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Interviews take place in an undisclosed Los Angeles studio surrounded by tented trailers. The set is sparse\u2014just a table and two chairs in front of five cameras that are virtually operated by crew members who sit in another room and can\u2019t hear the conversation. \u201cIt\u2019s a very private experience for them, so that they can be free,\u201d Falchuk tells Vanity Fair<\/em> from the Montecito home he shares with Gwyneth Paltrow<\/a>, whom he wed in 2018<\/a>. \u201cThis is one time in your life you can really, really be naked about you.\u201d<\/p>\n Falchuk\u2019s producing partner Mikkel Bondesen first approached Danish TV and radio host Mikael Bertelsen about adapting his original concept, known as Det Sidste Ord<\/em> (which translates to The Last Word<\/em> in English), for American audiences. Bertelsen serves as a consultant on the Netflix series, which premiered last October. The 55-year-old Falchuk, who\u2019s created multiple scripted shows with Ryan Murphy, previously said<\/a> that \u201cdeath has to be real\u201d for prospective participants. Since work on the project began a few years ago, Falchuk confirms, seven interviews (including Dane\u2019s and Goodall\u2019s) have been filmed, with more in the works. But the identities of those interviewees are shrouded in secrecy, as is much of the process around this strange but profound endeavor. If obituaries and tributes eulogize people after they have gone, says Falchuk, then Famous Last Words<\/em> is a \u201cgroundbreaking\u201d (Paltrow\u2019s word, not his<\/a>) alternative that allows celebrities to set their own terms. Even so, it\u2019s a concept that begs a lot of questions, only some of which Falchuk can answer.<\/p>\n This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.<\/em><\/p>\n Vanity Fair:<\/em> I imagine that when you set out to do this project, you have an abstract idea of the interviews one day being released. But what has it been like, in reality, to share Eric Dane\u2019s and Jane Goodall\u2019s final thoughts with the world so soon after their deaths?<\/strong><\/p>\n Brad Falchuk:<\/em> Obviously, it\u2019s complicated, right? Because there are these beautiful messages that people impart. I get to hear all this great wisdom and humanity, and I really want everyone else to hear it\u2014but I never want anyone else to hear it because it means something sad has happened. But I also know I\u2019m delivering a message from them that they wanted me to, so that makes it a little easier.<\/p>\n Prior to this series, you haven\u2019t spent a lot of time in front of the camera. Why was Famous Last Words<\/em> the right time to change that?<\/strong><\/p>\n I\u2019m not comfortable in front of the camera. I don\u2019t like that kind of attention. I like my anonymity and the quiet of my life. The price I had to pay for being able to have this experience with these people and be the person they trust and deliver these messages was<\/em> that I\u2019d have to be on camera. I was willing to pay that price because this felt so profound and sacred, and because I didn\u2019t want to have to trust anybody else with that. Fortunately for me, there\u2019s no one else in the room. So it\u2019s always a lot easier when there\u2019s no cameramen or anybody in the room watching.<\/p>\n