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Cape Town – The most talked about thing on the internet this week is a sex scene in the premiere of American Gods available on Amazon Prime Video.
The television series based on the novel by Neil Gaiman sees an epic clash between old and new gods as they navigate the human world.
In the first episode we are introduced to Bilquis, an ancient goddess of love, who in need of worship lures a man to a hotel room, has sex with him and then swallows him whole with her vagina.
It’s a scene rarely seen on television where the female character holds all the power during a sexual act.
During a telephone interview actress Yetide Badaki says that the scene encapsulates the character's being.
"Very early on we had the conversation about what is important to Bilquis, what it is that she wants."
Bilquis also known as the Queen of Sheba is an ancient goddess of love. She has enjoyed more sensuous times and is struggling to survive and find her relevance in the present world.
Yetide continues: "What was fascinating about that scene is that it absolutely encapsulates this whole journey and synopsis of the character, of the person trying to recapture the power and the agency and the connection of all of these things that she had in the past."
Shooting the scene took a lot of forethought and planning and Yetide says that from the top down an incredible space was created where artists can come in and explore.
"Logistically it took a while to shoot there was amazing technology involved, our visual people were fantastic. There are so many elements that came together to make it work."
A huge Gaiman fan, she read the book when it was first published in 2001.
When she got the call to audition for the role her first reaction was: 'Yes this is incredible of course this needs to be a television series.'
One of the things that immediately resonated with her with the book as well as the series was that it really is an immigration story.
The idea that she could add a voice to the conversation was what drew her to the role.
Bilquis' need for the human connection is extremely relatable in our technological and social media driven world.
"We are all searching for human connection again. Our experience with technology has made things a little more sterilised and colder."
She continues: "It feels like we are all toddlers now trying to find our way back to each other, back to basic human touch and face to face conversation and to a more tactile intimate connection."
And what’s it like playing a god versus a human character?
According to Yetide it's not that much different and both gods and humans have that same basic need to be love.
She explains: "What's really interesting about our show is that we are dealing with extraordinary beings in ordinary circumstances.
"Yes we are talking about gods and goddess but we are also seeing them trying to survive in the everyday world and so at the end of the day even with gods it is about the basic need to be loved. Viewed through that lens it’s not that different."
If she could play any other character on the show it surprisingly isn’t a deity.
"I have been fangirling Laura, Shadow's wife, a bit. She is such a fascinating character. I know she's not a god but Emily Browning does such a beautiful job. She is such a fun character, I can't wait for everyone to see her."
When it comes to that age old question of whether or not the screen adaptation lives up the book Yetide's answer is a resounding yes.
"It is absolutely true to the book. It was also helpful to have Neil part of the whole process. To have him say he is incredibly happy with what has been brought forth, there is no better feeling."
Watch the trailer here:
"American Gods premieres on Amazon Prime Video from 1 May, 2017. Customers who are not already Amazon Prime Video members can sign up for a free 7-day trial at PrimeVideo.com."
(Photos supplied by Amazon)
