Brian Tyree Henry Learned ‘Atlanta’ Had Reach as ‘White People Who Speak Different Languages’ Approached in Europe

With the third season of Atlanta finally arriving this week, Brian Tyree Henry spoke with Jimmy Kimmel about what took so long and what made him realize his own fame while shooting in Europe.

The last time Atlanta aired was in 2018 for Season 2. Due to how in-demand its lead actors quickly became (largely on the big screen), bouncing right back for another season wasn’t really an option. There were plans to shoot Season 3 in March 2020, less than a week before the COVID-19 pandemic shut down nearly every film and TV production.

“So you got to understand, Donald and Keith and Zazie and I, we all went out and did other things after and it took us a while to get back, just because we just started to go out and like, try to take over the world,” Henry told Kimmel near the 5:40 mark above, confirming it was scheduling issues that initially delayed Season 3. 

As for what locations fans can expect to see in the new episodes, Henry said the cast “laid our Black asses all over Europe.” Shooting locations included London and Amsterdam, the latter of which he said they filmed in while the city was still under lockdown.

“When we were filming in Europe, we had the most rare experience because it was still lockdown,” he continued. “So we were just running around these streets while there’s nobody there, no tourists, anything like that. So Amsterdam is known as like, the party city, but it was like everyone in Amsterdam was so happy that they got the city back to themselves. So everyone was just so happy and polite and kind, and on the canals and sharing wine and cheese, it was really nice.”

One of the main benefits of filming in Europe was that the cast were able to see just how far the show has reached audiences abroad. “You don’t know how crazy your reach is until white people who speak different languages are running up to you,” he said. “You’re like, ‘I think I made it now, danke.’”

Henry also asked Kimmel what the team could do to get him on the show somehow. The host asked how that would be possible since they’ve reportedly shot both Season 3 and 4, which will conclude the show’s run. “Maybe, we like to keep it mysterious for you guys,” he said. “Maybe we can just do our own Atlanta, Jimmy, we don’t need them.” 

Watch the full interview above. Atlanta Season 3 premieres on Thursday, March 24.