Interview: Director Sam Levinson on why Zendaya and John David Washington were his only choices for ‘Malcolm & Marie’ [VIDEO]

Sam Levinson is one of the few individuals in Hollywood who seemingly flourished in 2020.

His breakout smash, HBO’s Euphoria, was universally adored by critics and last year won three Emmy Awards for its freshman season, including a Best Actress win for Zendaya for her portrayal of Rue. In the face of tremendous adversity and a never-ending pandemic, he still managed to find a way to film two fantastic special episodes to go along with season one and to serve as a bridge to the 2nd season. He even managed to figure out a way to film Malcolm & Marie (all under strict COVID guidelines), which is generating buzz during the peak of award season. Many are now proclaiming that Zendaya is all but assured of being nominated for her work in this dynamite film. Could an Oscar win be far behind? Could Levinson start to gain traction for his work on the film? At this point, anything is possible.

AwardsWatch contributor Dewey Singleton had a chance to sit down with Levinson to discuss Malcolm & Marie, which premieres February 5 on Netflix. They talked about being a dad, his work process, the very personal origins of the film, and the dynamite performances of his two leads.