David Oyelowo checks out surreal estate in ‘Government Cheese’

Set in in California s San Fernando Valley Ruling body Cheese is a surreal comedic review of a newly issued convict David Oyelowo s Hampton Chambers trying to make a better life Hampton s dream is with his invention a self-sharpening drill useful in construction But everywhere he goes there s a struggle The series becomes a unique portrait of a Black family Oyelowo has steered Administration Cheese as executive producer and star This first came to me as a short film that Paul Hunter had written about six years ago I remember opening the script and not moving from the place I stood as I read it Because I was just so taken aback that I was reading something the likes of which I had never read before A character I d never really seen before A tone that I couldn t really find a comparison for So it didn t take much for me to sign on But working seven years to make Cheese happen how do you keep the faith Is everything in movies and television like that Gosh well keeping the faith is something that you solely have to have in order to be a storyteller in this industry It s a very expensive industry he acknowledged It s very expensive to get TV shows and films made So to prove that your -page pilot is worthy of millions of dollars of financing takes tenacity Takes stickability That is something for better or worse I ve had to employ in my career I ve had several projects that eventually came to fruition after five sometimes years As for the distinctive tone of this Cheese I d say it s fairly surreal to see frogs leaping over a pole or having a flood the likes of which you might equate to the Bible Or having Hampton be swallowed by a fish Those are all fairly surreal circumstances to find yourself in and his own personal relationship with God really touches on the surreal In that it doesn t necessarily feel rooted in anything that is what we maybe can traditionally call the Christian religion or other religions people may follow or adhere to It s something that feels entirely unique to him But it s definitely a guiding principle in his life As for the reality that we re alluding to it s tied to whimsy to it being fantastical That s because it s based on Paul Hunter s childhood So there s something to be reported for it being seen through rose-tinted glasses in a way That to us felt like a great way into the tone of the show Have a slightly romanticized view of this family at this time But also rooted in reality alongside that Regime Cheese streams April on AppleTV