Conversations with the Creators and Stars of ‘The Outlaws’

​The Outlaws makes its debut on Prime Video tomorrow, April 1st, 2022, and in anticipation of its release, we here at Nerds That Geek were fortunate enough to sit down with the show’s creators/writers, Stephen Merchant and Elgin James and its stars Rhianne Barreto and Gamba Cole to discuss the wonder of this brand-new series

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Stephen Merchant and Elgin James

John Betancourt: I would love to know more about what went into the creation of these vibrant characters from a writing perspective.
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Elgin James: I think it started off, we really kind of wanted to have these archetypes, and then to just like, kind of crack them open and see their insides and go deeper. And what was great for me is that meant… working with Stephen… is he would actually play all the roles while we wrote it out, we'd be writing a scene, so he would be Gabby, he would be Myrna. It was pretty, it was pretty rad. Um, but a lot of that was that, just like how we ourselves look very different. We come from different places, we have different backgrounds, when we have actually so much in common. Um, and I think that became sort of almost like I keep saying, we're kind of the billboard for our own show of just like, how much… what's the truth behind what people see on the exterior.

John Betancourt: What are both most proud of when it comes to this series?

Stephen Merchant: Well, you know, I really hope that as Elgin said, it captures our sort of joint sensibility really, is that it's a show about, you know, as Elgin has said, how we're all one step away one bad decision away from a whole different life experience, and that you can take a character, you know, like the man who perceives himself to be the sort of upstanding law abiding citizen, and through some bad choices, finds himself, you know, in trouble with the law, and his life begins to unravel. And so, you know, what we were hoping to capture was that feeling that, you know, that there's a very polarized world that we live in now. But that actually we're all one step away from an alternate life and that we actually have more in common than we perhaps have that divides us and hopefully, there's an optimism to the show and, and a hope, and a sort of empathy for all of these people, and that we can maybe make you feel or care or empathize with even people that you wouldn't particularly like if you met them in real life. And I think trying to develop a show that's about empathy and about humanity and common ground and also have some, you know, some jokes and some thrills. I like to think that that's quite an optimistic utopian idea to put into a show.

Elgin James: Yeah, it was a funny experience for me to have worked on it with Stephen so closely and deeply for so long. And then I was here working on my show in the States while he was actually out with everyone else producing the show. So, it was actually really moving to see this effort that we done and then you give it to your friend who you trust more than anything and they can see what these people executed, was just like honestly, I mean, it actually touches me really deeply and I'm so insanely proud of it of just of what they all were able to create. So, every element of it… I'm just proud of

Rhianne Barreto and Gamba Cole

John Betancourt: What was it that attracted you both to your respective roles?

Rhianne Barreto: I think the main part was that it was written and created and acted with Stephen, I think he's a British comedy icon and he's created such incredible pieces of work that it just felt like to work with someone like him would be such a treat. And then obviously, the character is so beautifully layered and complex. That was really exciting also.

Gamba Cole: Yeah, um, you know, I agree, working with Stephen, the story was so good. You know, I'm also born in Bristol, in the UK. And that's where the story centered as well. So, I had that connection as well. And I've got family members that are in the same area as the character Christian. So, it felt it felt right, you know? And, you know, the, the story over the six episodes is one for my character that shows you may be from a particular background, and, you know, have a lack of options and stuff, but you can still aspire and dream, and, you know, be a good person, really. So, it was nice to show that nuance and color and where you meet him to where you see him at the end of that series are two completely different places.

John Betancourt: Now that brings up a good point. In that, this is a unique show that doesn’t portray crime in a traditional or stereotypical manner. What did you both do as actors to prepare to play such layered and complex characters?

Gamba Cole: For me, I went back to Bristol before we started shooting, and I just spent time creating that backstory, you know, where he went to school and the shops that he would go to in the areas in which he would spend his time and stuff like that. And I feel like familiarizing myself again, with the streets of Bristol really helped cement me into my character. And I think a lot of the times as well being an older brother as well, and having that dynamic of looking after somebody younger than you, and really wanting them to become a better version of you and the environment that you've come up in. That's also something that I identify with and familiarize myself with too. So. Yeah, those were the those were the main things I would say.

