Damson Idris talks season 5 of ‘Snowfall’: ‘Franklin is in full Pablo mode’
"When people who haven't seen the show try to lump it in a box of stereotypes, it's a great disservice to the hard work and storytelling we are doing," Idris said.
Snowfall season 5 made its return on February 23rd, ready to address cliff hangers that have left fans wondering.
TheGrio spoke exclusively with the star Damson Idris to talk the season premiere, real life storylines and co-producing.
“We start in 1986, 15 months after Franklin put the cane down. Business is thriving, he has nearly a 100 million dollars now in 1986, that’s an insane amount of money to have, but there is a great deal of animosity between the family. You saw sparkles of that, at the end of season 4 but its coming in full effect during season 5,” Idris shared.
He added that fans are really going to be torn on who’s side they want to be on.
Throughout the series, we have seen Franklin Saint grow from an innocent and smart kid trying to make a few extra dollars. He is now one of the biggest drug dealers in all of South Central with crime and murder seemingly following him wherever he turns. Idris revealed that as the tensions get tighter between his family, Franklin is not letting up.
“It’s definitely a season where Franklin is in full Pablo [Escobar] mode,” he said.
In previous seasons, the show used real headlines to coincide with the plot, and season five is keeping the same shell. The first episode opens up discussing the tragic death of future NBA Player Len Bias who died of an apparent overdose after stiffing cocaine in his dorm room in 1986. Idris shared what that is like doing the research on real storylines.
“With Len Bias I didn’t know much specifically, but people told me if he were alive he would have been better than Jordan. So I really looked into this guy and it created a snowball effect and it put a lens on cocaine and specifically black people around the world,” he said.
The use of real-life storylines is an important layer in making sure that those watching are not thinking drugs are being glamorized. Idris shared that what makes this show so impactful is the messaging and storytelling.
“These characters are being affected. They are having real life nightmares, and that’s how it is in real life. And when people who haven’t seen the show try to lump it in a box of stereotypes, it’s a great disservice to the hard work and storytelling we are doing in the truths of the times of the real life people who were affected by it,” the actor said.
This season, Idris was able to get a producing credit for his work on season five, theGrio previously reported. He shared it was an interesting experience being both a leader on camera and then behind the scenes “It really set precedence for me, I was able to be a sponge on that side behind the camera and have people come up to me asking for my opinion and my advice. It really coincided with Franklin.”
You can catch the two episode premiere of Snowfall on FX and Hulu.
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