BTG: History, Behind the Scenes Articles & Photos

[Taoboi]

Same. I would die if they actually did a whole gay triangle and treated like any other soap triangle to put other soaps to shame.

 

That's another thing that I loved today. 

 

We (well, me lol) still haven't seen the whole entire cast yet. More anticipation for when they appear on screen. 

[Khan]

Besides, IT'S ONLY TUESDAY.  We have THREE. MORE. DAYS. To see whether the same-sex, interracial couple gets a shout-out.  So, please, I urge everyone, CALM. DOWN.

[Alan]

Showing a Black m/m couple would be landmark representation but I doubt there is any particular reason for casting Smitty with a white actor. The casting for the supporting performers seems to have been pretty flexible. For example the casting call for Vanessa McBride was looking for a Black actress.

It looks like Martin will be a Mayor Pete-type who wants to portray a flawless, respectable image to the world while Smitty is the bored husband who wants more fun in their lives.

Something I have personally never seen is a gay love triangle where the outside person plays both members of the adulterous couple without their knowledge. That would be so fun on BTG, especially with the political theme in the background.

[Liberty City]

Mhmm. Plus, a breakdown for Bradley "Smitty" Smith (originally named "Daniel") was never officially released, so a description of whom they were looking for never happened. The two breakdowns they've yet to announce as cast are:

• "Luis," a personal trainer at the Fairmont Crest Country Club, who has his eye on one of the married women who lives in the gated community (this is likely who Vanessa is having an affair with in the new preview that debuted yesterday).
• "Mike," a high-powered law partner to Bill (then "Joseph"), who has been accused of "sexual impropriety in the workplace".

[BetterForgotten]

A nice highlight video for the Black Excellence Brunch that happened last Sunday:

https://www.instagram.com/share/BAafKdHMri
 

 

[Khan]

Or as I call it, "Blexcellence."

[dc11786]

It was great seeing the first two behind the scenes episodes. Getting into the show's lore was fascinating. I didn't realize they were actually going to have Duprees as the founders of this community, which I thought was wonderful. Tying the development into the real life father of the Paramount CEO was very touching. The amount of detail going into this is awesome, but I should have known by all the magazine covers in the photoshoot scenes of the preview featuring Chelsea and Chelsea/Dani that details weren't going to go overlooked. The Dupree wealth coming from property development is interesting. I am curious if that family business won't be lingering in the background. There are certainly opportunities to explore with Vernon being retired but not the settled down type returning to business as well as linking a property development business up with Vanessa McBride, the realtor. 

Orphey Gene's origin story is wonderful involving Val Jean's mother and that real life spot in the D.C. area that served as a hub for activism and community. Orphey Gene's not just being a meeting place for characters, but a cultural center for the community due to its history is just very smart. It washes away the potential class line issues that soap gathering hubs face based on the appeal of their clientele. 

Regarding Brad being white, I think the show was purposefully looking to integrate the family while also deliberating avoiding the typical daytime trope of a white man with a black woman. This left Martin as the sole choice. In addition, I think featuring an interracial couple may have been important to TPTB and, as stated earlier in this thread, Vanessa McBride was originally (at least according to what was posted online) intended to be a woman of color. 

I think Jon Lindstrum's character is the perfect addition as a casino owner, though I imagine the show would use the casino a resort with hotel, restaurants, and entertainment. In this state, it allows you to explore the possibility of Joey trying to lure Anita as a headliner (or if Anita turns him down pursuing Naomi) while also looking to purchase property in Fairmont Crest. I was watching some of the last episodes of "Generations" the other day and thinking about casino owner Jordan Hale and nightclub owner Peter Whitmore, I cannot help but wonder if Joey and Anita don't share a romantic past (though this would kind of ignore my earlier comment about the white man/black woman avoidance). It would certainly give Joey's desire to move into Fairmont Crest a bit more motivation. 

There is just so much possibility based on the foundations that we have gotten so far from Michele Val Jean. Creatively, this stuff is very strong. 

[Vee]

The authenticity re: DC/MD and the DMV are what particularly interest and excite me, having grown up in and around there. I was lucky enough to go to public school there back when it really was everyone from all walks of life, and before they had overdeveloped my area trying to turn it into New York or the Capitol Mall. A lot of bigwig DC families* (who are still big, though mine wasn't) lived in my neighborhood alongside working class people and sent their kids to school together but my area at least was still very much about the small businesses back then. You only see certain pockets of that today.

*(I remember the kid of a guy from a certain less than renowned president's administration got to walk up front in a certain decades-later inauguration procession by virtue of his connections, while the rest of us were in the back. But I digress!)

Edited February 19 by Vee

[Alan]

It looks like BTG did record Santa Barbara-style character introductions ("I'm Anita Dupree. Don't mess with mama.") that ultimately weren't used in promos. I think that was the right choice. 

The ads showing dialogue from the show and action scenes were are more in line with how tv shows are promoted in the 2020s.

[Vee]

Per Jon Lindstrom and MVJ, he also talked at length about her creating Kevin and Kevin/Lucy on GH in the Zoom interviews for BTG. I'll put the SOD article link about this in the classic GH thread.

[BetterForgotten]

Yeah, that never-used promo also enforced to me that Anita is not the typical, “pour coffee and let’s chat” matriarch, but an active one who isn’t afraid to get dirty when the situation calls for it. Again, in the vein of a Stephanie Forrester than the traditional soap matriarchs.

Tamara also looks so touched that they wanted her and wanted her to be the symbolic centerpiece of this ensemble. 

[Vee]

I suspect we might still see those direct to the camera character promos soon.

[Maxim]

Sadly I haven't had time these past few days - from working to organizing birthdays and events... I haven't had time to check the specials. Thank God I have a person who is updating me on what is going on. The soap opera has been reborn. I hope till the premiere to watch all the specials in one-go. 

[BetterForgotten]

Looks like Steve Williford will be the lead director on the show, and Julie Hanan Carruthers seems very hands-on with the production. 

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[Taoboi]

Yeah that too would be something different. I did like we got a little hint at what potential drama there could be in that couple the last few days.