Courtney B. Vance shared his dismay for HBO’s decision to not move forward with the second season of the award-winning series Lovecraft Country. The veteran actor explained his opinion after accepting the award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series for his on-screen work on the series during the 2021 Creative Arts Emmys on Sunday (Sept. 12). According to The Hollywood Reporter, Vance expressed a mixture of emotions backstage.
The 61-year-old said he is “very very happy but at the same time very sad because of [the death of] Michael [K. Williams] and because we’re not still doing the show. In my mind, it doesn’t make sense, something as successful as that show was that the powers that be couldn’t figure it out.”
He continued, “I’m sad for audiences that we don’t get to see, like Game of Thrones, don’t get to see seven, eight years of following these characters and learning more about the time period and learning about our people and our struggles and where [showrunner] Misha’s [Green] mind was going to go. So that’s very painful for me as a fan and me as an actor.”
Despite his grievances, The People v. O.J. Simpson star ended on a positive note, hopeful for the series to take home more trophies during the Primetime Emmy Awards. Vance also shared an appreciation for Lovecraft Country, the Television Academy, and Green on social media.
“The future is bright, Misha is at Apple TV [with an overall deal] now and her fingers still work so I’m sure we will be hearing from her and I hope we clean up on the rest of this evening and next Sunday,” he added during his spirited backstage speech.
Praising God for ALLL of HIS Magnificent blessings! THANK YOU @TelevisionAcad & THANK YOU @LovecraftHBO & bless you @MishaGreen for creating such an amazing world for us to live in for a precious short a moment in time. #Emmys2021 https://t.co/VdZirAtegi
— Courtney B. Vance (@CourtneyBVance) September 13, 2021
The hit show was created by Green and is based on the novel Lovecraft Country by Matt Ruff. It debuted in August 2020 and was originally intended to run as a limited series. The show depicted the real-life terrors faced by Black people in the Jim Crow era and starred Jonathan Majors, Jurnee Smollett, and Aunjanue Ellis alongside Vance and the aforementioned late Michael K. Williams. Cast and crew from the series have earned 18 Emmy nominations during the 2021 ceremonies.
“We will not be moving forward with a second season of Lovecraft Country. We are grateful for the dedication and artistry of the gifted cast and crew, and to Misha Green, who crafted this groundbreaking series. And to the fans, thank you for joining us on this journey,” HBO said in a statement in July when the news was announced.
After the sudden passing of Williams on Sept. 6, his Hollywood peers displayed an outpouring of love and grief on social media. Majors, who became close with Williams through their work on the mini-series When We Rise (2017) and Lovecraft Country, penned a heartfelt tribute for his friend and “brother” published on Variety.
“In reflection, it becomes clear to me that such a covenant was not so novel to my big brother, Michael, as it was to me all those years ago. He was an angel — a guardian angel — a man who put others ahead of himself at every turn,” he wrote. “He was his brother’s keeper to his last day. I can recall him picking up the bill, buying me underwear in San Francisco, as I had somehow run out of clean underthings, or teaching me the nuances of cologne and candle shopping. The last thing that was said between Michael and me just a few days ago, in closing an interview, was a simple ‘I love you, bro,’ ‘I love you, bro, for real.’”
Majors’ tribute closed, “Our angel. We love you, Michael. Thank you for your protection and your light.”