MishaGreen36 • SHAPING
CINEMATIC WORLDSBY JURNEE SMOLLETTMisha Green is like a mad
scientist—uncompromising and
innovative, driven by a radical
curiosity and the knowledge that
her wild and vast imagination
can disrupt the status quo. I’ve
been fortunate to collaborate
with her on both of the TV shows
she’s created: HBO’s Golden
Globe–nominated supernatural
series Lovecraft Country and, prior
to that, the critically acclaimed
historical drama Underground.
Misha’s projects are birthed from
a source deep within her; thus
she fi ghts tooth and nail to make
sure no one tames her vision. As
her collaborators, we are invited
to be as creative and as bold as
possible.
Committed to disrupting the
patriarchal and white-supremacist
narratives that audiences have
historically been spoon-fed,
Misha is on the front lines of
change within our industry. She
stands in opposition to the old
guard simply by contributing to
the normalization of Black stories
onscreen—which, sadly, is still
a radical undertaking. In an
industry where about 89% of TV
creators are white and 72% are
male, I’ve witnessed fi rsthand
how Misha’s very existence is a
radical act. The way she’s used
the art of storytelling to illuminate
the humanity of Black folks has
been nothing less than magical. I
know she has decades’ worth of
disruptive magic in front of her.Smollett is an actor who stars in
Lovecraft CountryGREEN: ILLUSTRATION BY ALEXIS FRANKLIN FOR TIMEPHOTOGRAPH BY NOLIS ANDERSON