Christopher Papakaliatis opens up on the magic of 'Maestro in Blue'
"Maestro in Blue" creator, writer, director and star Christopher Papakaliatis says he never dreamed the series would gain such global popularity.
"To tell you the truth, I didn't know it would be such a hit," Papakaliatis said.
Produced by the Greek broadcaster Mega TV, the series premiered on Netflix in Greece and Cyprus in December before expanding to audiences around the world.
The decision to pick up a Greek TV series and launch it worldwide was a first for the platform.
The nine-episode romantic drama debuted on the streaming platform internationally in mid-March and quickly landed on its weekly list of top 10 most-watched TV series and films.
In the show, Papakaliatis plays Orestis, a musician who goes to the Greek island of Paxos to help produce a music festival and gets himself into all kinds of trouble. There's something for everyone: romance, forbidden love, murder and the tackling of tough issues like homophobia and domestic violence.
"I can't write without talking about what's going on around me," Papakaliatis said. "This is a love story, but it's also about societal issues, which is what makes the story so relevant and the characters so relatable."
Papakaliatis said the cinematic series was filmed as a "love letter to Greece" and that the decision to shoot on the Ionian island of Paxos is a personal one.
"I spent summers with my grandmother on this island," he said. "It's an amazing place. It has all this beauty and light. I knew that it would help connect with a worldwide audience because the island is a character of its own in the series."
Music is also a character in "Maestro in Blue." Papakaliatis said getting the music right for his projects is his number one priority. "For me, music is life," he said. "It's what gives me inspiration."
For "Maestro in Blue," Papakaliatis turned to his longtime collaborator, composer Kostas Christides, for the original soundtrack. The two worked together previously on his films "What If" and "Worlds Apart," starring Academy Award winner J.K. Simmons.
Christides, whose previous credits include "Spider-Man 3" and Netflix's "Love & Gelato," told ABC News that the musical inspiration for "Maestro in Blue" came from "character development, visuals, and even the faces of the actors who can sometimes impact which instrument I may use."
"All of that, together with frequent discussions with Christopher, culminated in creating the musical canvas of the show," he said.
Christides plans on more original music for season 2 and says the soundtrack for season 1 drops April 30 on all major music streaming platforms.
"People who loved the series can listen to the original score and, in a way, relive the experience through the music," he said.
Papakaliatis said filming of season 2 of "Maestro in Blue" is already underway on Paxos. Netflix has not made any official announcement, but Papakaliatis says he is currently in negotiations with the platform to bring the series back to the streaming service in 2024.
A request for comment from Netflix was not immediately returned.
