I remember at the end of Training Day, they wanted Alonzo to die in the worst way because he was a foul guy, right? We spoke about Franklin dying, or Franklin going to prison, but it was a predictable ending. But to live like exactly what he despised, his father, was a testament and was truthful to so many Black men of that time, who walk around Skid Row today, muttering to themselves and everyone else that they used to be the shit, and they used to have all the money in the world, and no one believes them. And that’s the feeling we wanted to create with Franklin’s scene. And it was a whirlwind, man. We shot the ending sequence over two days, I think.
I just remember, when I first walked on set, Susan, our script advisor, was crying in a corner, and everyone was just really affected, because—I’ve heard so many viewers say “I feel like Franklin is my cousin” or “That’s my brother, that’s my uncle, that’s my son.” We didn’t want a fairytale Hollywood ending where he rides off into the sunset, because there’s no message to the young people today who are in that world. We wanted them to see that there is a third outcome that’s even worse.
And were you a part of those conversations with showrunner Dave Andron—or even going back to Singleton, when he was still with us—about how the show might end?
I was fully in it. Me and Dave would talk extensively about how it was going to end. And we dabbled with so many [alternatives]. Like, maybe he completely loses his mind and he’s in a loony bin. There were so many ways to show the effects of him losing his soul. But Skid Row was always something that floated in the air. There was an alternative where it was going to end with a drone shot from Franklin. He’s taken a swig of his drink, and then [the camera] goes high, and you see all these tents, and it reveals that he’s now on Skid Row. But we thought ending where it began, right there on that street with those palm trees, was more poetic. Him ending as his father, of course. And him actually finding what he always wanted, which was freedom.
All the star players, we were very involved with the [show] bible and where our characters were going to end. And that’s great. That’s the way, as a performer, you want it to work on a TV show.
One thing you just said about Franklin being free reminded me of one of the more debated tweets that’s been out there since the finale ended. Someone said that, in a way, it was a good ending for Franklin, because he didn’t have the CIA or these other burdens on him. Are we supposed to feel like that’s a silver lining in that regard?
One hundred per cent. We saw what this kid went through for six years. But it goes back to the conversations I’ve had with people on the homeless situation in LA. They don’t have a mortgage to pay, they don’t have responsibilities like that. And I’m not generalizing, but there are a great number who choose, “This is how I want to be.” And that was kind of an anchor for me for Franklin. He’s just one with LA right now. And that ending, man, honestly, for me, I was actually trying my hardest to fight back tears. We had had so many different versions [of the ending]. There were times where I was just completely out of it. I was doing a full-on Viola Davis snot bubble. There were times where I’m walking by and I’m screaming at the police, “This is my mama’s house.” Like, crazy. And then there were times where he’s like, [I’m] good. And that was the one we landed on, man, because it made so much sense. We’re seeing through Leon’s eyes at this point. And we’re seeing a guy who’s not necessarily given up, but he’s one with it. He’s accepted it. Yeah.
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I remember at the end of Training Day, they wanted Alonzo to die in the worst way because he was a foul guy, right? We spoke about Franklin dying, or Franklin going to prison, but it was a predictable ending. But to live like exactly what he despised, his father, was a testament and was truthful to so many Black men of that time, who walk around Skid Row today, muttering to themselves and everyone else that they used to be the shit, and they used to have all the money in the world, and no one believes them. And that’s the feeling we wanted to create with Franklin’s scene. And it was a whirlwind, man. We shot the ending sequence over two days, I think.
I just remember, when I first walked on set, Susan, our script advisor, was crying in a corner, and everyone was just really affected, because—I’ve heard so many viewers say “I feel like Franklin is my cousin” or “That’s my brother, that’s my uncle, that’s my son.” We didn’t want a fairytale Hollywood ending where he rides off into the sunset, because there’s no message to the young people today who are in that world. We wanted them to see that there is a third outcome that’s even worse.
And were you a part of those conversations with showrunner Dave Andron—or even going back to Singleton, when he was still with us—about how the show might end?
I was fully in it. Me and Dave would talk extensively about how it was going to end. And we dabbled with so many [alternatives]. Like, maybe he completely loses his mind and he’s in a loony bin. There were so many ways to show the effects of him losing his soul. But Skid Row was always something that floated in the air. There was an alternative where it was going to end with a drone shot from Franklin. He’s taken a swig of his drink, and then [the camera] goes high, and you see all these tents, and it reveals that he’s now on Skid Row. But we thought ending where it began, right there on that street with those palm trees, was more poetic. Him ending as his father, of course. And him actually finding what he always wanted, which was freedom.
All the star players, we were very involved with the [show] bible and where our characters were going to end. And that’s great. That’s the way, as a performer, you want it to work on a TV show.
One thing you just said about Franklin being free reminded me of one of the more debated tweets that’s been out there since the finale ended. Someone said that, in a way, it was a good ending for Franklin, because he didn’t have the CIA or these other burdens on him. Are we supposed to feel like that’s a silver lining in that regard?
One hundred per cent. We saw what this kid went through for six years. But it goes back to the conversations I’ve had with people on the homeless situation in LA. They don’t have a mortgage to pay, they don’t have responsibilities like that. And I’m not generalizing, but there are a great number who choose, “This is how I want to be.” And that was kind of an anchor for me for Franklin. He’s just one with LA right now. And that ending, man, honestly, for me, I was actually trying my hardest to fight back tears. We had had so many different versions [of the ending]. There were times where I was just completely out of it. I was doing a full-on Viola Davis snot bubble. There were times where I’m walking by and I’m screaming at the police, “This is my mama’s house.” Like, crazy. And then there were times where he’s like, [I’m] good. And that was the one we landed on, man, because it made so much sense. We’re seeing through Leon’s eyes at this point. And we’re seeing a guy who’s not necessarily given up, but he’s one with it. He’s accepted it. Yeah.