D.B. Woodside knows how to tell a story. Whether that be as an actor, as a director – he directed an episode during Lucifer season 6, and the only thing we can tease is this: it’s one of our favorite episodes in the entire show – or as someone giving an interview that feels more like a casual chat. Except not too casual, because important, heavy topics were touched upon.
If forced to describe it as anything, we perhaps might qualify it as the kind of chat that touches on ideas that aren’t always easy – because sometimes there are no solutions, just more questions – but that are always worth discussing.
As we chat down to talk to Woodside in advance of Lucifer season 6, some of our discussion did veer into spoiler territory. Those answers will be published after you’ve all had the chance to digest the season. But some of our chat wasn’t just spoiler free, it was the kind that might, if that’s possible, make you even more excited for what’s coming on the final season of Lucifer.
Starting with the ending. Because an obligatory question is, of course, not just about fan reaction, but about the actor’s reaction to not just the end of a show, but the end of a journey for a character he has embodied for years. For D.B., there was no doubt whatsoever on his feelings, and his hopes.
“It’s my hope that (fans) love (the ending),” he told us, even as he added, “I don’t ever like to speak for fans, I think that’s a mistake, because we never really know how or what they’re going to respond to.” But “I loved the way they wrapped all of these character’s arcs. I think they’ve given every single character closure, even if it’s a type of open-ended closure.”
That’s life. One story – or a part of it – ends, another one begins.
Personally, he added. “I think they did a phenomenal job. And that’s on the writers. I really hope that they’re proud of their work, because they deserved to be, and they should be.”
Amenadiel’s journey, not just in season 6 – though we can’t wait to talk about that – but in general, has been one marked not just by tremendous growth, but by the unequivocal rejection of stereotypes. And Woodside isn’t just very conscious of this fact, he celebrates it, sharing that one of the things he has appreciated more about Lucifer is “playing Amenadiel, and showing that a man is most attractive, most masculine, most appealing, when they’re actually living within their sensitivity.”
But Woodside didn’t stop there, and we are really glad he didn’t, because this might have been our favorite part of the interview, not just how open he was about this subject, but how educated and conscious he was not just of what he was saying, what had been achieved, but also the work that remains to be done.
“I think toxic masculinity is disgusting, and it’s something that, for me personally, I’ve been fighting against my entire life,” he told us, as he went on a bit on his background, and why this is such an important topic for him. “I’m a sensitive human being. I was an extremely sensitive kid and growing up in a hyper masculine world was really, really tough for me. I never, ever felt that I fit in anywhere.”
This has changed. “To see people now embracing sensitivity – it’s beautiful, and I think we need to do a lot more.” This is particularly true on TV, where the ideals of how men should behave so often celebrate toxicity and hypermasculinity in a negative way. Woodside was especially glad to be part of a show that always allowed its male characters emotions, good or bad, and communicated his hope that, as a society, we could “redefine what being tough is.”
Not just that, he added. “I don’t even think we need to apply a masculine/feminine to these things,” not the way we do. “I just think that we can live as humans. And being sensitive coming from anyone is tough.”
But not just in the way the world sees tough, or in the way the world allows toughness, but in a deeper way. Because “being sensitive in a world like this is a choice, and it’s challenging, because life is hard, but the more that we embrace sensitivity, the kinder the world is.”
This, in a roundabout way, all comes back not just to the show at large, but to the character Woodside was lucky enough to play for six seasons, one that he is really proud of. “I love the fact that Amenadiel came into this universe one way, and then six seasons later he’s leaving a completely different way.”
A better one, we would say.
“There’s something really remarkable about seeing a man embrace his sensitivity and how much it has opened him up and made him a better father, a better friend, and ultimately, a better brother.”
It goes without saying, but this is one of the things that has made Amenadiel a better character, one that we didn’t truly know how to feel at first, but we have all truly come to love. That’s on really good writing, yes, but also on a wonderful, giving, open performer who is all the good things the character embodies and more.
Will you be tuning in to see how Amenadiel’s journey ends? Lucifer season 6 will be available September 10th on Netflix.
The second part of our interview with D.B. Woodside will be up next week!
This is such a beautiful article. I can’t wait to see what you will be sharing during this interview/article after some time passes after s6, but really looking forward to it. Just relating to being a sensitive person and acknowledging it is very meaningful. Thank you. ♥️🥺♥️