‘I’m a Virgo’ Star Jharrel Jerome on His Mystical Journey as an Oakland Giant, That Sex Scene and Finale Question
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[This story contains spoilers from the finale of I’m a Virgo.]
In the opening scene of Boots Riley’s mystical coming-of-age, superhero/supervillain origin story about a 13-foot Black teenager in Oakland, I’m a Virgo shows its giant protagonist Cootie (played by Jharrel Jerome), experiencing trauma when he was born. Still covered with blood after entering the world, viewers learn that his mother died at childbirth and see his adoptive mother, LaFrancine (Carmen Ejogo), frantically trying to calm the giant baby, who is about half the size of her petite frame.
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Creator, writer and director Riley (known for his 2018 critically acclaimed film Sorry to Bother You) keeps that edge from the very first scene throughout his seven-episode Prime Video series. The limited series, an anti-capitalist satire, explores how those who are different and don’t quite seem to fit into society may just be the most normal. To the world at-large (no pun intended), Cootie appears as an anomaly; someone out of place. But with a whimsical performance by Jerome, the audience follows the sheltered 19-year-old Cootie, anxious to find friends who enjoy comic books and weird cartoons, as he heads out into the world and experiences falling in love and finding his place.
His purpose may be bigger than growing into manhood in Oakland, however, as Cootie senses that his overprotective parents are holding a secret around his identity. At the age of 10, Cootie was already 10-feet-tall and when walking through his family house like a typical tween, his adoptive father, Martisse (Mike Epps) minced no words in telling the giant boy how life is probably going to go for him. “You know, you’re a big motherfucker, all the wear and tear you’re putting on this house,” Martisse says. “I mean, just leaning on the walls, you are putting holes in them. And I got to fix this shit myself, because I don’t want nobody to see your big ass.” Then he tenderly explains to his son that if people see him, they will try to turn him in and terrible things will happen.
But, what are these terrible things? And, why must Cootie face them to aid in the transformation of his growth to benefit his community and, just maybe, impact the entire world? The Hollywood Reporter put these questions to I’m a Virgo star Jerome, who believes there’s magic in the genre-mixing storytelling of Riley. (Note: Riley wasn’t available to speak to THR due to the ongoing writers strike.)
So, what is this show about: Is it an origin show? Is it about the haves and have nots? Is it about that talk many Black parents have with their young Black sons about how to negotiate the world and how they may be treated when not within the safety of their home? Is it about some people negotiating through this world and making themselves small when their personas are big? Or is it simply about superheroes and villains?
I think it is all of that; all of that and more! I think it is a genre-bending story about a 13-foot-tall person who, honestly, could be like all of us. We all have some Cootie in us. Whether it is the outcasts, or the outlier and the person who feels different, or whether it is the “I think I know what I am doing, and I feel confident in that, but I got a lot to learn.” It could be all those things, and I think that is the beauty of it. I think that depending on who you are and where you are in life, where you are when you watch the show, or who you’re with will kind of sway your opinion of Cootie on the show. And I think those are the best shows; where there are so many different opinions and conversations.
Did Cootie’s parents really love him, or were they just preparing him for what they believed would be his place in the world?
I think his parents really loved him; so much that it might have been too much. I think they come from a genuine place of care and support, and “we just want to protect him,” but they are over-thinkers. They are revolutionists who’ve seen the worst in people and have experienced the worst in life. So out of fear, which comes from love, they do what they do. And I think Cootie has a hard time understanding that and it is something he has to deal with. But I don’t think he came from parents who hated him at all. And I think he believes that too, which is why he does give them a chance by the end.
How did you get involved with this show?
Boots [Riley] personally emailed me; that’s the first time I got wind of this, which was already super cool. And then on top of that, the title was “13-Foot-Tall Black Man in Oakland.” So, that’ll get ya! No matter what, if you read that, that will pull you in.
