When Los Espookys was cancelled in 2022, a refrain of disappointment rang out by means of the business and from followers of the beloved present. It was the sort of information that threatened a sure sense of disillusionment, however unbeknownst to its followers on the time, creator Julio Torres had quite a bit up his sleeve. The author, who first turned identified for his work on Saturday Night time Dwell digital shorts like “Papyrus” and “The Actress,” was already onerous at work on his first characteristic movie and a brand new sequence. Problemista hit theaters this spring, and the brand new sequence turned Fantasmas, which can open ATX TV Pageant on Could 30 earlier than premiering on Max June 7.
The sequence, which Torres wrote, directed, and stars in, follows a personality of the identical title as he follows the path of a misplaced earring. Torres spoke to The Hollywood Reporter forward of the premiere about navigating the business’s fickleness and the real-life occasions that impressed the brand new present.
From the surface it looks like an odd alternative for HBO to cancel Los Espookys whereas additionally greenlighting one other present of yours — Did you’ve got conversations about why they moved ahead with one and never the opposite?
It undoubtedly felt like very separate issues to me. Every present has completely different executives hooked up, and whereas they know what the opposite group is doing, one choice didn’t appear to tell the opposite. I really acquired the concept for Fantasmas whereas I used to be making an attempt to jot down the delayed second season of Los Espookys. We needed to pause manufacturing in the course of the pandemic, and I had per week of terror and unhappiness and mourning what I assumed life was going to appear to be, after which I began to jot down Fantasmas. It gave me one thing to look ahead to daily.
Do you all the time have concepts flying round in your head? How are you aware which to pursue and when?
I really feel hooked up to all of my concepts, I really like all of them, however I depart it as much as the business to see which one flies first. I’ll do work wherever they’ll have me. I’ve misplaced a little bit of my naïveté by way of the commerce of artwork. The strikes, and Problemista popping out, gave me a window into it and I’ve began to grasp learn how to see my very own work within the context of the media panorama. I nonetheless suppose that it’s miraculous that any of my tasks occur, as a result of I don’t suppose one thing like Fantasmas is fulfilling any sort of company mandate. When executives sit down to consider, what’s the ultimate product, the reply won’t be Fantasmas. It feels untethered from market or company expectation.
How did you begin growing what turned Fantasmas?
I missed the sort of short-form writing I did on SNL. I needed to have what’s technically a sketch present, however I used to be considering what would my model of that appear to be? As I used to be fascinated by that I actually misplaced an earring at a New Yr’s Eve dance occasion, and realized it was an fascinating by means of line to go out and in of various tales.
Julio Torres
HBO
I really feel like I can select what looks like a “Julio” sketch from SNL, however did you come into your time on that present together with your specific model honed?
Once I began doing stand-up, on the very first open mic, I did what I assumed a comic ought to sound like. After which I did one thing related after I began at SNL, I wrote a few (failed) variations of the sort of sketches that felt like SNL. I didn’t really feel like I used to be doing it fairly proper, so then I assumed, what if I used my very own humor, like what I used to be doing in my standup at that time? It actually labored. So I form of carved out just a little nook for myself — everybody else is doing one thing, and I’m over right here doing one thing else.
How did your inventive partnership with Dave McCary begin to kind?
The producers at SNL have a very good intuition for which director will work finest with which script, and so they paired Dave and I collectively time and time once more and we turned buddies. A whole lot of what I realized about directing, I realized from watching him direct my digital shorts. So after I acquired the prospect to do my very own directing, it simply made sense to have him there, as an ally on set daily.
What did you study on Problemista that influenced the way you made Fantasmas?
I introduced again quite a lot of the identical collaborators — our composer, our editor. I had a way of cinematic momentum, and realized learn how to make the present be happy and instinctive however not disorienting. Or no less than that’s what I aimed for. I additionally simply realized the actually technical stuff like understanding what to prioritize on set and learn how to finest direct myself.
Is there one actor you have been most psyched to forged?
Tilda [Swinton] does just a little voice cameo. There was a second the place we thought she may do a full cameo, however she’s so busy and she or he was taking pictures one thing. We premiered Problemista collectively at SXSW in 2023, and we have been speaking about simply getting a inexperienced display and taking pictures one thing for Fantasmas in between doing press. Everybody acquired so enthusiastic about it after which I used to be like wait, what are we doing? We can’t movie right here, for thus many causes. However there are many actors within the present that I really like. I’ve been a fan of Rosie Perez for without end. And I really like working with Alexa Demie, we actually hit it off. I believe she’s sensible. Julia Fox was such a deal with. And Dominique Jackson was additionally somebody I had by no means met, however had been so intrigued by her work and she or he was a real and complete delight.
What are you most hoping for within the launch of this present?
The query of how I measure success is one which I’ve been asking myself lately. I believe that doing the sort of work that made me wish to do what I do — if this turns into somebody’s particular little factor it will likely be a very good rubric of success for me or if any Halloween costumes come out of it.
