‘Dickinson’ creator explores Emily Dickinson’s sexuality

October 31, 2019

New Apple TV+ series “Dickinson” dives into the world of the famed poet Emily Dickinson and explores the longstanding belief that she was in love with her brother’s wife and best friend, Susan Gilbert.

“I wouldn’t use either [lesbian or bisexual],” the show’s creator Alena Smith recently told Page Six of Dickinson’s sexuality. “I think one of the things that I’m interested in exploring is that in the 1850s, they didn’t necessarily have the same categories for gender and sexuality that we have today and perhaps that actually means that there were more experiences open to them than we have when we put ourselves in boxes.”

Jane Krakowski, Alena Smith and Hailee Steinfeld
Jane Krakowski, Alena Smith and Hailee SteinfeldDave Benett/Getty Images for App

She added, “I guess the only words I would use to describe Emily’s sexuality would be fluid or queer, but I think that can mean a lot of different things. She does have romances with men as well as women and she also has this weird kind of love affair with Death. So, she’s all over the place.”

The series, which takes place in the 19th century but has modern dialogue, follows Dickinson (Hailee Steinfeld) during her early 20s and offsets the storyline by bringing the imagery from her poems to life. In the premiere episode, “Because I could not stop,” Dickinson takes a carriage ride with Death, played by Wiz Khalifa.

“It really was so crazy because we put him on a mood board that we created for the character of Death and I was like, ‘My dream would be to get Wiz Khalifa,'” Smith told us, adding that one of the producers knew the rapper’s manager. “As soon as I got on the phone with him, I could tell that he completely understood sort of the statement that the show was trying to make and that character in particular, so it was a real, like, meeting of the minds and it was very exciting and fun.”

Smith said Khalifa’s character will be reoccurring through this season. Even though Smith remained tight-lipped on the future of the show, The Hollywood Reporter said it has already been renewed for Season 2.

Smith has no idea if the show will make it to the point of Dickinson’s life in which she secluded herself from the outside world before her death, but for now, the poet is the life of the party. In one scene from the upcoming season, a party turns from 1800s-style dancing to twerking set to an A$AP Rocky song.

“That day on set, everyone was sitting around the cameras, like, watching people do a three-minute dance routine, and it was so fun,” she told us. “It kind of felt like being at the theater.”

“Dickinson” premieres on Apple’s new streaming service on Nov. 1.

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