As co-creators of ALLBK’s “Ship Assist” sequence, Mike Gauyo and Jean Elie carry to tv one thing folks by no means knew they wanted; An all-Black forged, intelligent, darkish comedy with first-generation immigrants that makes you snort and assume.
And the sequence is already getting a number of love on-line for its inclusion of Haitian-American expertise onscreen.
#SendHelpSeries obtained each Haitian actor I’ve ever met in Los Angeles in it. I’m bought @sendhelpseries @WatchALLBLK
— Ashton Morris (@ashtonmorris1) August 12, 2022
“Ship Assist” Is Darkish Humor With Out The Trauma Dumping
Within the sequence, Jean Elie portrays Fritz Jean-Baptiste, a buzzing first-generation Haitian-American actor touchdown a starring position on a fictional hit TV present, This Can’t Be Us. As life tends to humble us in actual life, Fritz additionally abruptly faces a flip of occasions that forces him to replicate on issues round him.
The “Ship Assist” co-creators chatted with TSR about balancing the darkish comedy within the sequence with out trauma dumping, creating the right recipe for relatable laughs.
Jean Elie: I really feel like darkish comedy actually imitates life, so it solely is smart for us to create one thing in that darkish comedy area versus simply balls-to-the-wall comedy. As a result of we reside in a world the place…for those who don’t snort, you cry.
We’re continually coping with so [much] BS on a day-to-day foundation[…}, so we wanted you to feel real, like a place where everyone can relate to and connect to in your everyday life.
Mike Gauyo: The thing is, yeah, we laugh, we enjoy things— but we go through things too. We experience trauma, heat ache, issues with mental health […] issues like that. It’s good to have the ability to focus on it and do it in like an entertaining manner.
Jean Elie Shares “Insecure” Audition Blunder
Elie has marked his title in tv by showing in HBO’s ‘Rap Sh*t’ and “Insecure,” however his character Fritz Jean-Baptiste remains to be nervous about auditioning within the first episodes of “Ship Assist.”
It’s important to form of stroll in there like, “if they need me, they need me. In the event that they don’t they don’t.” 9 instances out of ten, you’re not going to have that angle, you will have this nervousness.
Jean Elie truly thought he blew a serious audition with “Insecure” casting administrators, including that he nearly gave up earlier than he even had an opportunity to audition as a result of he centered on another person’s repeat efficiency although the partitions of the foyer.
After I I obtained Insecure, I assumed I didn’t get the job. As a result of I heard somebody auditioning and I heard them letting them do it time and again. I’m like “oh they like him, I’m not going to get this job.”
Elie did get the job, as Issa’s brother within the sequence. Now he has “Ship Assist,” his and Mike Gauyo’s rigorously executed darkish comedy, loosely primarily based on Jean’s life.
“Ship Assist” is on the market to observe now on the streaming app ALLBlK. Peep the trailer for the sequence beneath.
