‘Lucifer’ Star DB Woodside Dishes All On The Journey To Season 6, Directing, and Saying Goodbye

As most of you know, we are huge fans of the show Lucifer, and we were given a wonderful opportunity to interview Lucifer star DB Woodside who plays Amenadiel on the hit Netflix series. We go into a deep dive, so be warned, this interview contains heavy spoilers for Lucifer season 6. DB gives a wonderfully unique insight on his work in the final season, including the journey his character has had, his experience on directing, and saying goodbye!

DB: Hi.
FL: Hi DB. Nice to meet you!
DB: You too! How are you doing today?
FL: I’m doing fine thank you. Hope you’re doing well as well.
DB: I’m doing pretty good yeah!
FL: Alrighty that’s great to hear! I’m from Fandom Lair and once again I want to congratulate you first of all for the huge success the show has had you know even from the transition from Fox to Netflix, and so with all the ups and downs the show has had you know cancellations, revivals, extensions, how does it finally feel to make it to the finish line?
DB: It feels bittersweet you know? This has been an absolutely amazing experience and you know we went into this show wanting six seasons we’re leaving the show with six seasons. So, what more can you ask? You know it’s always hard to say goodbye to something, especially something that you love so much but everything has its season and its time and unfortunately it’s time for us to move on but not before we give people one last season that they love.
FL: Yes, and I have to say Netflix did send us screeners and I watched season six so I can say that is something to be very very proud of. You guys really did an amazing job.
DB: Oh, that’s fantastic. Thank you.
FL: So, I have to ask. It’s been a rough year (actually kind of a year and half) for everybody. So, how different was it getting back on set with all the new covid protocols and what was the hardest obstacle you think you faced?
DB: That was really challenging because number one, we still have those protocols, but they’ve been not as intense as they were when we were shooting season six. We were a production that took it very seriously, so it was really hard, but you know, it was really necessary, and we definitely wanted to do our parts so that we were able to go to work. I do have to say, to end our final season with these people and when we’re not really able to touch or hug. It was so hard. It almost felt like torture, but I think the hardest thing for me was jumping into directing under those restrictions and it was really challenging because we lost a lot of hours in the day so it just meant that we had to be hyper prepared so that we can keep the day, you know…
FL: Keep it going.
DB: Drifting along. Yeah.
FL: Right and actually that’s a great segway because my next question actually is about you directing for the first time. I believe you directed episode eight, so going from being an actor to a director must obviously be a huge challenge. What was the experience like having to work on the opposite side of the camera and do you think it’s something you’d be pursuing more of?
DB: It’s definitely something I’m going to be pursuing a lot more of. It’s something that I love. It’s something that, I hope I’m allowed to say this. It’s something that I feel like I’m really good at and it’s, you know…I’ve been directing for the last 20 years. I just haven’t been doing it on a splashy beloved Netflix show.
FL: Right. On a bigger scale, yeah.
DB: So that was extraordinary, but it’s definitely something that I love and I was really excited to be given the opportunity to do this on a show that I love with people that I love. People that I know. I know how they work and so that was just great, and to be given such an amazing script to work with, which allowed me to really be creative and come up with some interesting shots and ways of shooting things that people haven’t seen on the show before. That was just great and so I’m really looking forward to doing a lot more of it.
FL: Well, you did a fantastic job. Episode 8 is personally one of my favorite episodes. It’s not an easy episode to tackle and for you to get the “bottle” episode, is what I believe it’s called in the industry, but yeah. Great job! Amazing.
DB: Thank you. Thank you so much.
FL: No, no problem. I want to get kind of a little bit into spoiler territory. I do want to say that this interview won’t be coming out until after the premiere, so with that being said, did you ever think that at the beginning of time, that Amenadiel’s endgame was to eventually take on the mantle of becoming the new God?
DB: I started thinking that that was maybe destined for him by season, I think 3 or 4, but no definitely not when we started the show. I don’t think any of us thought that but I think it’s something. I mean listen, we’ve watched Amenadiel kind of grow and embrace his humanity for the past six seasons. I think it was a fantastic ending for him. I’m very happy that that happened for him and I think the writers did a bang up job. They took the long way around, which I’m a fan of because I think we get to see different sides of a character that way and we get to see them really pay for….we get a chance to really see them work for this ultimate gift, you know.
FL: Exactly, it’s earned. Well-earned I should say.
DB: Yeah, yeah.
FL: And so, you know having been God, by having Amenadiel become a cop in season six, do you think that that influenced him at all as far as him taking over as God?
DB: I definitely think so. I was a little nervous about that when I first heard about it because from my own kind of personal life, like most black men, I’ve had a really hard time in my life growing up with police brutality and violence so I was nervous about that arc but I love the way that they did it. Yeah, I think here’s someone who really wanted to do good in the world. He really wanted to have an impact and I think by becoming an officer and seeing that impact in of itself is somewhat limiting. That it helped him come back around and embrace the family business as it were and realizing that he can have much more of an impact as God, and not the type of God that his father was, but the type of God that he learned how to be while being on Earth and embracing his humanity. That he’s bringing some of that learned humanity to the silver city with him and that’s the way that he plans on being God. In a very equal way with his brothers and sisters.
