Salvadoran-American writer Francesca Sloane is a force to be reckoned with. A degree from CalArts, a Master’s in screenwriting from UCLA, and credits on FX’s Atlanta and Fargo, her resume is impressively stacked. But perhaps what is most impressive is her ability to capture stories and use her voice powerfully. After making her directorial feature debut with Headbangers, which was recognised by the Sundance Screenwriter Intensive in 2020, she has gone on to be recognised in The Wrap’s Latino Power List alongside the likes of America Ferrera and Pedro Pascal. Now, she unveils her latest project, the highly anticipated series Mr. & Mrs. Smith, in which she serves as co-creator alongside Donald Glover and showrunner. Based on the 2005 film of the same name, it follows two strangers as they embark on a job as spies, taking fake identities, completing missions, and making viewers consider what’s riskier, espionage or marriage. We spoke with Sloane all about it.
Read the interview…
Hey Francesca! Talk to us about how you originally fell in love with writing. How did you find your style?
I guess my love story with writing isn’t all that unique, but when I was a kid, I was painfully shy. Nowadays I probably would’ve been diagnosed with selective mutism. The one place I felt comfortable to express myself outside of being home with my family was through writing, I just always enjoyed doing it. I remember once in second grade writing this story about a little girl who lived alone on a farm with her animals. She woke up one morning to find her parents (whom she had no recollection of ever meeting) seated at the breakfast table. As she became acclimated to finally being part of a family, she still secretly observed them from a keyhole and saw that they were masquerading beneath human flesh. They weren’t her biological parents at all, but instead, aliens from outer space there to abduct her. When my teacher offered us the option to share our journal entries out loud, something compelled me to take her up on it, which was very unusual for me. I remember the whole class growing silent… my peers, my teacher, they were all totally transfixed by this strange story. The air in the room became different. I found it hysterical. That was the first time I ever felt any kind of power. I understood the impact of stringing certain words together. I didn’t continue to read my stories out loud that way, but I certainly continued to write things down. I never expected to write professionally, especially not for a living, but as my career began unfolding so naturally, I felt so thankful to find something that utilised my brain in a way that made sense for me. I have no clue what else I’d be doing without it. I started off writing scripts that felt a little more dramatic, but being raised by people that laughed at tragedy, I think my work evolved more to my personality, which infused humour.
Who have been main inspirations and influences to you throughout developing your craft?
I’ve been lucky enough to work with many of my inspirations and influences. Hiro Murai, Maya Erskine, Donald and Stephen Glover. They all make me laugh more than anyone I know and feel so much without ever making it feel like it’s trying too hard. Then there are some influences that you might not sense straight away from my work, but I’m heavily inspired by James Benning and his anti-narrative, longform filmmaking. I always try, when I can, to sneak in, linger and lean into the “in-between-moments” for as long as the studios will let me get away with. James told me once that he heard the phrase, “that’s as boring as watching paint dry” and he thought to himself, “well that sounds beautiful, actually.” I also love Nina Menkes’ films for the way they break rules and Elaine May’s approach to characters. Also, Temra Pavolvic, she’s a good friend whose work engages crises of subjectivity through experimental filmmaking, writing and art exhibition.
What inspired you to take on the challenge of co-creating and show-running MR. & MRS. SMITH? How does it differ from your previous projects?
I’ve said this a few times now, but when Donald first approached me to do MR. & MRS. SMITH with him, I thought he was joking. It just didn’t seem like something we should do, based on our sensibilities. He then explained to me that the whole reason to do it was because it would be so surprising for us. We were used to creating smaller worlds and were lucky enough to write scripts based on gut feelings, and experiment accordingly. We were scrappy and that felt natural to me. But Smiths was a big spy action show, with a large budget and set pieces and storytelling rules that needed to be followed to satisfyingly pay off what people might expect with that type of genre. It was way out of my comfort zone. It would be the biggest thing I had ever done, and the most challenging. I think that’s why I ultimately wanted to do it. Plus, doing it alongside Donald, who I had nothing but respect and trust for and collaborating with our friends, made me feel more courageous to “take the big swing”. I knew we all spoke the same language, which is creatively half the battle. Plus, this is absolutely very corny, and I hope he doesn’t read this, but Donald believed in me. And that meant something to me.
How did you develop the idea for the series? Can you elaborate on the story?
