Season 2 of Fox's smash hit, Empire, had a bumpy start. So far, it has featured cameos from Chris Rock, activist Al Sharpton, CNN anchor Don Lemon, Alicia Keys, Pitbull, and even Timbaland.
As Empire prepares to air the second half of the season, with eight new episodes that begin on March 30, co-creator Lee Daniels candidly addressed some of the criticism about the quick twists and turns that made many people love the hip-hop soap opera at PaleyFest L.A.
The Hollywood Reporter reports that the writer and director said that season 2 is full of "growing pains."
"We were learning. Sometimes you don’t feel like its enough," he told the Hollywood Reporter about the celebrity cameos. "That these people — these wonderfully talented actors — are enough and so you bring in this person, okay maybe we'll get more eyes..."
Now, Daniels is focusing more on the actors who've made the show special, like Taraji P. Henson, who scored a Best Actress in a Drama Series Golden Globe for her role as matriarch Cookie Lyon.
He said that he's learned that the cast is "good enough" without having to add the glitz of other famous musicians and actors.
Still, Daniels wants a few more recognizable faces to shine bright at Empire Records, according to Entertainment Weekly.
The cast's wish list includes the ever-elusive Beyoncé, Prince, Adele, Kendrick Lamar, Mariah Carey, and even acclaimed actor Sidney Poitier.
Sanaa Hamri, one of Empire's directors, also told Entertainment Weekly that she'd "like to bring more artists on to perform," including D'Angelo and French Montana.
While guest cameos may still be a thing, the fast pace of the plot may not be. Actor Terrance Howard, who plays lead character Lucious Lyon on the show, said that this season taught the cast a lot about making quality television at a "neck-breaking pace."
"Every week, we hit a hurdle that most people would trip over, but we're able to manage that," Howard said to the Hollywood Reporter before adding, "We do have moments where we're like, 'What in the fuck is this?'"
The New York Post recently reported that actor Trai Byers, who plays Andre Lyon, is planning to exit the show because he's dissatisfied with its current direction. The cast shot down this rumor during the panel.
"There's not a stitch of truth to it, but it does show the popularity of the show," Byers told the Hollywood Reporter. "It's not true."
AdvertisementADVERTISEMENT