Almost four years after its big debut on Hulu, “Wu-Tang: An American Saga” is coming to an end with a third and final season. Set in the early ’90s, the true-life-inspired series tells a fictionalized account of the formation of the iconic hip-hop group Wu-Tang Clan and its early success years, specifically around the impact of their seminal debut album, “Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers).”
“Wu-Tang: An American Saga” is loosely based on real-life people so the actors undergo some incredible transformations throughout the seasons to get into character. While biopic drama includes a star-studded cast – Ashton Sanders, Shameik Moore, and many more – a few Wu-Tang Clan members are also involved behind the scenes; RZA serves as cocreator and executive producer, while Method Man is an executive producer. Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, Masta Killa, and GZA also serve as consulting producers alongside the estate of the late Ol’ Dirty Bastard, who died in 2004.
Of starring in the iconic hip-hop series, TJ Atoms, who portrays Ol’ Dirty Bastard, tells POPSUGAR it’s been “a dream come true.” Sanders, who plays the incomparable RZA, adds, “It’s dope that we’re reintroducing this cool-ass f*cking group to our generation . . . that people have been able to enjoy it and we’re putting them onto this culture.”
Meanwhile, Zolee Griggs, who’s had the priviledge of playing a loose portrayal of RZA’s sister Shurrie, sums up the experience of retelling Wu-Tang’s Clan history as a “conundrum.” “It’s really cool though because you have people our age who give props, or I’ve got old heads who were here before me, really lived it, seen it, and they’re giving me props,” she elaborates. “I’m like, ‘Dang, this is really a cultural movement.’ I wasn’t even around or I was a baby, and these people are speaking to me with such passion and life. You can feel how it really resonated with them.”
As we get ready to say farewell to the modern-day Wu-Tang Clan and “Wu-Tang: An American Saga”‘s key players, scroll ahead to see the cast side by side with their real-life counterparts.
Related: The “Wu-Tang: An American Saga” Cast on Retelling the Clan’s Story: “Art and Life Mimic Each Other”
