Fiery cast brings Apple TV+ thriller 'Smoke' to life

Stars talk Apple TV+'s 'Smoke'
''Smoke'' stars Taron Egerton and Jurnee Smollett as investigators hot on the trail of not one, but two serial arsonists. The stars and writer Dennis Lehane talked with Paul Milliken about what it was like making the new crime thriller.
The latest collaboration between writer Dennis Lehane and actor Taron Egerton is a scorching drama — and we mean that in the most literal way possible.
Premiering globally on Apple TV+ on Friday, June 27, "Smoke" stars Egerton and Jurnee Smollett as investigators hot on the trail of not one, but two serial arsonists; Egerton is a former firefighter with a passion for writing, and Smollett is a police detective with an incendiary past of her own.
The series follow’s 2022’s acclaimed "Black Bird," which was also created by bestselling author Lehane and starred Egerton in an Emmy-nominated performance.
"I remember when I finished ‘Black Bird,’ I was on an e-mail chain with Dennis, and it was entitled something like, ‘First thoughts,’" the actor recalls. "And it was a list of Dennis’s first thoughts about the show, and I was like, ‘Oh, wow.’"
"Taron was in from day one, before I even wrote a line," says Lehane. "Once I began to really expand the Michelle character, and see how she was getting deeper and just more and more complex and weird, I needed a powerhouse actress."
That actress, of course, was Smollett — whose work in "Lovecraft Country" gained her an Emmy nomination.
"I was sent the first three episodes to read, and I met with Dennis, and who then told me the whole arc of my character," says Smollett. "And my jaw … I had to pick it up, you know? Because I was just shocked! And I felt so invigorated and excited to play someone who has so many different contradictions and flaws and struggles."
"Smoke" also stars Academy Award nominee Greg Kinnear, Rafe Spall, and Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine. Following this Friday’s two-episode release, one new episode of "Smoke" will drop on Apple TV+ every Friday through Aug. 15.
The Source: Paul Milliken interviewed actors Taron Egerton and Jurnee Smollett and director Dennis Lehane.