In responding to directing a massive episode like the Paradise finale, Hanelle Culpepper says, “…With “Exodus,” my goal was to do something that took the audience on a ride as great as that one, and it was bigger than my others. Episode 106 had suspenseful moments, but this took it to a whole new level. Paradise hits my sweet spot because I’m a director who is strong at building these immersive worlds that genre requires, but always keeping the emotional journeys of the characters as important as the suspenseful pieces, because ultimately that’s what keeps the audience invested and wanting to keep watching. “
YOUTUBE INTERVIEW: Director Hanelle Culpepper and VFX Supervisor John Weckworth discuss the ins-and-outs of both the poignant and action-packed visual effects in Season 2 of Paradise.
YOUTUBE INTERVIEW: Emmy-nominated directors Hanelle M. Culpepper (‘Paradise’) and Randall Einhorn (‘Abbott Elementary’) reveal the things they do and don’t say to actors so they achieve the desired performance onscreen.
I was going into prep for Paradise, and as I was walking into the production office, there’s a little alcove,” Culpepper recalled. “I heard them saying my name, and I walked in — I don’t know what my face looked like — but they were like, ‘It’s all good. It’s all good. You were nominated for an Emmy.’
Culpepper said that her first reaction was disbelief. “I’m like, ‘That’s AI,'” she said. “And they’re like, ‘No, it’s not.’ And I burst into tears and was like, ‘I have to call my husband.'”
The follow-up call didn’t go much smoother. “I called my husband, and I said, ‘I got nominated for an Emmy.’ And he’s like, ‘What?’ He made me say it five times! I was thinking, why doesn’t he believe me? Later on I found out — he told me, ‘You were crying so hard, I thought someone had died.'”
Culpepper said the honor means something bigger than her own career. “As a woman director, as a person of color directing, you always want to continue to open the door for people to come through,” she said. “When you get this, you’re like, ‘Okay, great, let’s open that door a little wider so we can have more of us come through.'”
Elsewhere during the panel interview, director Hanelle Culpepper thanked Brown for introducing her to Fogelman and suggesting her as a director for the series. “I just wanted to say thank you to Sterling so much because he is the reason I am here,” Culpepper said. “He is the one who told Dan Fogelman and the producers, ‘You all should meet her. I think she’d be great.’ And so, he brought me into this family and has changed my life.”
https://www.hillview798.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/hillviewlogo.jpg00adminhttps://www.hillview798.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/hillviewlogo.jpgadmin2026-08-19 19:19:462026-08-19 19:19:46Sterling K. Brown teases ‘Paradise’ season 3: ‘So off the wall’
How Director Hanelle M. Culpepper Turned “Paradise” Finale “Exodus” Into an Emmy-Worthy Epic
In responding to directing a massive episode like the Paradise finale, Hanelle Culpepper says, “…With “Exodus,” my goal was to do something that took the audience on a ride as great as that one, and it was bigger than my others. Episode 106 had suspenseful moments, but this took it to a whole new level. Paradise hits my sweet spot because I’m a director who is strong at building these immersive worlds that genre requires, but always keeping the emotional journeys of the characters as important as the suspenseful pieces, because ultimately that’s what keeps the audience invested and wanting to keep watching. “
‘Paradise’ Director Hanelle Culpepper & VFX Supervisor John Weckworth Unpack Season 2 Finale
YOUTUBE INTERVIEW: Director Hanelle Culpepper and VFX Supervisor John Weckworth discuss the ins-and-outs of both the poignant and action-packed visual effects in Season 2 of Paradise.
TV Directors Hanelle M. Culpepper & Randall Einhorn on How They Communicate with Actors
YOUTUBE INTERVIEW: Emmy-nominated directors Hanelle M. Culpepper (‘Paradise’) and Randall Einhorn (‘Abbott Elementary’) reveal the things they do and don’t say to actors so they achieve the desired performance onscreen.
Shailene Woodley reveals the George Clooney advice she brought to ‘Paradise’: ‘It changes the entire environment’
I was going into prep for Paradise, and as I was walking into the production office, there’s a little alcove,” Culpepper recalled. “I heard them saying my name, and I walked in — I don’t know what my face looked like — but they were like, ‘It’s all good. It’s all good. You were nominated for an Emmy.’
Culpepper said that her first reaction was disbelief. “I’m like, ‘That’s AI,'” she said. “And they’re like, ‘No, it’s not.’ And I burst into tears and was like, ‘I have to call my husband.'”
The follow-up call didn’t go much smoother. “I called my husband, and I said, ‘I got nominated for an Emmy.’ And he’s like, ‘What?’ He made me say it five times! I was thinking, why doesn’t he believe me? Later on I found out — he told me, ‘You were crying so hard, I thought someone had died.'”
Culpepper said the honor means something bigger than her own career. “As a woman director, as a person of color directing, you always want to continue to open the door for people to come through,” she said. “When you get this, you’re like, ‘Okay, great, let’s open that door a little wider so we can have more of us come through.'”
Sterling K. Brown teases ‘Paradise’ season 3: ‘So off the wall’
Elsewhere during the panel interview, director Hanelle Culpepper thanked Brown for introducing her to Fogelman and suggesting her as a director for the series. “I just wanted to say thank you to Sterling so much because he is the reason I am here,” Culpepper said. “He is the one who told Dan Fogelman and the producers, ‘You all should meet her. I think she’d be great.’ And so, he brought me into this family and has changed my life.”