Interview: The cast & creators of 'The Deuce' on selling sex, the '70s and misogyny

Sex is everywhere. From beverage commercials to lipstick ads, hardly anything in popular culture is sold without some semblance of eroticism embedded in it. Since the 1970's, depictions of sex and sexuality have only gotten raunchier, more explosive and often exploitative. It's a subject also now stands at the forefront of our society -- and yet the way in which we discuss sex and more importantly sex work is not exactly progressive. The Wire creators George Pelecanos and David Simon wanted to shift the conversation. The duo has returned to HBO with a spectacular new drama, The Deuce. The series focuses on the rise of the porn industry and its legalization in New York City's seedy Time's Square beginning in 1971. By honing in on the people on the streets -- the bartenders, mobsters, the sex workers and their pimps, The Deuce is both incredibly detailed and piercing. Once again, Simon and Pelecanos have worked diligently to flesh out characters who would typically be cast aside as one-dimensional fixtures in other series and films. On a late Thursday morning, at the HBO building which sits just two avenues over from the tourist trap that birthed the porn industry, I sat down with Pelecanos, Simon, James Franco who stars as identical twins Vincent-- a bartender and Frankie, a gambler and degenerate. Also present was Maggie Gyllenhaal who is exquisite as self-made prostitute Candy, Gary Carr who plays the volatile and charismatic pimp C.C. and The Wire alum Lawrence Gilliard, Jr who portrays kind-hearted cop, Chris Alston.

For Simon, this moment in our history was the perfect time to bring The Deuce to life. "You can't tell me that after 50 years of the increasingly ubiquitous nature of pornography in the culture hasn't made it more and more permissible for everybody from the President of the United States to the anonymous voice on Twitter to basically call women whores," he emphasized. "It's become our discourse, almost a default any woman tries to say anything publicly. There's something pornographic in our whole demeanor."

Continue reading at Shadow and Act.

Gbenga Akinnagbe talks HBO's 'The Deuce' — a series on the porn industry's rise in '70s NYC (S&A Fall TV Preview)

George Pelecanos and David Simon — the dynamic team behind HBO's The Wire and Treme have returned to television with a breathtaking drama. The Deuce is a '70s set series that follows the rise and legalization of pornography in New York City's Times Square, once termed 'The Deuce.'  As always, the creators present a meaty and fully fleshed out cast, encompassing everyone from sex workers, cops, pimps, journalists, mobsters and beyond to lend their perspective to this time. Starring James Franco as identical twin brothers Vincent and Frankie Martino; Maggie Gyllenhaal as a self-made prostitute Candy, Gary Carr as pimp C.C., and Gbenga Akinnagbe as the vicious pimp Larry Brown among many others, The Deuce is certainly a timely piece that comments on the misogynist- filled era that we live in today.

Ahead of the series premiere, Shadow and Act's Aramide Tinubu sat down to speak with Akinnagbe about The Deuce, returning to Pelecanos and Simon and what he discovered about himself from embodying Larry Brown.

Aramide Tinubu: What intrigued you about The Deuce overall, and why did decide that you wanted to work with David Simon, George Pelecanos and the team from The Wire again?

Gbenga Akinnagbe: That's my Wire Family. I love working with them. I grew up on TV working with them, so they've influenced how I tell stories, the stories I like to watch and be a part of. Aside from that, we all remained tight even off screen for years. Knowing the quality of the work that David and George do, I knew that this show would give an interesting perspective to people who are easily dismissed as one sided criminals on TV -- pimps, hooker, gangsters. And also, the time period, the '70s -- those clothes, come on.

AT: It's fantastic to look at. The series is really rich in texture as well. How did you come on board The Deuce to play Larry?

GA: I went in, and I read for that, and that's how that worked. I was fortunate enough to book the role. Initially, I read for a different character and then they brought me in for . It just kind of clicked. It made sense.

AT: Can you tell me a little more about Larry? What interested you about him specifically? He's a pimp in New York City in the '70s which is very different from your character Chris from, The Wire. However, both men have that same level-headed ferociousness that drives them.

GA: Larry is very different from Chris. Chris was very methodical, and he wasn't a drug dealer. He didn't really care about those things -- the fancy things. He was a sociopath but looked out for his boys and the people he cared about. Larry is in for the business of it. He's much more of a business man. He's got hopes and dreams and aspirations, and he's going to do what he needs to do; apply his skill set, which is pandering sex to get what he wants. Chris did what was necessary. Larry does what is flashy. There's a drive there obviously with Larry that's complicated, and it unfolds throughout the season.

Continue reading at Shadow and Act.