FL: As far as the relationship between Amenadiel and Lucifer, I know at the end of the show Lucifer does return back to Hell, so this is just a personal question from me but did AmenaGod keep in touch with him and others on Earth? I just kind of imagine him sending like e-prayers to everyone so that everyone can stay in touch.
DB: Yes, well here’s the thing, I love that scene with Amenadiel and Chloe towards the end of season six where she says to him, you know, more or less, that’s the way that your dad did it, that’s not the way that you have to do it and that’s where that seed gets planted so, I think, Amenadiel, AmenaGod, is still on Earth all the time. I think he’s there with just the snap of his fingers. He’s there. I still think he’s coming down watching over Charlie while Linda goes out on dates. You know I think…
FL: Right, he’s being the supportive “big dad.”
DB: Yeah. I think he’s there. He’s just not present in the police station but I think he’s still very much on Earth. So, I think that that’s great.
FL: A boots to the ground type of God. That’s what we all need right?
DB: Yes, absolutely we do.
FL: Absolutely. One of my personal favorite scenes of all time in this season was the scene where Amenadiel jumps off the building and fly’s up to heaven while Ella witnesses it. I think it’s a very beautiful and well-done scene. You know there’s something special and magical about witnessing the divine. As far as how it was technically filmed, did you have to do any wire work or green screen stuff for that?
DB: Yeah, that’s so great that you chose that scene. So that was a scene that I actually conceptualized. It was written differently. The way it was written was, they are just all standing on the roof, talking, and they are just in a semi-circle basically and Lucifer is trying and he can’t[fly], and so Amenadiel just unfurls his wings and shoots up in the sky and Ella witnesses and sees it and that’s it, and that was the scene. I just really fought for Ella. I just thought we have waited six seasons, and I’ve always seen Ella as the clearest representation of the fans, so here she is, and she’s the most religious one, and for her to witness something like this. There needs to be a moment. I mean this has to be carved out. So, I came up with this stunt. I came up with placing Lucifer on the ledge. I came up with Amenadiel leaping over the ledge, falling, us thinking that he’s falling to his death or something, somethings going on, and having Ella run down that alleyway sort of, and look over. I just really wanted to stay with her and see what her reaction to all of it was going to be, and I just loved loved loved working with Aimee. She just gave me her heart and her soul, such a wonderful actress. That moment for me was everything so I was really pretty focused on that moment because I felt like it was going to be such an important one, not just for the character of Ella. Not just to show how brilliant Aimee is, but for the fans. For them to kind of see through Ella’s eyes and see what that confirmation of the divine meant for her.
FL: Yes, it was absolutely beautiful, I’m glad to hear you conceptualized it. It’s such a huge take away from that season. I literally have it in my top five, it was beautiful. I think it was so well done and it’s a testament. It’s very hard to tackle stuff like that and for it to like really land. So yes, congrats on that, that was a beautiful scene.
DB: Thank you.
FL: No problem. So, you and Tom brought one of the best brother dynamics to tv, as far as relationships in the show, the brotherly bond between you and him, what would you say is your personal favorite scene that you two shared?
DB: Oh, wow that’s so hard. That’s a great question, cause we have had so…my god we’ve had some great scenes. I tend to…listen, I’m one of those intense gritty actors, so I’m always going to lean more towards the serious than the comedic moments and so, I’d probably say…my god there’s so many. I mean there’s the one from the first season. There’s the scene with the two brothers on the beach when he burns his wings. There is in season two, there is so many incredible scenes. There’s the episode where there’s the two of them teaming up. The whole fight between the two of them is so brutal. There’s a scene in I believe, in the third season, where he tells Amenadiel this story about this guy in hell, and the story is really just meant to tear his brother to pieces, but Amenadiel turns it on him at the last minute and basically tells him that he loves him anyway no matter how cruel he is. I’d probably say the scene that we shot in the second to last episode is probably going to end up being one of my favorites. Where it’s the last time we see the two brothers together.
FL: Oh, the angsty scenes, oh my gosh yes, heartbreaking. Oh, you guys had me crying, oooh, I looked like a whole mess after that episode, after that whole season actually but yes no it was beautifully filmed. Interesting, I like that you like those angsty scenes, we all do too.
So, we know saying goodbye is always hard no matter what, even if you mentally prepare for it but with that being said, how was your last day on set for everyone?
DB: It was brutal. It was absolutely brutal because my last day, my last big scene was that big scene between Tom and I where we’re saying goodbye, and so that day was…I mean I couldn’t stop crying. Tom couldn’t stop crying. We couldn’t stop hugging each other. You know this is has been a crazy journey for the past six seasons and this cast. We’ve just been through a lot. We’re really close and we really do love each other so, that was the final scene for Tom and I. Saying goodbye to each other, so that was painful.
FL: Right awww, I guess that was a great stopping point as far as final scenes go, but yes DB, I do want to thank you so much for your time and allowing us to ask you a few questions and once again we do want to congratulate you on the show and the success it’s had. You guys did a hell of a great job.
DB: Thank you so much.

Lucifer the complete series is available to stream on Netflix