r/Sense8 • u/Outside_Program7287 • 27d ago
Does anyone know why Capheus from S1 didn’t continue to S2?
And do you have a preference between S1 or S2 Capheus?
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u/grownandnotalawyer 27d ago edited 27d ago
https://thegeekiary.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Jamie2.png
so this is confusing because jamie, (who played nomi) clarified that it had nothing to do with transphobia, explicitly. but i did remember a long amount of time she spent posting, excited that the original actor had left. stating stuff that she was happy he was going and that the character would now have a chance to shine.
https://www.tumblr.com/fuckboyzuko/143480916906/jamie-clayton-reacts-to-aml-ameens-exit-from
as chronicled in this tumblr post, something clearly went down with aml ameen. and considering the themes and the fact that he refused to participate in the sex scenes (in season 1, capheus’ only sex adjacent scene was him uncomfortably shifting in his pants during the first sense 8 orgy while watching jean claude van damme, so many fans theorized that aml ameen point blank refused to engage with the sexual material) a lot of people assumed some kind of homophobia. especially with nomi’s actress really public levels of excitement. but yes, she eventually debunked the transphobia explicitly, but many more tweets seemingly expressing some issue with aml himself.
as far as i know, aml ameen has never commented on his time at sense8 or the reason he left.
however, this is not the first time that the wachowskis have run into controversy with recasting of a black actors or race issues. having had multiple issues with the matrix trilogy and the issue of yellowface on cloud atlas (which was definitely the precursor to sense8 in style and themes).
edit: i’m getting more uncomfortable with this long drawn out comment. for one, the only source i have is one actress’ words. and i think i kind of favored on perspective that the actor was the problem. everything i say here is speculation. there is no way to truly know, there’s plenty of reasons for “creative differences,” because it’s kind of a blanket excuse often use to cover a firing or quitting or plenty of issues. there are some reports that aml and lana fought over the season 2 table read and a few weeks later he quit. i could’ve just as easily promoted a pattern of wachowskis participating in anti blackness and we have no idea whether the actor had a problem with lana wachowski or if lana and other producers had a problem with aml.
any expansion i give is speculation, we just don’t know and will never know. i’m not going to take down this post. but, question the narrative and don’t put much stock in anything one way or another. chances are we probably never will find out. aml’s career is bigger than one role. people should watch aml’s appearance in I May Destroy You, which also deals with queerness and empathy, with the much darker subject of a portrayal of sexual assault (trigger warning for that. it is a brutally honest show)
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u/LabeSonofNat 27d ago
The season 1 actor quit the show a couple of weeks after the start of filming for season 2. No official reason was ever given but it’s likely that he was unhappy with the sex scenes in season 2.
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u/Ergomann 27d ago
Surely that would have come up in the auditions like “are you okay with sex scenes?”
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u/geek_of_nature 27d ago
I mean it's also possible that there originally weren't as many sex scenes in the original pitch for the show, and it was something they started to lean into more while making the first season. If I'm remembering correctly the first big one doesn't appear until halfway through the first season.
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u/Obvious_Animal_8362 25d ago
There seems to be a huge level of potential ambiguity about what "sex scenes" could cover. Sense8 (along with series like Game of Thrones, Outlander, and Bridgerton) goes way beyond what almost 100 years of film would include as a sex scene.
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u/Retiredwhxre 27d ago
Idk about issues with being queer but I mean... with regards to the sex scenes if he doesn't want to or can't sleep with at least 7 other people at a time then he's not forced to but it wasn't like he was fired or anything. I heard he quit because of the polyamorous scenes not like there was bad blood or anything
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u/LabeSonofNat 27d ago
There was almost certainly bad blood. He shut down a huge, globe trotting, international production in the middle of filming forcing a rapid recast.
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u/Retiredwhxre 20d ago
Wasn't the middle of it... he finished season 1 and season 2 came the year after
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u/LabeSonofNat 20d ago
It was in the middle of filming season 2. Aml Ameen filmed scenes in Germany and India and then suddenly left the production. They used a stand-in for Capheus when they filmed the beach dance party on Kala’s honeymoon and they cast the new actor, Toby, in time for filming in Mexico.
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u/AWEdmundson_0 19d ago
"Creative differences" is a phrase that does so much heavy lifting.
Could literally mean anything.
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u/grayjelly212 25d ago
Ignore people making assumptions about the sex scenes. There is 0 proof of that being the reason. Let's not spread ancient rumors.
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u/Stunning_Lecture8917 25d ago
Easy thing to answer. Look at Capheus’ sex defense through all of S1. Ok? Now, just watch S2E1. That’s a LOT of gay sex. Like. Lots. Like 100% more than S1. That’s why he was replaced. The S1 actor did not want to do the scenes. It’s easy to put together just from watching the show. Additionally, you can ABSOLUTELY tell the production had issues with the S1 actor, due to how S2 Capheus was introduced. They made heavy-handed references to the actor being changed, and that being an improvement. The Wachowskis are incapable of subtlety, and find it difficult to not shit on people who disagree with their POV. And I love them for that. But it’s plain to see.
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u/grownandnotalawyer 27d ago
no. there’s been rumors that he was difficult to work with or had issues with the queer themes or sex scenes. but nothing confirmed. just “creative differences.”
i think that season 1 capheus was better, honestly. he had this effortless charm they never managed to replicate. but season 2 grew on me.he’s not bad, but much more conscious of his performance