Over the past 20 years, director Minkie Spiro helped bring some of the strongest visions and personal statements to international television series. She helmed episodes of Downton Abbey, Jessica Jones, Better Call Saul, Barry, Dead To Me, Fosse/Verdon, The Plot Against America among many, many other buzzy series.
Now, her undeniable talent for handling emotionally complex material brings her squarely into the 2024 Emmy conversation. She helms three episodes of Netflix’s complex 3 Body Problem. These are not three simple episodes. Rather, each episode helps transition the sci-fi series from the excitement of scientific discovery into an emotionally volatile minefield of complex events.
Based on the series of novels by Liu Cixin, 3 Body Problem takes viewers on a journey dealing with complicated astrophysics concepts, advanced virtual reality, and an alien invasion. It centers on a group of friends who frantically try to find out why several notable physicists are committing suicide and what connection that has to an impending alien attack. Along the way, each director, including Spiro, ensures that the plot never overwhelms the characters and that audiences remain emotionally connected.
With a broad resume of dramas, comedies, and thrillers, Spiro found that her resume lacked the experience of working in a big-budgeted, visual effects-heavy project. 3 Body Problem provided that opportunity without forgetting what’s most important.
“The [genre] I hadn’t really ticked that I was desperate to wrap my brain around was these big CG, VFX-type shows,” Spiro explained, “but it always has to come from a place of a story I want to tell.”
Here, in an interview with Awards Daily, 3 Body Problem director Minkie Spiro talks about her helming of episode four (“Our Lord”), episode five (“Judgment Day”), and episode six (“The Stars Our Destination”). She walks us through in great detail the big moments of each episode, including the show-stopping Judgement Day sequence set in episode five. She also describes working with her cast to guide them through incredibly emotional sequences, particularly Alex Sharpe’s heart-tugging performance.
3 Body Problem streams exclusively on Netflix.
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