Our chat with D.B. Woodside was extra long and extra interesting! In the first part of our interview, we focused on teasing the ending of Lucifer season 6 and exploring the notion of Amenadiel as the type of man who breaks stereotypes. Now, with Lucifer season 6 already out into the world, we can go deeper into how, exactly, Amenadiel’s story ended, and why it was important for him to go through the journey he went through to become a “better father, a better friend, and ultimately a better brother and better God.”
Yes, I left those last three words out of the quote last time. But you certainly didn’t want me to spoil that, did you?
In the end, the funny thing about Amenadiel’s ending is that we all saw it coming. We called it. And then, somehow, we were tricked into believing it wasn’t happening …only to end exactly where we’d first theorized we would. Woodside shared that “I think I, along with everyone else, believed that it would end in the way it did end,” but “they took the long way around.”
And ultimately, that was a good thing, as “Amenadiel needed to go on this personal journey to realize that what he was destined to become is what he really should be doing.” In “dealing more with humanity,” in seeing the good – and the bad – something this season definitely focuses on, Amenadiel realized that “the biggest way he could make an impact was to jump in and run the family business.”
For D.B. Amenadiel definitely “need to see what the world needed” from a new God, but he doesn’t think the reasons Amenadiel first declined the job were just about not thinking he’d be the best man for the job. “He was thinking a little too much about himself,” he told us. “He was raised, groomed to be the next God and it’s all that he ever focused, all that he ever knew.” Then he “came to Earth, and decided to live amongst humans, and he started to branch out,” which was, as it is for everyone, a new adventure.
“I think for a while he wanted to do something different, he wanted to be his own man.” And that’s a very personal thing. So, “he went out in the world, tried to make a difference, tried to impact humanity… and I think he realized that if that’s really what he loved, really what he was good at doing, then why not do it on a much bigger stage?”
Perhaps as importantly, his time on Earth, with Lucifer – and later, in season 5B, with his Father, made Amenadiel realize things could be different. “I think he finally heard his calling, and he went back to the family business,” but he also knew enough to realize that “the way my father ran this is not the way I need to, so let me run it my way.” And “that made all the difference in the world.”
Interestingly, for Amenadiel, the catalyst of his decisions can be found in the sixth episode of season six, titled “A Lot Dirtier Than That,” an episode D.B. particularly loved – even if he was a little nervous going into it. “It was a great script from Ildy,” he told us, and “I got to work with my favorite director, Claudia Yarmy.” But “we didn’t have a room filled with Black writers,” which meant there was a lot of hesitation going into it. But D.B. shared that it was a great experience, as “they were very open to hear whatever feedback that I had, they were very open in including me in the process, and at the end of the day I thought Ildy did a great job.”
For Woodside, who has a lot of opinions about this topic – he’s had to, it’s impossible to exist as a Black man in America without them – there isn’t a simple answer, but there are a lot of things we could be doing better, things he’s ready to discuss, and very informed about.
But you get the feeling interviewing D.B Woodside that he likes to be super prepared, for everything that life might throw at him. This was also the feeling as we discussed the eight episode of Lucifer season 6, his directing debut, titled “Save the Devil, Save the World.”
“It’s the most challenging experience I’ve ever had in my life, but it’s also the most rewarding,” he said, right off the bat. “I thought that script was just beautiful. We were able to really sit down with those characters over one long night, in a way we’ve never gotten to do before.”
If you’re reading this interview you’ve probably already watched the episode, so you will understand why Woodside shared that “I was especially proud to work with Aimee and Rachael, because I feel like those two characters – that episode is so strong for them, and I was really intent in making sure that we really highlighted them,” in particular, “so that we were able to really see their growth.”
“Save the Devil, Save the World” will go down as one of my favorite episodes of this show ever, and D.B.’s work as a director is a big part of that. Thankfully, this doesn’t seem like it will be the last time we see him behind the camera.
“I love directing,” he told me. “It was a really challenging experience, let me not dance around it. It was challenging, because I had almost all the actors, all the time, in every single scene, and that’s a lot of people, a lot of bodies, a lot of strong opinions, and also a lot of talent, a lot of heart, a lot of generosity.”
Add to that that “it was also during all the covid restrictions, and we were one of the shows that it really affected early on. We weren’t doing our normal 12-hour days, they were more like 10-hour days, which …anyone who’s worked on set knows that 10 is more like 8 and a half.”
So “we were really hustling,” and “trying to get everything we possibly could.” But they also didn’t leave anything to chance. “We came in hyper prepared, because we knew the episode was going to be a heavy lift.” And ultimately, the finished product speaks for the work this team, this cast, and D.B as a director did.
“I’m really proud to say that it was amazing and it’s something that I love, something I think I’m very good at, and something that I want to continue doing.”
One thing is for sure, whatever D.B. Woodside does next, whether it’s in front or behind the camera, we’ll be watching.
Lucifer Season 6 is available to stream on Netflix.