Veteran actress Aisha Hinds made her directorial debut with 9-1-1 Season 8 Episode 11, a fantastic piece of television from beginning to end.
Hinds has been a main character on the series from its inception, but this was the first time she traded in her actor’s cap for a director’s chair.
The versatile and gracious Hinds spent a few minutes with us, talking about all the work that went into getting her to this point and highlighting some of her favorite experiences stepping behind the camera.
For Hinds, directing wasn’t something that was necessarily on her radar.
In fact, her interest in the craft developed over time.
“I actually was not interested at all,” Hinds explained when asked about her desire to direct.
“It was our showrunner, Tim Minear, who planted the seed. He asked me, ‘Have you ever thought about it? Thought about directing?’ And I was like, ‘No.’ And it sat in my brain. Like, I wonder what kind of motivates that kind of question.
“So, I just kind of started to look from afar, but I was always intimidated by directing.”
Acting and directing can appear to be two distinct and separate entities on the outside, but there is a lot of overlap in certain key areas.
While Hinds “thought of it as more of a technical kind of craft,” the experience was eye-opening for her, as she saw a whole new side of the show and all those who contribute to bringing the series to life.
“I wasn’t really endeared towards it because I felt like the work that I really loved doing was more creative. So, I was rudely awakened and happily corrected when I got on the other side of the lens and really acquainted myself with everybody who works on the back of the call sheet.
“And seeing what they do and how they do it and what motivates what they do and how they employ such creative brilliance and genius to bolster the stories being told. And, you know, help us, the actors, who tend to get all the praise for what people see on their screens.
“But it’s really 150-plus hands, ears, and eyes who are helping to fill these stories out and make us as great as we are. So I have such tremendous appreciation for everybody’s contribution and understand now that there’s so much creativity to even the technical components of it.
“When I watch how our DP (Director of Photography) decides on camera placements and communicates to our camera operators. And when I watch our lighting designer put together the lighting and how they were very specific about placement.
“And yes, it is about getting a certain eye, getting into the eyes at a certain moment, and creating a certain feel for a scene. It really speaks and shapes how we experience the story.
“I have such reverence now.”
Hinds may not have considered directing in the past, but she was quick to praise Minear for not only broaching the topic with her but also ensuring that the idea came to fruition.
With his guidance, she embarked on her directing journey with the help of others within the 9-1-1 family.
“Tim Minear is the one to salute and celebrate for planting the seed, seeing it through, and ensuring that I got the opportunity to shadow the director on our show. Brad Buecker being one of them. He’s our producing director now,” Hinds told us.
“I got to shadow him. And Jann Turner, who was our producing director a few seasons ago. Joaquin Sedillo, who was our DP, and Tessa Blake, who’s another director.”
But it wasn’t just the 9-1-1 family that helped Hinds on this journey; she also looked to others in her life to shadow and observe, as she continued to gain insight into the beautiful craft of directing.
“I went out on my own and started to shadow friends of mine who were directors,” Hinds said. ” Like Anthony Hemingway, who’s also familiar with the Ryan Murphy universe. Then, a friend of mine who was an actor and added director to the canon of his work, Mo McRae.
“He was super instrumental in breaking it down textbook style for me so that I understood how to apply what I do as an actor to what needed to happen as a director. And they all unanimously said that the story is going to be your compass.
“Just let that story guide every decision that you make. And it was scary, but it was also very exciting.”
With the process of making the episode now over, Hinds could look back fondly on the entire process.
“Now that I’m on the other side of it, I am tremendously deeply grateful for the process and the experience. The product is an extra added bonus.
“The fact that I actually get to look at my television screen, see an episode of television with my peers that I’ve worked with for the last eight seasons, and then see my name across the title card.
“It’s a surreal experience, but it’s an extra added bonus to a process that I will treasure for the rest of my life.”
Hinds couldn’t have asked for a better script, as the hour had a little bit of everything: a big emergency, family drama, relationship woes, and some deeply rich character conversations.
But even with such a rich canvas, Hinds didn’t have a favorite scene in an hour that encompassed so much.
“I can’t say I have a favorite scene,” she said. “Because honestly, with each day, it was like, ‘Okay, now what is this playground going to be?’
“The big emergency of the episode was at the church. And so, I wouldn’t say it was my favorite scene to direct. It was probably the most daunting — the most daunting because it involved like 400 extras. There was a choir with music.
“There were all these components all at the same time. We were out there for multiple days, but the prep process was really enjoyable. You know, scouting around, finding the church, talking with the people who helped us at the church. They were wonderful.
“Opening the doors of their world for us to bring in our world was nice.”
While shooting the episode and ingratiating herself in the work, some days did stand out.
The 9-1-1 cast is notoriously close both on-screen and off, and while Hinds couldn’t pinpoint one specific scene that stood out among them all, she did have some great days with one of her friends on set.
“In terms of like fun, I had some of my most fun days with Oliver and the scenes that he had,” Hinds said. “You know, because he would come in, and it’s well known that he and I are good friends off camera as well. So, he was so happy for me. And supportive and excited for me.
“I would come in a few hours before crew call just to be in the space and take it in. And he would come in and just be so ready. He had thoughts and ideas and wanted to know what I needed, so we would kind of build it together. And that was really nice.
“It was nice to have his support in that way and have his voice and feel like we were not only doing this on one side of the camera but on the other side of the camera, too. So it was fun to be in the locker room, the bar, Maddie’s kitchen, and Eddie’s house. And those were some fun, fun days for me.”
Outside of the big church emergency, which saw patrons fall ill to carbon monoxide poisoning, there was also an emergency involving a man who buried his wife alive!
Overall, the emergencies were a lovely experience for Hinds, who got to see things through from beginning to end. She told us, “The emergencies were cool to go through a storyboard and have your storyboard pieces on the board.
“And as you’re shooting throughout the day, you’re just peeling off, peeling off, peeling off, and seeing the vision you had in your mind come to life.”
While this hour saw Hen in her element at work, there wasn’t much movement on Hen’s personal storyline, but that is poised to change very soon.
When we spoke to Tim Minear about this episode, he mentioned that there would be a terrific Hen episode coming up in 9-1-1 Season 8 Episode 13, and Hinds gave us some insight into what we can expect from the hour.
“They’re down here trying to break Hen,” Hinds clarified. “Listen, one thing they’re going to do is try to break Hen’s heart.
“In the episode directed by the amazing Brenna Malloy, who I can’t speak about my directing experience without giving praise and gratitude and thanks to her.
“Brenna has been like a shining north star for me because she started her director’s journey as a shadow with 9-1-1. And she went on to direct 30-plus episodes of television to date.
“She’s coming back and directing the episode, which we’re shooting right now, which is entitled ‘Invisible.’ So that tells you all you need to know.”
We’ve edited this interview for length and clarity.
We’ve got a few weeks to wait for “Invisible” to debut, but in the meantime, there’s still plenty to react to regarding this spectacular hour.
Hind is always a pleasure to speak with, and her warmth knows no bounds.
In the comments, please share your thoughts about the hour and what Hinds had to say about her directorial debut!
You can watch 9-1-1 on ABC at 8/7c on Thursdays.
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