I’m a rapper, so I said to the casting director, Claire
[Simon], who is really close to Lee Daniels, “Maybe you can talk
to him about me doing my music on the show? I think it’s time.”
Slowly in the script, you can see that Porsha is bringing her own
music to Cookie’s attention.
Seraya (Tiana, a young singer on the Empire
roster)
Tiana is a lot more comfortable with her position at the label,
and that’s going to be tested, because there’s a lot of new singers
and groups coming along.
Kaitlin Doubleday (Rhonda Lyon, Andre’s
wife)
Last season, there was that tension on the set with everyone
wondering, are people even going to like this soap opera about a
black family that’s a musical? Now we know.
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