The CW’s sci-fi journey sequence, Pandora, may’ve slipped underneath your radar when its first season premiered in the summertime of 2019.
Since then, its high-octane exploits, formidable story parts, and drop-dead attractive forged have attracted an enthusiastic following amongst viewers on the lookout for entertaining escapism.
With the Season One finale ending with virtually as many questions as solutions, Season Two, premiering on October 4, guarantees much more of its trademark complicated relationship shenanigans whereas the group tries to save lots of the universe. No biggie.
Becoming a member of Jax, the titular “Pandora”, and her established Scooby gang members, Xander and Ralen, are her new roommate Zazie and a shock (and never precisely welcome) blast from the previous, Jett.
Actors Nicole Castillo-Mavromatis and Akshay Kumar spoke with TV Fanatic by way of Zoom from their on-location shoot in Sofia, Bulgaria and had been extremely open and keen about their experiences because the newcomers to the forged.
Making a scripted tv program throughout the time of COVID is an entirely new expertise for everybody.
Manufacturing on Season Two started in Bulgaria on July 24, 2020. Nicole and Akshay flew out from the UK round that date and needed to quarantine for 4 days earlier than being examined and allowed on set.
All through the manufacturing, everybody who wasn’t on digicam was masked and anybody new becoming a member of them from the UK or US needed to quarantine upon arrival. COVID testing was carried out twice every week.
On the time of our interview, they solely had 4 days of taking pictures left on the season.
Taking pictures ten episodes in two months is, in Akshay’s phrases, “MADNESS” and made for a tight-knit core forged and crew who labored extraordinarily arduous, grateful for the chance to proceed to do their jobs.
“Realizing that we’re fortunate sufficient to work in a time like this,” noticed Akshay,”To have the ability to work overseas and be handled so properly and do our jobs in a time when most individuals we all know haven’t any work. It actually has overrated the gratitude of working and the enjoyment of working.”
As the latest regulars to the present, Nicole and Akshay felt extraordinarily included and appreciated by the forged members getting back from Season One.
Requested if Quintana, Dench, or Radcliffe have taken on a management function on set, they each felt that each one three stars had contributed to the constructive morale and vitality of the present.
“They have been extremely welcoming,” Akshay asserted,”And never simply to us, as sequence regulars, however to any visitor stars we have had for an episode. They have been extremely welcoming and also you simply make buddies. Each new episode, you make a brand new good friend. Priscilla, Ben, Olly, they’re simply very a lot steering that Good Vibes Solely form of feeling.”
Nicole agreed. “The Good Vibes Fam. However not solely simply them. I believe everybody from Season One — Noah (Huntley) and Vikash (Bhai) — simply everybody who got here again from Season One has been tremendous welcoming to the entire NOOBS — me! It feels a lot like a household, it is loopy how a lot I really feel all of us get alongside. It is fantastic.”
Talking about their characters, Nicole and Akshay had been each excited for audiences to find out about Zazie and Jett who begin out the season as a new-ish romantic duo.
In a small-world twist, the actors found after they met and began working collectively in Bulgaria that they really lived solely twenty-five minutes away from one another in East London.
Nicole got here into the Pandora-verse initially a complete novice. After reserving the function for Season 2, she went again an binged the primary season for analysis. As Pandora Season 1 did not even air within the UK till lockdown started this yr, she actually hit the bottom operating.
Zazie, being fully new to the present, is a wild card. She takes the place (actually, since she’s Jax’s roommate) of Delaney Pilar who determined on the finish of Season One to hang around with Atria 9 on Adar quite than return to the Fleet Academy.
Requested how Zazie contrasts with Delaney who got here from an especially privileged background and had been implanted with an enormous quantity of tech, permitting her mind to entry and hack — and, sadly, made her weak to being hacked by — the datastream, Nicole was affectionate about her character’s character.
“I might say she is only a actually bubbly, cool, enjoyable ‘chick’! She simply needs to be preferred. She needs some buddies. She is a little bit of a bookworm however she’s not tremendous good so she does have to review, I really feel, a bit greater than everybody else.”
However what’s her superpower? Nicole was cagily imprecise about what’s in retailer for Zazie.
“There are some twists and turns in her storyline. There can be some issues that you just discover out. However, all in all, she’s very healthful, I might say.”
On the preliminary similarity between Zazie and final season’s character, Atria 9, in that they each exude an aura of sunshiney optimism, Nicole may see how the characters examine that means however felt that Zazie brings a bit extra spunk to the get together.
“And there is extra spunk to return,” Akshay promised. “An abundance of spunk.”
Whereas Zazie begins the season based mostly within the Academy, enmeshed within the day-to-day interactions between characters, she does get roped into the house adventures too.
“Because the season goes on, she takes a way more lively function in that saving the universe plotline.”
Akshay, in distinction, had a bit extra expertise with life on the Earth Command Fleet Academy, having visitor starred on an episode in Season 1 earlier than being tapped to return as a sequence common this season.
Jett was not one of many good guys when he appeared on Pandora Season 1 Episode 6.