Rhianne Barreto: Um, I, when I first got the role, I went to Oxford University and did like a tour of the colleges and pretended to be a prospective student. That was quite fun to kind of see… the like, intensity of that, of that university and what that means to be in one of the top universities in the world and, and what that meant when she… maybe didn't go. So yeah, that was really exciting.

John Betancourt: Now there’s definitely a fair amount of subtext in this series, and with that in mind, what are you hoping from a message standpoint, audiences take away from this?

Rhianne Barreto: That's a great question. I think the main thing that I think Stephen’s nailed on the head is that the people that you start the show aligning with or thinking from what they look like… you would get along with most or would understand the most… that maybe you don't, and the people that you think have nothing to do with, you don't share culture or history or appearance, are the people that actually you relate to the most, and I think the differences between different humans that maybe don't walk in the same shoes necessarily, but share the same kind of human desires of wanting to be loved or wanting to feel safe or wanting their family to be safe. I think it's really universal. And I hope that people also laugh at the show, too.

Gamba Cole: Yeah, just to echo what Rhianne was saying, I think it's important that you know, us as a people realize that no matter what background you come from, or you know, what class you are deemed to be in, when our backs are against the wall, we will always make decisions that some will understand, that some won't, and it just shows you that everybody is flawed, you know, and we should look at people with more with more compassion and understanding, you know, we were blessed to be a part of a show where we're able to explore, and we're able to show, you know, both sides, you know, in real life, you don't really get that, that benefit. So, hopefully from that, you know, people learn and start to look at that. Also, just people enjoy, you know? We've had a torrid couple of years. So, you know, there's a lot of comedy in the show, as well. So hopefully, people can just like, sit down, shut off, and just enjoy and laugh with us, too.

John Betancourt: What are you both most proud of when it comes to your time on this series?

Gamba Cole: Um, my growth as an actor, I think I think every job that I go on to, I always want to learn, you know, I always want to make sure that I can come off on the other side better. And I spent time with, you know, the actors that are a lot more experienced than me, you know, from Christopher to Stephen to Claire, Eleanor, Darren, and I would, I would always sit down with them, and I would talk to them and I would ask them things, just, you know, from an actor's perspective about the industry, and like, even the stuff about the script, and making certain decisions, and, you know, just improving, you know, my technical ability on camera, as well. Stuff like that is important for me, because I always want to be a student. So, for me, that was the main thing. And, you know, just also, we're in such a privileged position, you know, to do something that we love doing. So, it's always paramount that you, you take that enjoyment from it always, you know, we were doing it through a time where it was COVID and stuff. So, it really did change the dynamics or shooting, it made things a lot more strenuous, and stressful at times, because you couldn't really get that interpersonal connection that you always normally get when you know, you're not dealing with the meter of distance and, and the constant masks, stuff like that. So that did make it hard. But then again, I have to, you know, the crew were amazing. And the cast, of course, Rhi included, especially, just sort of made things easier.

Rhianne Barreto: Yeah, I think everything Gamba said really, I think we spent a year, I spent a year in Bristol, I think, all in all, because we did both seasons, not just back-to-back, but like, mixed and jumbled up. Like we did… when we came back from COVID, Stephen had written season two. And one of the first scenes we were shooting was episode six, season two. Which was one of the last scenes of the last season before we shot any of the rest of it. So, it was it was like, technically, a baptism of fire. And, you know, we got so close with the crew that I started to like, I don't know, I just feel like I understood to a high level… lenses and eyelines and what, how to conserve energy and what to do in a wide and tight kind of remember how you're holding yourself so that when they come in for closer shots, you don't start changing, you know, just all the stuff it was kind of it was
like really technical and really, really useful to learn all that.

These interviews have been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.