How ‘The Good Lord Bird’ Director Kevin Hooks Helps Actors Nail Their Hardest Scene

Projects with a unique approach to storytelling entice director Kevin Hooks, a television veteran whose career extends nearly 50 years (40 of them spent behind the camera), but especially those told through the eyes of young men. As a fresh-faced actor, he starred in 1972’s “Sounder” by Martin Ritt, which prompted his affinity for coming-of-age narratives.

Those interests are both encapsulated in the Ethan Hawke-led, Blumhouse-produced miniseries “The Good Lord Bird,” an adaptation of James McBride’s historical fiction novel. Laced with dark humor, the Showtime series (premiering Oct. 4), chronicles the pre-Civil War journey of Onion (Joshua Caleb Johnson), a teenage slave boy mistaken for a girl, and abolitionist John Brown (Hakwe). Hooks helmed Episodes 2 (“A Wicked Plot”) and 4 (“Smells Like Bear”). 

“I've always been drawn to very strong points of view by the central characters and I really identified with the character of Onion, who is placed in this almost absurd situation where his identity is totally mistaken and finds himself in the middle of historical events that changed the country,” explains Hooks. “I wanted to explore the combination of this absurdist humor set against the intense, dramatic realities of the time.” 

Unconcerned with imprinting his artistic signature on the show—the cinematic language of the series was established before he arrived—Hooks focused his attention on ensuring the acting rang true throughout. “Leaving my mark was really about molding performances, particularly that of the very young Josh Johnson, who is at the center of this story,” Hooks says. Over their two-episode collaboration, the director-actor bond solidified. 

“It was important for me to leave Josh with a work ethic and a wealth of ideas that would apply for his character moving forward,” adds Hooks. “That's one of the things that I’m most proud of: the work that he was able to do there and the fact that I helped in some small way.”

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A crucial lesson Hooks has learned over the decades, specifically during scenes that demand great emotion from the actors, is to have all conversations related to the part beforehand, so that not much has to be discussed on set. 

In “The Good Lord Bird,” a remarkable monologue by actor Crystal Lee Brown as Sibonia, a slave who defies her oppressors, called for this kind of advance preparation. Hooks and cinematographer Peter Deming chose to start with her close-ups rather than moving in with the camera, so as not to waste a single ounce of her courage-charged turn. 

“It's a lot to ask of an actor to bring that type of emotion take after take after take. This is one of the reasons why casting is so important. You want to have somebody who understands how to navigate that, how to hold back when they need to, and focus on the takes where they can let go,” Hooks says. Brown’s visceral embodiment of the role left everyone on set at a loss for words and earned her a standing ovation. 

Such extraordinary instances are welcome rewards for Hooks, yet his guiding principle as a creator is a commitment to the larger canvas when contributing to an episodic production. With dozens of credits to his name (“This is Us,” “Genius,” “Preacher,” and “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.,” to name a few), the director’s “greater good” professionalism has rendered him a sought-after talent. Asked to describe the special quality required for a career as prolific as his, Hooks notes: “There's a tremendous amount of perseverance involved in it, but the one mantra, if you could call it that, has been to be true to the material that’s put in front of me.”