Raise your hand if you are a Cloak and Dagger fan! During the Ant-Man and The Wasp Event, I was not only able to screen episode 5 of Cloak and Dagger (premiering tonight on Freeform) but I was also given the opportunity to interview executive producer, Joe Pokaski and Marvel Studios VP of original programming, Tom Lieber. Plus stars of the show, Miles Mussenden and Andrea Roth. They were all excited to talk about the show and share what they were able to on what we can expect the rest of the season.
Ready for an exclusive look inside Marvel's Cloak and Dagger?
I was invited by Disney and Marvel to attend the Ant-Man and The Wasp press trip. All opinions are my own.
Exclusive Look Inside Marvel's Cloak and Dagger
Cloak and Dagger is originally set in New York. When they were shopping for locations for the show adaptation, New Orleans just felt like home. Having visited New Orleans myself, I completely agree.
Joe: I always joke, but I'm kinda serious, that New York is very well protected. They have way too many superheroes. (Laughter). We got to New Orleans, and something felt very Cloak and Dagger about it. We brought on some writers who are very familiar with New Orleans, so we were able to dig into things like Vodun and really understand the religion, the connection between West Indies and African religions, with Christianity and the Mardi Gras Indians. The more we learned about New Orleans, the more we were surprised Cloak and Dagger weren't there the whole time.
This show does not shy away from tough subjects facing teens and adults alike. It was important to Joe Pokaski to be intentional about his writers and entire staff. It was crucial to everyone involved that multiple perspectives were considered.
Tom: Looking at the Marvel IP, the comic books are used as a prism to make commentary. From day one, Joe was not afraid of diving right into issues. He put together a well-balanced writers' room, in terms of gender and ethnicity. He put together an incredible team of directors, also very balanced. Joe really wanted the right people in place, with differing perspectives, so we could tackle things like that and do it in a responsible way.
Joe: Marvel has been very supportive in that. Probably the first important hiring decision we made was our director- Gina Prince-Bythewood. She read the script and helped me refine it and really understand the characters better both from a female perspective and an African-American perspective.
The storylines are important, not only Tandy and Tyrone's story but also Melissa and Otis'. Although this show is ultimately about superheroes, there is a lot of realness to it that appeals to the audience.
Joe: I grew up with 3 sisters, and was witness to many versions of the mother/daughter dynamic. Someone told me the hardest two points in a woman's life is when she turns 16 and when her daughter turns 16. That was the basis of the Tandy/Melissa relationship. Without spoiling too much, the mother's arc is one of the most secretly heroic.
Andrea: It's not that I'm just showing up to work, saying a few lines, and then I leave. It is complex and interesting work. This show has something for everyone. It isn't just a young adult show. I think it is because of the writing.
Miles: The thing to me that is so compelling is that, these are real things. Even though it is superheroes, these are real things people go through. Things that I think about as a father. To bring that and show it in a real way is just tremendous.
Cloak and Dagger feels more gritty than typical network TV Marvel shows. And that is something that is intentional.
Joe: Cloak and Dagger is one of the first original pilots I ever wrote, about 5 years ago. Both FreeForm and Marvel were happy with us breaking the mold a little bit. We tried to have a very different look and feel with our shooting style.
Cloak and Dagger crossovers are not to be ruled out!
Joe: If I had my way, yes. I've sat next to Josh Schwartz (writer and producer of Marvel's Runaways) and said “in season 3 we can all get together right?” (Laughs) Cloak and Dagger, at least in the comic book version, are the ultimate crossover characters. They show up in any book and you are pleasantly surprised. Hopefully, Aubrey and Olivia will be welcomed into places and we will let them go.
The show has done a wonderful job building up the stories of Tyrone and Tandy. We are learning more and more about them each week. But lets be honest, I'm ready for the costumes. Aren't you? Here is what Joe has to say when asked if we would be seeing them anytime soon.
Joe: We have seen a little hint of a costume in episode 4. We are going to stay away from the weird, sexist slit all the way down (Tandy's costume). We're focusing on characters as much as possible in the beginning.
Week to week I am loving the music in Cloak and Dagger. It propels the scenes and just seems made for the show. The music selection process is pretty intense.
Melissa: They let me pick. (Laughter)
Tom: Her Spotify is lit. (Laughter)
Joe: I've always been into music. We brought a lot of that team over from Underground. Jonathan Christiansen is our music supervisor and he is amazing. I'll say “we want something like this Rihanna song which we can never afford.” (Laughs) And he'll think outside the box.
I probably listen to 100 songs for every spot. It's amazing how the music lifts up the footage and vice versa.
Miles and Andrea are both parents in real life. Trust me, they are not like their TV counterparts Otis and Melissa! What is it like parenting teens on TV? And did Cloak and Dagger teach them anything about themselves as parents?
Andrea: I have an 8 year old, so it's obviously very different. Except the love, the fierce protectiveness, the daily questioning of our actions. I'm having a fabulous time with Olivia. It's actually really easy for me.
Joe: It's probably easy because you can walk away from it. (Laughter) Parenting in real life is a 25 hour a day job.
Miles: I learned a long time ago not to be controlling. And now, you've got to pay attention to your children in a different kind of way. You need to listen to the things that are unsaid.
Andrea: Ease off the booze and drugs! (Laughter)
Otis and Melissa have struggled as parents since the beginning of the show. Some of us are hoping for a redemption of Melissa and an opening-up of Miles. Is that something we can look forward to this season?
Andrea: Because I never know what we can say, (Laughs), Joe?
Joe: Both. I think there is going to be a little redemption in this season but I actually feel like there is a bit more of a climb we will explore in the second season if we are lucky enough to get one.
Miles: (On Tyrone's family) There is some level of PTSD there. You have these things that happen in families, and they never go away, something is under the rug. The parents are struggling to deal with it. I don't know if I can say where we are going with it, but there is definitely something there that we need to work out.
Despite the dark and serious subject matter of the show, there are moments of lightheartedness on the set. After particularly emotional scenes, Andrea shared that she and Olivia give each other hugs.
Andrea: I couldn't adore a child who isn't mine more.
If you know anything about Marvel it is to look for hidden messages and Easter eggs throughout everything. After seeing Joe tweet on different occasions about watching out for things like dolls on the mantle and debris on the street, I had to know if this is something we can expect in each episode.
Joe: Absolutely! That's the fun of Marvel.
{He then refers to how episode 5 starts and ends as an example. It is something that is mentioned in episode 3 #Nospoilers}
The beauty of doing 10 episodes is you get to lay in a lot of that nonsense, that really smart people like yourselves will figure out. I think that is part of the fun, laying in things that make it rewarding to the viewer.
Pay attention to episode 8. Which I think is kinda part 2 to our pilot. It's an emotional origin story for a lot of our characters.
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