“It means different things to different people”: David Oyelowo, Simone Missick, Bokeem Woodbine, Jahi Di’Allo Winston, Evan Ellison and Aeysha Carr on Government Cheese

Government Cheese is a surrealist comedy-drama set in 1969 San Fernando Valley, following Hampton Chambers (David Oyelowo), a recently released ex-con struggling to return to and rebuild his previous life. Inspired by creator Paul Hunter’s own father, the series captures the chaotic dance between hope and hardship as Hampton returns to a fractured family and a society eager to forget him. Armed with a life-changing invention and divine conviction, he wavers between faith and desperation. Blending sharp humour with dreamlike visuals, the show dives deep into systemic inequity, reinvention, and the uncomfortable absurdities of starting over.

Ahead of the show’s release on Apple TV+, co-creator Aeysha Carr spoke to The Upcoming about the significance of the show’s title, shedding light on what it represents. She recalls recreating the San Fernando Valley of the 60s with a mix of realism, surrealism, and pastel colours. Carr also highlighted how the show resonates with contemporary issues, making its exploration of second chances and reintegration particularly poignant in light of today’s socio-political climate.

Bokeem Woodbine, who portrays Bootsy, shared that he immediately understood the essence of his character after reading just a few lines from the script and revisited Wallace Terry’s Bloods: Black Veterans of the Vietnam War: An Oral History, drawing from its powerful testimonies of Black veterans to better portray the complexities and nuances of Bootsy’s backstory.

Simone Missick and Oyelowo, who play Hampton’s wife Astoria and the titular character respectively, revealed that they were able to rely on co-creator Hunter’s insights and personal anecdotes to ground the characters in their time and place. Oyelowo also remarked on how the San Fernando Valley has remained surprisingly unchanged over the decades – apart from the addition of solar panels – maintaining the same houses and roads.

Jahi Di’Allo Winston and Evan Ellison, who portray the brothers Harrison and Einstein, discussed how they approached and understood their characters, as well as their on-screen father, Hampton. They reflected on the show’s central theme of creating something out of nothing and how, despite being a comedy, it remains grounded in truth.

Christina Yang

Government Cheese is released on Apple TV+ on 16^th April 2025.

Watch the trailer for Government Cheese here: