On Becoming a God in Central Florida is set in 1992. Kirsten Dunst plays Krystal, the struggling matriarch of a family whose husband loses all of their money in a pyramid scheme. When she loses her husband too, Krystal has nothing left so she seeks revenge against the mastermind of the pyramid scheme. In 1992, Dan Quayle was Vice President of the United States and running for re-election with George H.W. Bush. Quayle will be a character in an upcoming episode of On Becoming a God in Central Florida.

Showrunner Esta Spalding spoke with Showbiz Cheat Sheet about the new Showtime series. Speaking about the show’s ‘90s milieu, Spalding revealed how the show worked a major figure from the ‘90s into the show. On Becoming a God in Central Florida premieres Sunday, August 25 at 10 p.m. on Showtime.

In six weeks, Kirsten Dunst meets Dan Quayle on ‘On Becoming a God in Central Florida’

In the sixth episode of the season, Quayle will be coming to Florida on the campaign trail.

“In [episode] 106, there’s a really fantastic fundraiser for Quayle,” Spalding said. “So there’s a huge Republican fundraiser for the election. It was the re-election of Bush/Quayle and he is the one speaking at the fundraiser.”

Dan Quayle does not play himself in ‘On Becoming a God in Central Florida’

The Dan Quayle of 2019 would not work on a show set in 1992. We all remember what Dan Quayle looked like then. That would require some Marvel CGI to de-age the real Dan Quayle. 

“We found an actor to play him,” Spalding said. “He has lines.”

Credits for Episode 106 are not yet available, but the actor was not a professional Quayle impersonator. 

“It was just a straight out audition,” Spalding said. “He did a great job.” 

‘On Becoming a God in Central Florida’ almost addressed Dan Quayle’s ‘Murphy Brown’ feud

1992 coincides with season 4 of Murphy Brown, the season in which Murphy (Candice Bergen) is pregnant. Quayle famously spoke out against Murphy Brown for glorifying single mothers. Spalding almost had a reference to that in her Dan Quayle speech.

“His whole thing was against single mothers so we had to really include it in his speech because Krystal’s in the background of the fundraiser,” Spalding said. “Then it felt a little too on point.”

Look for more ‘90s references in ‘On Becoming a God in Central Florida’

Episode 106 also pays homage to the alien conspiracy theories that proliferated in the ‘90s.

“There was, at that time, because of X-Files and stuff, an obsession, there still is, with Area 51 and with all of those questions,” Spalding said. “So there’s also an alien protest in that that becomes part of the fundraiser.”

Spalding could draw on her own life, and she had a staff to help find all the ‘90s Easter Eggs throughout On Becoming a God in Central Florida.

“We had amazing researchers,” Spalding said. “I don’t personally have any trouble because I lived through the ‘90s.”