We first started talking about the series in 2020, at the height of the pandemic. I had just decided to get married in a tiny little wedding in the backyard of my partner’s childhood home. Getting married was not something I was certain I would ever do, but that moment in time made us all reflect on our mortality, on the value of family, community, safety, and what was worth what. Donald really wanted to tell a story about marriage. Why do people get married? Especially today? I really wanted to tell a story about loneliness, and what that can drive us to desire and need when we feel that way. In our series, John and Jane are two lonely people who apply to a mysterious agency to become spies. Once they are accepted, they learn they have to give up their identities, their past, and become legally married to each other as their cover story. As they engage in these intense missions, they also start to become vulnerable, their relationship becoming all the more real. And when relationships get real, they become complex.
Did you face any unexpected challenges while creating it?
What didn’t I face when making this show! While making this show I got pregnant, had my beautiful baby, navigated the cast, crew and myself getting covid at separate times (I swear it felt like a cruel game of whack-a-mole). Then, my dear father had a stroke, and before we completed production, passed away. That was very hard for me. He was one of my closest friends. Throughout this production, all of the personal stuff started to seep into the work, which makes sense, that’s what happens. But I have never experienced such a true feeling of community and humanity in getting through all of this. This crew of people will forever be family because of all of those challenges. We all had little kids running around with grandparents and aunties on set, some of us got married, some of us lost our parents, I was running around location scouting with a breast pump attached underneath my shirt. Donald literally had his mom and son as guest stars on the show. It couldn’t have been more intimate.
On another note, nailing the tone of the show felt like a fun challenge. We always had a north star idea, but we really wanted it to feel grounded in its own way, darkly funny, but also still a fantasy. The show kind of told us what it wanted to be as we continued forward with it. It was a living, breathing and evolving thing. Ultimately, I’m very happy with where it landed.
An impressive cast is featured in the series. What was it like working with such a
talented ensemble?
Dream come true. If I could tell the teenage version of myself that people like Michaela Coel and John Turturro and Parker Posey would want to be a part of something I did, I would have fully fallen over. Every actor brought something so special and unique to the table each and every time. I’ll never get over our guest stars saying yes to this ridiculous project. And they were all so hilarious and bright and good-hearted, too.
Was there a standout day on set for you? If so, what day was it?
There are so many. But there was this one day, during our first block that the cat that played Max (his name was Chi-Chi) got lost underneath the stage for so long. I remember sitting around with the crew and Hiro, Christian, Maya, Donald and Paul, and rather than freaking out about how much time was being wasted, really enjoying hanging out with our sweet group of misfits. I felt so at home with them. It was a moment where it got to really sink in that I was living some kind of fantasy – creating with my friends, making work that meant something to all of us. And at the same time, we felt like bad kids in school that got excited that a fire alarm had gone off in the middle of a pop quiz – that we could just fuck around and enjoy each other’s company. The cat’s handler used to always loudly whisper, “Chi-Chi, Chi-Chi” when the cat wasn’t “acting” correctly on cue. After that day, the entire crew would say that to each other as a running joke, “Chi-Chi!” and we’d all join in, “Chi-Chi!”. We really did have such a good, and stupid time making this thing.
What can viewers expect from the project?
I think they can expect to be surprised. I think they can also expect to get the action that fans of the original movie are seeking. Hopefully laugh. But I hope that they become invested in the relationship. And walk away feeling something.
Your career spans across writing, producing, and now directing. How do you navigate these different roles? What advice do you have for aspiring creators?
All these guys, my friends, stick to the philosophy of letting the best idea win regardless of where it stemmed from and choosing the show first, at the end of the day. I think that’s a great technique in terms of creativity. In terms of producing, I think it’s so important to treat people solidly well. I mean, truly good. Making television requires so much generosity from literally every single participant. Ultimately, we are so lucky to be able to do what we do. We get to use our imaginations like overgrown children. There is no separation between personal life and work when are you spending 12+ hours a day with people, it is time and energy being spent. Whichever hat I might be wearing in doing those different roles, it all still comes home with me when I go to sleep at night. I would tell other creators to make it a fun hang. And as far as the project itself, make sure you really love it.
What is 2024 looking like for you? Are you working on anything else/future aspirations?
Potentially season 2! This time D and I would be collaborating with one of my favourite people and favourite writers, Taofik Kolade who worked on Atlanta with us. Also, hopefully creating my friend Yvonne Hana Yi’s show. She also wrote on MR. & MRS. SMITH. Her show is about a woman who loses her faith in God but seeks to find it again through walking dogs in Los Angeles. It’s an erotic comedy and it features animatronic dog puppets played totally straight. I’m pretty obsessed with it. That and hopefully, finally, writing films. Movies will always be my first love, it’s a medium that tells the most elegant stories that really stick with you.