So, I immediately responded and a week later we sat down and he pitched the whole vision to me. And my jaw was to the floor the whole time! I was just so impressed about how creative, how out-the-box and original the ideal was. But I was more impressed with how he was willing to execute it. And that was shooting it from his perspective, and all with practical effects. That’s when I knew he was down to business! And obviously, watching Sorry to Bother You, I knew he could take a fantastical journey and ground it with a deep message behind it. As soon as I read the script, I thought I’m a Virgo was Sorry to Bother You on steroids! It definitely pulled me in and I believed he was the one to execute it, if anyone was to come up with an idea like this. And I just knew I would be surrounded with people who I could definitely trust and lean on as an artist.
Did you follow Boots’ script verbatim or did he give you room to improvise?
He definitely gave me room to improvise. I think Boots is very trusting of the actors he cast. And he believes that the people he casts can embody the character even more than how he wrote it. And I remember him saying about Allius [Barnes] about Scat that when he wrote Scat, he had a completely different person in mind; a different energy. And when he saw Allius, it came to him immediately. So, it’s nice to work with a director who is trusting of the actor; who believes the actor can make certain choices and do certain things that will bring his own vision to life even more.
Speaking of Scat, why do we see Scat’s ghost constantly after he dies from a tragic accident — and lack of healthcare — in the pivotal third episode?
That’s a good question. I was always curious about that. There were certain things that Boots would do and I would look at him and say, “You know what, I trust that.” I think Boots could certainly answer that better, but in my opinion, I think Scat had such a presence in the friend group that was so subtle but strong at the same time. Out of everyone, he had the most reserved energy; he was the cool guy. He was the calm guy. And once that spirit left, you realize it never really went anywhere. It’s still in the room and it carries with you. Just like in real life, when you lose somebody dear to you, you never feel like they’re gone. And so, I think it was just Boots’ way of keeping the anchor within the group.
And if you noticed, out of all the friends, Scat was always the one who promised Cootie he would get him something; or that he would hook him up, or that he would get his back. And Cootie never heard that. That’s so new to Cootie. Those words alone, Cootie latched onto. And he understood that is what makes a friend. And at the same time, losing Scat is one of his first real losses, and he doesn’t even know what to do. It didn’t necessarily break his heart, because he was confused by it, almost like a child not knowing; “well, where did he go?” So, I think Scat’s spirit staying around Cootie as Cootie is making pivotal choices was a real cool twist.
One of the earliest standout albums by jazz great Wynton Marsalis is called Black Codes (From the Underground). What was Cootie receiving from that bass that he gravitated so freely to in episode one?
I think if you just think about Boots as a writer, and coming from the music world, his understanding of music is so deep, and his love for music is so deep. He is able to bring in the importance of what music is. And when we think of music and the importance of music, I think we often think of pianos, and we think of the trumpets and the strings and the orchestral feeling of it all. But for the Black community and for the Black culture, that bassline and that sub has transcended time for us. It has moved us and it has moved our souls. And I think that rumble is honestly the epitome of our energy! I think that rumble and that grunge is how we move about as human beings. So having that monologue where Cootie is comparing bass to the feeling of the sky opening up, I think it is just beautiful! And it is just a testament to who Boots is as a creative.
What physical toll did filming I’m a Virgo take on your body?
The physical element was super important for me and especially for Boots. Because, you know, Cootie is huge! There are a lot of weight dynamics you have to think about; how his head is heavy; his legs are heavy; his arms are heavy! What’s cool about Cootie though, is that he is proportional. So often if you look up a real case about somebody who is incredibly tall — I think one of the tallest human beings was like 7-feet-11, almost 8-feet-tall — they passed away pretty young because their bones weren’t strong enough and their muscle mass wasn’t strong enough to keep up. Luckily, Cootie didn’t have that problem. He was more proportional. That’s why Cootie could move a little bit more fluidly, but I needed to take into account that his fluid is not my fluid in real life. My fluid is this (Jerome demonstrates his body movement). His fluid had to be a whole lot slower and a bit more methodical. Because the thing about Cootie is that if he steps the wrong way, he’ll break something or somebody.
