Chad Hodge on Creating NBC's The Playboy Club: "Diving Into Those Scrapbooks Changed Everything"

On September 7, 2011, executive producer Chad Hodge joined a press call ahead of the premiere of NBC's The Playboy Club, debuting Monday, September 19 at 10 p.m. Hodge created and wrote the series, which is set in the Chicago Playboy Club in 1961. He spoke about the research process, Hugh Hefner's involvement, and the character of Brenda — played by Naturi Naughton — and what her storyline reveals about the Club's actual history.

2,500 scrapbooks and a changed perspective

Hodge was candid about his initial hesitation: "When I first came into this project I had initial reservations — hmmm, Playboy, what's a scripted show about Playboy going to be?" What changed his mind was a visit to the Playboy Mansion in Los Angeles. "The first place I went was his scrapbook archive, which he still employs five people full time to maintain. He has over 2,000 to 2,500 volumes of scrapbooks starting with Number 1 from when he was 15 years old all the way to now — and he still archives everything from his life." The experience was transformative: "Diving into those scrapbooks was the most fascinating thing I've ever seen in terms of researching history. And I've done a lot of historical fiction in the past. This was really amazing. It inspired the show and the direction and the tone and the characters."

Hugh Hefner's role — and the New Orleans franchise

Hefner narrates the pilot and remains an omnipresent figure throughout the series — seen from the back, referenced in conversation — but does not approve scripts or storylines. "When he gets involved it's sort of like: oh, it wouldn't have been like that, it would have been like this. He corrects on historical accuracy sometimes, the history of Playboy." One piece of history that directly shaped the show: the New Orleans franchise. "The Playboy Club became a franchise. There was a Club in New Orleans that would not allow African American patrons or Bunnies. Heff closed that franchise within six or eight weeks and bought it back from the franchisees and reopened it himself with his own rules. He really wouldn't stand for anything that went against his code of ethics."

Naturi Naughton and the "Chocolate Bunny" storyline

Hodge spoke at length about Naturi Naughton's character Brenda, one of the Club's first African American Bunnies — referred to at the time as "Chocolate Bunnies." "Naturi is amazing. She has incredible energy and is an incredibly talented actress. She brings humor, she brings heart." He was careful to note that the show does not reduce Brenda to a symbol: "Because Heff didn't treat any Bunny differently than the others no matter what color her skin was, Brenda's character isn't really about that for very long — because that would be treating her differently than the others." Instead, Brenda's arc centers on entrepreneurship: she uses her tips to quietly pursue a dream of buying a building and becoming a real estate entrepreneur. "She starts on the sly, without letting anybody know at first." Amber Heard, who plays Brenda's roommate Maureen, added: "She brings so much more to that character than you can write on a page. She is so much fun to work with. She's a real pro." The Playboy Club premieres Monday, September 19 at 10 p.m. on NBC.

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