Kate Herron had not directed any major movie or show, except four episodes of Netflix's Sex Education. But thanks to her persistent efforts and passionate yet clear blueprint of what a show on Marvel character Loki would look like, she was roped in as the sole director and executive producer on the new series.
In an exclusive interview, Herron discusses what she brought to the already well-established world of Loki, how her identity as a woman filmmaker contributed to the lead character's gender fluidity, and mixing polar-opposite genres to construct a unique world for the God of Mischief.
Edited excerpts below:
In the very first episode, we see the otherwise dominant Loki lose control and the God of Mischief becoming a victim of mischief himself. What do you aim to achieve with this break in character?
This is the Loki from The Avengers. He's not the Loki who died in Avengers: Infinity War. That itself was very interesting. He was supposed to go to Asgard as a prisoner but he goes on the path that we see in the movies. But in the show, he doesn't go there. So it was interesting to take the Loki from way earlier in his past and place him in a bureaucratic place of order, and see how he'd react to that.
For me, as the show unfolds, it's really about identity. Can Loki move away from his past deeds? Is there room for growth and improvement? What we all love about Loki is the grey area he operates in. We really don't know which way he'd go. So the show is really about him finding his identity, but wrapped in this fun sci-fi mystery adventure.
The Time Variance Authority (TVA) is introduced as a course-correction authority. But is it also not Marvel in disguise plucking Loki out of a familiar zone and dumping him into a universe without magic and power? (Hell, the Infinity Stones are used as paperweights here!) Is it not a detention camp where Loki is forced to confront his inner demons, both literally and metaphorically?
That's the really interesting thing about the TVA. Loki is really powerful. But his power is null in the TVA. I remember when I read the first script, when Loki opened the drawer to find the Infinity Stones there, it really blew my mind! But then it hits you that whatever has happened in the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe) so far is great but we have a new space here. TVA is the new power one has to contend with. I think there's a lot to dig into there. Loki can't defend himself physically there so now, he must look himself in the eye, and decide which path he wants to go down.
The need to deal with trauma and dilemma is in line with the other two Marvel shows that have released so far — WandaVision and Falcon and the Winter Soldier. While those characters do come with significant emotional baggage, was it a risk to paint a fun and mischievous character like Loki with the same brush?
Honestly, Loki is a character that's so interesting to explore identity with. Tom (Hiddleston) always talks about Loki's personality as the keys on the piano. There are so many keys that haven't been explored because in the movies, he's only had 79 minutes of footage. Whereas in our show, it's six hours. We're joining a Loki that's very broken. There's a lot of healing that has to take place. For me, it's a very rich character to study.
While Hiddleston, head writer Michael Waldron, and chief creative producer Kevin Feige have all been associated with Loki for years, you brought a fresh perspective, coming from projects like Sex Education. What do you think is your imprint on this show?
I came in with a strong idea of the style and look of the show. It was a very collaborative process so I fed a lot into the story and characters. But you know, in Sex Education, everyone wears their heart on the sleeve.
I feel that in a lot of big genre films, you must care for the characters. The emotions need to feel grounded and real. There's a lot of heart in our show, which I tend to bring.
You are the first woman director of a Marvel show. How did that factor into the depiction of a gender-fluid character like Loki?
Firstly, on Loki being gender-fluid, it was important to acknowledge that. It's canon in the comic and the Norse mythology. And it wasn't a canon in the MCU yet.
As a female director, I'm sure people will notice certain traits in my filmmaking. But I'm not conscious of them myself. I'm just really proud to be directing this show. I hope there'll be a point where it won't be an unusual thing for female filmmakers to direct such projects. But I'm in such good company! There's Cate Shortland (Black Widow), Chloe Zhao (The Eternals), and Nia DaCosta (The Marvels). So many women just bossing it in Marvel. And beyond that obviously, there are so many other women writers and filmmakers rising up. I was really excited for the challenge, and to just show people what I could do.
Did you make any tweaks in the tonality of the show after the shoot got halted because of the pandemic last year. Are you likely to do that again based on the reception of the pilot that released last week?
I'd say there were little details that actors were doing that we thought we should bring up again as character traits later in the show. Both Michael and me have comedy backgrounds. Loki is a funny show but we had to ensure that the drama and the heart also come through in the show. So we had to keep an eye on that balance. It's like any filmmaking project. You film everything and you start editing. In the process, you rediscover the film. But we were stopped halfway because of the pandemic so I had this unique opportunity to go in with a back point already and see if there are any changes I had to make that could inform the tone. Even the music was one of them. Natalie Ann Holt's score gave me ideas about how I could shoot certain scenes. Inputs like that helped me steer the show in a particular direction.
Finally, what are the challenges of mixing these two worlds — a Jetsons-like futuristic setting and Norse mythology?
I guess that's the joy of it, right? It's like The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. The beauty is we have established Asgard in the MCU. We know Loki really well. Though it's not the same Loki but we know where he's come from, what his world is, who his brother is. It was fun delving into Loki, but also into how a chaotic soul would cope in a world of order.
Loki is streaming on Disney+ Hotstar Premium. New episodes drop every Wednesday.
source https://www.firstpost.com/entertainment/loki-director-kate-herron-exclusive-interview-tom-hiddleston-marvel-cinematic-universe-9714231.html
