[WATCH] Ryan Murphy on ‘The Prom’, His Career and Covid Tests – Behind The Lens – Deadline

Ryan Murphy takes us behind the lens of his first major film piece The Prom in today’s issue of my weekly Deadline video series, which focuses on filmmakers and their careers. Of course, Murphy is not only a director and writer, but also one of Hollywood’s most prolific producers who apparently always has several productions going on at the same time.

In fact, when I was talking to him during the holidays, he was tested with five different television programs at one point or another, with the added challenge of doing so under strict security protocols prescribed by the coronavirus pandemic: He talks about how to to complete the last few days of shooting The Prom after being shut down for months, he and Netflix, in collaboration with health officials, created the template to continue filming during the pandemic. (At the time of the interview, he had just personally received his 90th (!) Covid Test to keep working and keep his cast and teams going as well.

The list of Murphy projects is long American horror story and American crime story anthology series, Glee, 9-1-1, Ratched, The Politician, Pose, Nip / Tuck, limited series such as Hollywood, movies like The Boys in the Band and The normal heart, and on and on. The Prom is one of Netflix’s best award prospects this year at the Golden Globes and Oscars, and Murphy is no stranger to the gold rush, having won several awards over the years, including six Emmies in various categories as producer, director and writer. He laughs and says that he is basically known for ‘musicals and horror stuff’, although his diverse filmography reveals a collection of credits that go far beyond the genres.

Click on the video above and watch our conversation as we discuss it The Prom on record time on screen after the show was first seen on Broadway in January 2019; why the timing was right to bring it to the fore now in very dark times; which Meryl Streep and Nicole Kidman told him about their emotional state when he called to see if they wanted to sing and dance for him on screen for a while (‘I’m tired of crying. I want some joy have ‘, Streep told him); how he recreated Broadway in downtown Los Angeles when he shot in NYC for the time needed would be impossible – and so much more. Enjoy.