Posted in: American Gods, Current News, Editor's Picks TV News, Movies, Recent Updates, Starz, TV | Tagged: american gods, bryan fuller, everwood, greg berlanti, hannibal, michael green, neil gaiman, showrunner, showrunners, starz, television, tv

Bryan Fuller, Michael Green And Their 'Temple Of The (American) Gods'

Even with Starz's American Gods wrapping-up its highly-watched  and critically-acclaimed first season only a few weeks ago and Emmy buzz around the series continuing to grow, co-creators and showrunners Bryan Fuller and Michael Green are already at work on the show's ten-episode second season (expected to premiere in mid-2018). But even in the midst of all that hysteria, both men still take time out of their way to connect with the fans and show them their appreciation for all of their unwavering support; and if there's one place where that's the most evident, it's their offices in East L.A. Fuller and Green opened-up their "fortress of solitude" to Variety for a walk-through, adding some of their own personal insight along the way:

Some people can burn-off their stress levels by throwing darts at a dartboard…but the levels that Green and others have to deal with on the set sometimes require a "sharper" focus: scissors. "Showrunning is a hard job. Sometimes you get frustrated and need to throw a sharp object into something soft." Finding scissors increasingly more satisfying than darts, he found himself quickly going through boards so assistants were charged with creating new and interesting targets.  Green sees it as something that helps maintain the peace…for everyone: "A surprising number of times a week, someone who I work with will come into my office frustrated with some frustrating part of their job and I will listen to them, put a scissor in their hand and say, 'Just throw it at this for a little while'."

Fuller has always credited the fans of his NBC drama Hannibal (called "Fannibals") with keeping the show on the air and interest in the series alive even after its run ended. As a sign of that deep appreciation, Fuller keeps a pillow featuring Hugh Dancy's Will Graham and Mads Mikkelsen's Dr. Hannibal Lecter and made by a fan on his office couch. "The Hannigram pillow really is just an acknowledgement of the significance of the 'Fannibals' who sent it to me and the connection between the storyteller and the audience. As a Fannibal myself, I find a lot of support in that community, and I wanted something in my office that was a constant reminder of these wonderful people."

Green keeps a letter on display from his friend and former boss Greg Berlanti (Everwood) that reads, "Michael Green has my permission to kill me as long as he does so quickly and painlessly. Offer is good as long as I'm showrunning." For Green, the humor in the letter also serves as "a constant reminder of a dear friend who manages to make the job look effortless while he does it on multiple shows and a constant reminder that showrunning is a job that no one should ever attempt and no one can ever do correctly."

Very few people outside of those directly involved in the making of the film can honestly credit the movie Alien with changing their lives. Green is one of those very few. Studying psychology with the intent of becoming a psychiatrist, he proposed an experiment to see how audiences would relate to the movie if they understood the deeper context of the film as opposed to just viewing it as another big-screen "popcorn flick." That decision, along with some sage mentoring from his instructor, would change Green's career path forever: "'Alien' was really my 'Star Wars' growing up. After I wrote the experiment proposal, my instructor said I needed to get out of psychology and go to film school. So I did."

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