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The time has come; our Comic-Con@Home panel for Quibi’s Don’t Look Deeper is here! The new series was co-created by Jeffrey Lieber and Charlie McDonnell, with Catherine Hardwicke directing all 14 chapters. Helena Howard leads the cast as Aisha, a teenager growing up in Merced, California who starts to doubt who she is, raising some serious questions about her past and her parents. Don Cheadle steps in as Aisha’s father while Emily Mortimer plays her therapist, who’s also an artificial intelligence expert.

Yes, there is some very advanced technology involved, but Don’t Look Deeper is essentially a coming-of-age story about a young woman trying to figure out what qualities she got from her parents and what she’s learned on her own. It’s a concept that was inspired by McDonnell’s own fascination with how people are perceived versus who they want to be, something that also deeply resonated with Lieber as a parent. If you’re looking for a series loaded with curious tech that actually feels within our reach at this point, Don’t Look Deeper has you covered. But, it’s also a story that humanizes that tech and the creation of it by exploring its connection to personal identity.

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Image via Quibi

Check out the full Comic-Con@Home panel for Don’t Look Deeper with Lieber, Hardwicke, Cheadle, Mortimer and Howard in the video at the top of this article to hear all about their personal feelings on the rise of AI in the real world, what it was like making one of the very first Quibi series, the evolution of the entertainment industry, and so much more! We’ve also got a handy breakdown of the full conversation for you below.

Don’t Look Deeper Panel:

  • 00:32 - Don’t Look Deeper trailer.
  • 02:48 - Cheadle discusses keeping the Comic-Con experience alive at home.
  • 03:53 - Lieber takes us back to the beginning and discusses the genesis of Don’t Look Deeper.
  • 05:50 - Lieber discusses why they needed additional voices for the writing team.
  • 07:07 - Was Hardwicke hesitant to jump into making “a Quibi;” the benefits of working with the turnstyle technology.
  • 09:03 - How the chapter format wound up tightening the script.
  • 10:26 - The cast gives brief descriptions of their characters.
  • 12:11 - The group shares their feelings - and concerns - about artificial intelligence.
  • 18:06 - Mortimer on playing a convincing AI expert.
  • 21:42 - Lieber discusses the importance of the cast’s willingness to embrace the less likable qualities of their characters.
  • 22:28 - They look back on filming the awkward date between Mortimer and Cheadle’s characters.
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    Image via Quibi
  • 23:04 - Mortimer and Cheadle discuss working together for the first time.
  • 27:19 - Howard talks about why this was the right character for her to tackle next in her career.
  • 28:35 - What did Howard take from her experience working with Josephine Decker that she finds herself tapping into while working on other projects?
  • 31:25 - Howard talks about the stunt rehearsals required for the role.
  • 32:33 - Don’t Look Deeper was one of the first Quibi shows to go; the challenge of rethinking the storytelling process in an evolving industry.
  • 35:55 - Why Don’t Look Deeper was the director’s dream for Hardwicke.
  • 38:38 - The group talks about working with their ferret co-star.
  • 40:50 - Hardwicke talks about her visual style and the choice to create intimacy and humanity with handheld camerawork.
  • 41:52 - Lieber on the inspiration that came from being a parent himself.