So it was important to figure out the moves and how he is hunched over, and it took a toll on my back a bit. Often times they would lower the ceiling, and so a lot of times I’m doing a lot of scenes like this (Jerome contorts his body and laughs). Eventually I had to get somebody on set to rub that boy out a little bit, to loosen those muscles up!
And that question leads into the intimate scenes with Olivia Washington as Flora in episode four. How were those scenes accomplished and how was that experience?
So, she wasn’t in the room with me. And I had to completely imagine it! I had to trust myself and be confident enough to perform the whole scene pretty much with a doll. I did it with a 6-inch version of Olivia. It looked just like her, but it was a miniature version. Ah, I had to pretty much just trust myself, trust the people around me and be vulnerable. And the same thing for Olivia; we performed the entire scene with a doll!
I think Boots is genius for adding that scene. And I think that is a question that would be running in all of our heads. So, it is cool to have seen it get played out, and I think it’s a very classy and a very cool way of showing what that experience would have been like for someone like that.
In episode six, Cootie seems resigned to the fact that he is viewed as a villain, and accepts that role as he goes up against his idol, The Hero (Walton Goggins). But does Cootie really believe he’s a villain, or is that part of a plan he formulates to take on The Hero, who appears to be everything but a good person?
I think Cootie is 24/7 in discovery mode. If you go watch it again, every single scene he’s bright-eyed and something new is being discovered. And there are a lot of moments in the show where he is learning something new entirely about himself. And I think when he says, “I’m the villain,” there’s a bit of a mix. I think he’s playing into it and I think he’s leaning on the idea of: If you are going use me, “I am going to use you back! If you’re going to take advantage of me, I’m going to take advantage of you. You say I’m this, fine, I’ll say I’m this and I’ll say you’re that.” But at the same time, I think he is also wondering if he is the villain.
And that’s the scary part of Cootie’s journey, in that he is also being loved his whole life; being sheltered, being kept inside with love. You don’t often get sheltered and kept inside with love. It’s usually torturous, it is usually this brutal punishment. But he was coddled and loved. So when he finally goes outside [into the world], he approaches everyone with immense love and naiveté until there is a switch. Just in real life, when that switch happens, you have to take a step back and question, “Well, is this true or am I true?” He has to definitely deal with that throughout the show.
Throughout the series, there’s an animated show that Cootie and his friends love to watch with a little boy character who pops up at the end to say “Byoyoyo! Byoyoyo!” Those words have a profound emotional and psychological impact on Cootie and his friends. What is that about?
I don’t think I can attempt to explain half the things that Boots comes up with. For me, I think “Byoyoyo! Byoyoyo!” is a joke, and a little stab at the modern-day reality TV, and the modern-day animation TV that we see today where things are kind of watered down or dumbed out for the idea of it. And hearing how annoying that is, but the fact that everyone in the show loves it, is just an off-kilter feeling of, why do they like that? It kind of makes you step outside of yourself to think, “Do I watch anything that will make people think ‘why do you like that?’” And I think Boots is good at doing that.
[The voice of “Byoyoyo! Byoyoyo!” was later revealed to be that of Juliette Lewis.]
What is the creature that is stirring inside of Cootie, also known as “the rash”?
The rash is definitely a point, but unfortunately, if I say something about it, it is going to kind of ruin the possible continuation of the story. I think the suspense is purposeful. And Boots leaving you on that note of well, what is going on there? is very purposeful.
Cootie is like, “I get it! I can see how awful it is out here! The burgers do suck! The people do suck! The Hero does suck! And you were right [to his protective parents]! Just next time, don’t lie to me, I can take it.”
Interview edited for length and clarity.
I’m a Virgo is now streaming on Prime Video.
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