After Delaney’s implants had been hacked whereas she slept, leading to her strolling into the packed Academy lounge fully bare, Jett made it his enterprise to put up holo-nudes of her everywhere in the datastream as retaliation for a romantic rejection.
As he grew to become a lead suspect within the hacker investigation, it was revealed that his status as a tech-head was a sham.
When Jett makes his entrance on the Season 2 premiere, he’s met with comprehensible hostility from Jax and Ralen.
Regardless of his contrite apology and promise to do higher, his behaviour all through the episode does not do a complete lot to redeem the character.
(Whole disclosure: I may’ve described the character as a complete ass off the highest of the interview.)
“He thinks he is doing nice,” Akshay revealed,”however he is actually not. He is simply digging his personal grave.”
Whereas it is clearly going to be a steep uphill climb for the character to show himself reliable, Akshay defined his strategy.
“When Mark Altman, our showrunner, needed me again, I believed that the one means that Jett may come again was on a form of path to redemption however he could not come again as this form of born-again saint. I believed he would attempt to redeem himself in the one means he is aware of how.
“For me, it will be type of bizarre if he got here again as like a brand-new character with a model new set of ethics. His foundational character traits — his flirtiness, [“cheeky, charming behavior” interjected Nicole] — which could be learn as very douchy, I completely agree.”
Akshay paused to assume on it for second and added,”That is most likely extra me than Jett, to be trustworthy.”
LOL.
“He’s nonetheless on this path to redemption and he does get higher at redeeming himself, I’ll say that. He does not begin very properly however he is making an attempt.
“You already know, in class, whenever you strive so arduous to get somebody to love you and you find yourself simply taking pictures your self within the foot? That is very a lot Jett for the primary few episodes.
“He grows. He turns into a bit extra balanced. He does not lose his humor or his cheek which is very nice. We simply get to know extra about him and why he’s the best way he’s.’
Taking a look at Season 2 as an extended arc, Nicole and Akshay see the present discovering its footing as extra of a cohesive house journey.
“I believe this season leans extra into the sci-fi aspect of it, the journey, the excessive stakes, the heavy motion,” Nicole confirmed, then certified it a bit. “However, once more, there are romantic scenes and romantic storylines however I undoubtedly really feel like they’ve leaned much more into the motion of it.”
“The motion and the larger risk,” Akshay added. “The looming risk that we realized about in Season 1. I believe that is undoubtedly rather more current. That is undoubtedly extra on the forefront, particularly of Jax and Xander’s characters [decisions].
“What’s actually nice is the emphasis on relationships between characters which is a big plus. The fixed evolution between characters resembling Ralen and Jett and the place that goes, then Xander and Jax, Zazie and Jett, Zazie and Jax.
“There’s so many various webs that intertwine a lot extra, in a way more human vogue. Friendships are made and damaged, then new, unlikely friendships are made.
“All of the whereas, they’re all working in the direction of [confronting] the large enemy, the looming risk. So I believe that is undoubtedly rather more grounded.”
Nicole involves performing from an in depth dance background and whereas we cannot get to see Zazie trot out these abilities on-screen this season, she desires of with the ability to signify each her pure and nurtured background sooner or later.
“I’ve all the time needed to have the ability to play a job that type of represents the place I come from, my heritage. Possibly a job that could be a Latina. That will be superb. Simply because I really feel like I’ve by no means actually forged in that route.
“So it will be superb to play somebody of my heritage and ‘rep’ the heritage. Or as part of a musical. That will be nice.”
Wrapping the 2 wishlist objects collectively, I instructed one thing like Within the Heights, which garnered an enthusiastic response because it’s considered one of her favourite reveals.
Akshay’s skilled credit embrace roles on movies like Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Final Jedi and common roles on TV sequence, The Halcyon and Devs. His coronary heart lies with the action-oriented, stunt-heavy roles.
“I like stunt sequences and I want I had extra of that on this present. I get an actual kick out of any form of function that enables me to simply really feel like a child once more. And for me, the choose sequences I’ve on this present simply blow my thoughts. The quantity of enjoyable I’ve.”
Recalling he had lately watched John Wick 3: Parabellum, he expressed his want to be Keanu Reeves in that function.
“Something that is teetering on the harmful and you-may-die form of edge. I am a bit Tom Cruise-y like that…. yeah, I might be the British-Indian Tom Cruise. Let’s go for that.”
For each Nicole and Akshay, the expertise of being a part of the Pandora household has been nothing in need of fantastic.
“It is a dream!” Nicole sang out with out hesitation after I requested for his or her emotions concerning the present.
“Truthfully,” Akshay professed,”It has been such an important experience. Everybody right here is so beautiful, and everybody works so arduous.”
“It has been such an incredible expertise,” Nicole added,”I personally really feel like I’ve realized a lot being out right here and everyone seems to be simply stunning, so beautiful, and the crew is fantastic. The forged is actually fantastic. All the administrators we have labored with. Our D.O.P., Max, and Mark and Steve. Simply everybody.”
Pandora Season 2 premieres TONIGHT, Sunday, October 4, at 8/7c on The CW.
Be sure you examine again with TV Fanatic for opinions after the present every week!
Diana Keng is a workers author for TV Fanatic. Comply with her on Twitter.