The stars of the new Apple TV+ drama Government Cheese have shed light on the show’s unique approach to the depiction of race relations in 1960s America
Government Cheese’s cast has explained the refreshing decision not to put the Civil Rights movement front and centre in this quirky comedy-drama about a Black family in the 1960s.
Set during a period of US history when racism was rampant and Black Americans were still fighting for basic human rights, the series created by Paul Hunter and Aeysha Carter instead focuses on the spiritual journey and family drama of Hampton Chambers (played by David Oyelowo).
When he’s released from prison after a three-year sentence for forging cheques, petty criminal and family man Hampton tries to put his life back on track by inventing an ingenious, self-sharpening drill called the Bit Magician.
However, the lure of his criminal past often proves too strong, putting him at odds with his quest for enlightenment and mission to win back his family, wife Astoria (Simone Missick) and sons Harrison (Jahi Di’Allo Winston) and Einstein (Evan Alexander Ellison).
Speaking to Express Online, Oyelowo summed up the unique comedy-drama: “[It’s about] a Black, quirky family in this context, in a time where we often see Black people depicted but it’s always tied to Civil Rights or racial struggle.
“In this, those things are not prevalent. There are so many things that just made it feel like we were doing something off the beaten path, which is always going to be something you want in this art form.”
His co-stars also highlighted how invigorating it was to work with an almost all-Black cast on a project that felt completely incomparable to the films and television shows that came before.
Ellison said: “For me it was refreshing to see how the story unfolded and it was showcased in a way that doesn’t solely talk about race or solely talk about Civil Rights. It’s present and you’ll see it baked in in little ways but it’s not the tone of the show which I thought was really cool.
“My character specifically, in the 60s a young Black man who’s turning down Harvard, turning down MIT to do pole vaulting, there’s something really intriguing about that and I just wanted to see what it was about. It was really exciting to see what Einstein is about.”
In addition to the Chambers family, fans will also meet Hampton’s oldest friend, Bootsy, whom actor Bokeem Woodbine describes as a “facilitator” for his newly released partner-in-crime.
“I was so thrilled that I was gonna get a chance to be a part of a show that depicted a Black American family during this time period that wasn’t revolving around, or looming in the background, the theme of our struggle for human rights,” he shared to the Express.
“We don’t really deal with it as a major tenet and the racism that’s obvious and prevalent in the show is dealt with in a wonderful way because it gives almost a glancing over slightly of the kind of ‘microaggresive’ racism that a lot of people of colour face on a regular basis in America.”
While there are no direct allusions to, for instance, Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s demonstrations in support of civil rights, which Oyelowo previously brought to life in the acclaimed historical film Selma, racism does remain a theme throughout the series.
However, the Chambers’ status as a middle-class Black family is never questioned by overtly racist neighbours and Hampton’s struggles are purely spiritual and financial, setting Government Cheese apart from other shows set in the same era.
“It’s not necessarily overtly violent, it’s not necessarily, ‘Okay, this is gonna get messy really quick’,” Woodbine elaborated. “It almost makes the bigots look kind of pathetic, that they have to have this passive aggressive, lame, unspoken hidden racist notions.
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“It just kind of really shines a light on that type of racism, which is that subtle, underneath the surface… like for a Black man when you get in an elevator and an older white woman might clutch her purse and shrink herself in the corner. Like, ‘Lady, I’m just trying to get to my floor!’ It’s not necessary.
“It shines a light on that without it being a major theme and I love that about it. It’s nice to have a depiction of a family in that time period, a Black American family, that focuses on the odd, eccentric behaviour of the family.
“Every family, I’ve come to learn over the years, is a little odd and eccentric. I thought it was great that they leaned into that as opposed to the more typical depictions.”
Government Cheese continues Wednesdays on Apple TV+.
