We chatted with Pearl Chanda, Ty Tennant and Bayo Gbadamosi ahead of 'War of the Worlds' season two arriving on Disney+ - here's what the cast had to say about their roles in the upcoming season.
Gabriel Byrne, Daisy Edgar-Jones and Elizabeth McGovern lead the cast in the TV series based on the celebrated and highly influential 1898 book by H. G. Wells. Taking place between both England and France, only a small population of the world is left in hiding following an alien invasion. Season one 'War of the Worlds' dealt with the impact these visitors had on the characters, who are attempting to figure out their motive - and what they actually are.
Season two will continue to see the characters attempt to delve deeper into the invaders more closely, while others will question people's motives as humans continue their fight for survival.
What are the new themes that will be explored in the second season?
Bayo Gbadamosi: In some ways the second season investigates what it means to be human. And also, in the face of survival, there aren't necessarily any clear lines between good and evil, right and wrong, as everyone tries to survive.
Ty Tennant: The stakes are higher as well. You see more of an intention on both sides. And we'll get to see how both sides of the argument see it, and is it really a question about good and evil or just a question of basic survival instinct.
What do you guys see as the main difference between your version of 'War of the Worlds' compared to everything that's come before it?
BG: In our show, the backdrop is science fiction and the aftermath of an alien invasion, and it really focuses on the characters and how they go about surviving. If this did actually happen in the real world, what would we, as human beings, be like? How would we interact with each other day-to-day, and as time goes by how does that affect how we identify with one another? I do think you get to have a more intimate insight into the lives of the characters.
TT: It's not just the idea of aliens invading, I think it's the post-apocalyptic world that left afterwards and how do humans react to that.
Is there a danger that your character - which you dedicate a lot of your time to - might not make it from one season to the next? Especially when compared to acting in a movie.
Pearl Chanda: The way you show your character in film and TV is different, because if you've got eight hours over two hours, you have to show your character quite quickly in a feature film. You also have. tobe bolder in that sense. What draws people to TV series is that you get to see characters change and develop over time, and you can play it more subtly. The audience is up for seeing a more slower progression.
TT: Yeah, in films your character goes from point A to point B. Whereas in TV shows, it feels like they go from point A to point B, and back to A again and it opens up in that way. You have more time to reveal less - you don't really want to give it all away too quickly.
BG: Without giving too much away, you get to see some of that this season. You get to meet some of the characters in season two that you've already met in season one and you meet them in totally different circumstances. Maybe some are even unrecognisable..!
Have you thought about what you would do in this type of apocalyptic situation?
PC: All the time! All the time I was making it, I was thinking what I would do, what I would bring...
TT: I think my two biggest questions in life are: What would I do in an alien apocalypse? And what would I do in a zombie apocalypse? I'd like to think that I would survive very long and have all of my knowledge - but I just think I would be terrible. I'm so weak! Stealth-wise I might be alright.
PC: Me too, I think I'd be good stealth-wise!
BG: I've thought about this and I think I'd be one of those characters that more or less gets taken out in the first episode of season one - I think that would be me!
Do you guys love watching sci-fi?
ALL: Yes!
PC: I think in recent times, sci-fi has done loads for female characters. There's been a real wave of them with so many different types of sci-fi out there now and it seems like there's so much more of an opening for female characters. I thought of that the other day, and I would never have said that 10 years ago because it seems like such a male-orientated genre. But it hasn't, so it's great in that aspect.
BG: Yeah, I love sci-fi and comic books, and me and Ty are always geeking out about TV shows and on YouTube following lots of channels.
TT: I'm a massive gamer as well, so that kind of ties into my nerdiness as well.
'War of the Worlds' season one is available to watch on Disney+ now. Season two will be released on Friday, July 16.
