Misha Green

Misha Green is like a mad scientist—uncompromising and innovative, driven by a radical curiosity and the knowledge that her wild and vast imagination can disrupt the status quo. I’ve been fortunate to collaborate with her on both of the TV shows she’s created: HBO’s Golden Globe–nominated supernatural series Lovecraft Country and, prior to that, the critically acclaimed historical drama Underground. Misha’s projects are birthed from a source deep within her; thus she fights tooth and nail to make sure no one tames her vision. As her collaborators, we are invited to be as creative and as bold as possible.

Committed to disrupting the patriarchal and white-supremacist narratives that audiences have historically been spoon-fed, Misha is on the front lines of change within our industry. She stands in opposition to the old guard simply by contributing to the normalization of Black stories onscreen—which, sadly, is still a radical undertaking. In an industry where about 89% of TV creators are white and 72% are male, I’ve witnessed firsthand how Misha’s very existence is a radical act. The way she’s used the art of storytelling to illuminate the humanity of Black folks has been nothing less than magical. I know she has decades’ worth of disruptive magic in front of her.

Smollett is an actor who stars in Lovecraft Country