Jami O’Brien – NOS4A2

By starrymag | July 24, 2020

By: MJ Asuncion

 

 

Q) Season 2 takes place eight years after the end of Season 1, so we really open up with Vic in Colorado, happy with her son Wayne and her boyfriend Lou. In a series, how do you convey eight years of time to help us really understand what she’s gone through and the long-lasting effect of battling Manx all those years ago?

 

Jami O’Brien: The time jump was something that we had always planned to do from the beginning of Season 2 because the novel spans a lot of different timelines and many years. But one of the things that it also does is it tells the story of Vic’s (Ashleigh Cummings) first encounter with Charlie Manx (Zachary Quinto) as a young woman. And then she re-encounters him again years later when she has a child of her own, which we always really loved and knew that we were going to embrace. In terms of how you accomplish the time jump, it’s a little bit like re-piloting the show. You reintroduce everybody. They are characters who we know and love, but they are in different circumstances. And having Wayne (Jason David) helps since now there’s this eight-year-old kid. When last we saw Vic she was pregnant and now there’s a child. She wasn’t in a romantic relationship with Lou (Jonathan Langdon), but I think that in that hospital scene you could kind of see a little spark. Therefore, my hope is that the audience knows these characters and there’s enough of a trail from the end of season one to make the leap with us into Season 2. Even though they may be surprised at some of the things, but looking back on it these things make sense. And they can come along for the ride!

 

Q) Season 2 is a lot more personal. Manx is set on revenge and really targets Wayne. Is this a driving force for the new season? How does that affect the storyline and direction of the season?

 

Jami O’Brien: When Manx comes back to life, he is pretty angry. And I don’t think Charlie Manx thought he could die. Then, when the engine comes out of the Wraith at the beginning of episode one in Season 2, he does die. I think that is a rude awakening for him and fills him with a kind of terror that he’s not used to feeling. Then, the next thing for him is that it goes from terror to rage pretty quickly.

 

Q) For me, this season is much scarier and definitely at a faster pace than the first season. Was that the intent for this new season to really drive the story along?

 

Jami O’Brien: It happened by following and honoring the story. We realized pretty quickly in the writer’s room with Season 2 that fundamentally it has to be faster because Vic knows who she is and she knows what her powers are. She knows who Charlie Manx is and she understands what his powers are. And Manx knows the same about Vic. And as soon as Manx sets his sights on Wayne, that’s what he is going after. We had to follow that impulse because to not do that would have felt like a “stall.” As soon as we started breaking episode three, there was a version of it early on where Charlie didn’t make an attempt to abduct Wayne and when we looked it, it just felt false. We knew that is not what he would do. He would go after Wayne and he would probably get really close. The only thing that really saves Wayne is that Lou is a good dad and Wayne is a smart kid with some knowledge of Charlie, unlike the other kids who were abducted.

 

Q) We once again see more of Christmasland from the outside. But will we see more of the story behind Christmasland, and how it came to be? And perhaps learn more of Manx’s backstory to hopefully understand better what drives him, besides his immortality?

 

Jami O’Brien: I will tease this; you will see another backstory episode about Charlie Manx. You will see more of his backstory and you may even see him as a child. And we will definitely see more of Christmasland in the back half of this season. Tune in!

 

Q) Without giving any spoilers, is there a particular scene that you really enjoyed filming, maybe because of location, how you shot it, or the effects like Manx’s transformation? Is there anything that stands out for you in this season?

 

Jami O’Brien: I am in awe of our entire team. I think Charlie Manx’s makeup is spectacular. I also think that the bridge is spectacular. One episode that already aired that I am in awe of, in terms of our production of it, is episode five – the episode where Wayne is abducted. I wasn’t on set when they shot that episode. I was working in the writer’s room. When I saw the director’s cut of it, I couldn’t believe it. We have eight days in which to shoot an episode and if you think about that episode, there’s an entire act of it that is spent underwater. There are more stunts in that episode than in Season 1 combined. It’s a huge episode. Tom Brady did a beautiful job with the script. Hanelle Culpepper, who directed that episode, just killed it. I wasn’t there for the shooting of it, but I would have to say episode five is pretty special.

 

Q) The series is based on a novel but with more seasons, there seems like there could be more stories to tell. Have you already thought about going beyond the pages of the novel, expanding on some of the storylines or the characters? Or maybe introducing your own characters?

 

Jami O’Brien: Absolutely! One of the things that the novel does, that I am really appreciative of, is it implies a much broader world. Joe Hill is really careful to spell out in the novel, that these strong creatives that we follow in the novel and in the seasons so far are not the only ones out there. There are many inscapes and many strong creatives. So, I think there is absolutely opportunity to expand the world and to keep telling limitless stories.

 

Q) Is there anything else that you want to add for the fans of the show or to further tease to us for this season? Any message you want to share?

 

Jami O’Brien: I’ll tell you some of the things I’m excited about. I am excited for you to see Maggie (Jahkara Smith) step up and start kicking some butt. I’m excited for you to see Millie Manx (Matteo Conforti) and where she goes. I’m excited for more Christmasland. And I’m excited for more of Charlie Manx’s backstory.

 

Q) There’s a lot to look forward to! I can’t believe there’s only five more episodes.

 

Jami O’Brien: I know it goes so fast!

 

Q) We are rooting for another season! And we wish you all the best of luck with telling this story. Thank you Jami for everything you have brought to NOS4A2!

 

Jami O’Brien: Thank you for watching and thank you for talking with me. I appreciate it.