WARNING: Possible spoilers for Westworld ahead
Westworld returns on Sunday for another season of mystery and robot hijinks. We know what we want from the series this season, but what about the actors? It would seem they might want a little more clarity in what they’re filming. The premiere for the second season was at Tribeca on Friday, followed by a Q&A that apparently rubbed a lot of folks the wrong way. It might’ve been light on the questions, but the Q&A did bring out a few interesting details about the production of the show — confirmed by James Marsden during his appearance on The Late Show on Friday.
Pretty much the entire cast is kept in the dark about what they are shooting and when they are shooting it, when it appears in the show, and how any of it fits into the general arc of their character. A lot of this was hinted at with the first season, like with the story of Jimmi Simpson’s William and its connection to The Man In Black. It would seem that nobody knew they were the same character until they watched it unfold on the show. It is the same for season two.
Imagine Marsden’s experience throughout everything, with Teddy getting killed over and over, left for dead a few other times, and then gunning down all of these people in a final fit of revenge. You could create quite the story in your head with these type of scenes, so maybe it is better to stay in the dark, But that’s coming from someone who is far away from the world of acting. If you’re a professional, it might be a little annoying or change the way you approach the job.
Jeffrey Wright captured this during the panel at Tribeca according to Vulture, noting how the shoot was a benefit for his character:
“They were filmed in a sequence designed to completely disorient me.” Wright went on to explain why this shooting style helped him play his character, Bernard, who is experiencing some major “time slippage” in the new season. “It was really a fun exercise in that it required me to try and understand the specifics of the moment that served the interest of the character.
He got some support from Evan Rachel Wood a few moments later, with confirmation that everybody on the show is just as confused as you:
Evan Rachel Wood chimed in, “I felt more confused in season two…
“We showed up to work on season two and we’d be, hey, hey um, what episode is this?” She turned Wright. “And you went, ‘I don’t know.’ Or we’d go, ‘it’s seven no it’s three no it’s seven,’ and the person would go like, ‘it’s one.’” Wright laughed
You kind of have to wonder if they have the same type of issue on something like Young Sheldon? If anything, we’ll get to see how it all comes together starting on Sunday night. The early reactions sound very, very promising.
(Via Vulture / The Late Show)
