A Night in Green with HBO’s ‘Lanterns’

Are you afraid? HBO’s newest show Lanterns delves into primal fear through the story of John Stewart and his journey and training in hopes of becoming the next Green Lantern. The first two episodes showcased John’s unwavering fearlessness supported through brilliant performances from Aaron Pierre, Kyle Chandler and the entire cast across the board. Ahead of the release of Episode 3, HBO invited us to a jam-packed special screening in LA where we learned that his bravery wasn’t conjured by a ring, but built through family.

After the viewing, we were treated to a panel discussion moderated by Trey Mangum with episode writer Vanessa Baden Kelly and actors J. Alphonse Nicholson and Jasmine Cephas Jones, navigating us through the journey of creating the episode. Baden Kelly’s writing gave way to a nuanced view of the superhero complex through the lens of being Black in America, allowing room for Nicholson and Cephas Jones to fully flesh out roles that aren’t often given their due space in media. The role of a black mother was thoughtfully analyzed by all three, ultimately recognizing the sheer strength within Stewart’s family to shape him into the hero he could be.

With the lights easing back on in the theatre, we then made our way to a reception glowing in green. Guests flashed their very own rings after answering what they were proud to carry on notes affixed to a wall, snapping pics in front of a giant ring on one side and a green carpet step & repeat on the other. Everyone also had the chance to step into the spotlight for portraits by The Lounge Booth alongside a glowing green lantern, giving everyone their own main-character moment. Food and drinks flowed to the tunes of DJ Benjamin Walker with notable faces including Wolftyla, Eleanor Barnes, and Dominique Barrett mingling throughout. The lantern was totally lit that night.

We couldn’t leave without getting an exclusive interview with the stars of the night, and we got the chance to ask them our most burning questions.

The big question throughout the show is: Are you afraid? So we want to know, what's an irrational fear you have?

Vanessa Baden Kelly: Storm drains, like– if you drop your phone in one of those things when you're walking by them, it's over. Like, what are you going to do? That's my worst fear. And then the next fear is coming back with a ringworm because you went in to get it.

Jasmine Cephas Jones: The ocean. We only know like 5% of the ocean. Okay? There's 95% of the ocean that we don't know. We know more about space than we do about the ocean. I'm not afraid of swimming on the beach or whatever. But like, what about the rest of it?

J. Alphonse Nicholson: If LeBron never gets another ring. What if this was the last opportunity? I saw him play in the All-Star game, but I didn't see him play a Lakers game.

What advice would you give to black creatives watching Lanterns and imagining themselves being a part of a project like this one day too?

Vanessa Baden Kelly: From the writing side, I will tell you that this was a lot of labor. And I don't necessarily mean just writing the episode or working in this type of room, but to be able to get my career to a place where I would be considered to be in one of these types of rooms. It came with a lot of rejection before I could get here, a lot of self doubt. It meant saying no to things that would have immediately fulfilled me financially. I had to wait and hope, keep writing and believe it even before I actually believed it. We did it and we got here. You just have to keep believing that you're going to get there, regardless of what you're seeing around you.

Jasmine Cephas Jones: Find your tribe, find the people that ground you when you have the rejections, and make things with them. Get creative. Use your iPhone to film things if you want to start filming. Create your own ideas with them and be okay with feeling stupid sometimes. The worst thing for any creative is to keep it all inside and never go for that opportunity because you don't think you're good enough. You need a tribe to lift you up, especially in the moments when you can't lift yourself up.

J. Alphonse Nicholson: For other actors, I would say try to do a stage play once. Try to step yourself into what that feels like, forming a character, knowing how you can do it within one setting and having eight shows a week. Audition for as much TV and film as you can. Create your own films, create your own TV shows, shoot on your iPhone, shoot your short films and continue to believe in yourself. Understand that the journey is going to be tough. There’s going to be a lot of no's. But know that your yes will come and it will change your life. So keep pushing.

Vanessa, DC has been building the world of Green Lantern for a long time. What does it mean to you to be shaping where that world goes next?

Vanessa Baden Kelly: I've been a comic book fan my entire life, so this has been just an incredible opportunity. But specifically for Lanterns, I feel like John Stewart is such an important character specifically to people of color in this country. He's one of the very few Black mainstream comic book characters that is from America, you know? What he embodies is not just blackness, but what it specifically means to grow up in a country that isn't necessarily rooting for you. Being able to give that some shape feels not only incredibly important, but an honor to be able to guide that and set the foundation for what this would actually look like if it were to happen in 2016 and 2026.

Jasmine, your character plays such an important role in John Stewart's origin story. How did knowing where the story ultimately goes influence your approach to her?

Jasmine Cephas Jones: I wanted to make her believable. When she goes into these very militant moments, I didn't want to be afraid to really go there. I was lucky enough to have a safe space to play. Shout out to Vanessa for writing a complex and deep character that I could really go there with. I was excited to do that and approach her with so much love because she is a mother first. We see it still hurts her and that she's also human but she still has to do these things in order for him to be a superhero.

To wrap us up, J. Alphonse: We see what kind of Green Lantern Hal Jordan becomes, but what kind of Green Lantern do you think John Stewart Sr. would have become if he had secured that ring?

J. Alphonse Nicholson: John Stewart Sr. would have been an incredible Green Lantern, especially in the streets of Detroit. He would have been so cool, he’d know everybody, walk in the store and he's paying for people's stuff, you know. I think he would be extremely kind but also be tough on the dads. He would clean them up in a sense where whether you need it or not, he's going to check in on you. He’d be like your uncle, your best friend, but also he'll come and save the day.

The DCU Series 'Lanterns' airs on HBO and HBO Max on Sundays at 9pm ET/ 6 pm PST.

This story is a collaboration between PAPER and HBO Max,

Photography by @JeremiahShoots, @GiannaSnapped and The Lounge Booth.