La Brea

By starrymag | September 26, 2022

By: Jamie Steinberg

 

 

Q) For Mr. Appelbaum, this is a production question. Is the balance between practical and CGI about the same this season, or has it changed? And if it has changed, why has it changed?  What did you find was harder or easier or ‑‑ because they have completely alienated. 

 

DAVID APPELBAUM:  No, that’s a good question. I think some of the things that really appeal to the audience are the spectacle and the animals and building up this world of 10,000 B.C.  In order to achieve that, we need some measure of visual effects.  So, there’s definitely, you know, a good deal of it this season.  As far as the balance between this and last season, it’s hard to say, but I think, you know, if the audiences liked what we were doing last season and all of those things with the animals and the spectacle they’re certainly going to enjoy Season 2.

 

Q) This may be more of a question for your effects team, but ‑‑ or maybe it’s a question for the actors. When you have something on set that you’re meant to interact with, like a mastodon, what do they have on set for you to physically interact with? It’s obviously not a mastodon. 

 

DAVID APPELBAUM:  Well, it depends.  Sometimes, there’s nothing, and you’re imagining what it is. Other times, they’ll bring out people in blue suits that will mimic what the animal is doing.  Sometimes, they’ll bring out the actual prop of the animal itself.  But I know these guys might have some fun stories about what it’s like to interact with those things.  You know, it certainly takes a lot of, you know, creativity and putting yourself in a different world to imagine yourself with an animal, but these guys do a great job with it.

 

EOIN MACKEN:  We usually have Adam Davidson waving his hands and running around. (Laughs.) That always works on my end for ‑‑ to, kind of, mimic a woolly mammoth.

 

NICHOLAS GONZALEZ:  Yeah.  I have one thing that was particularly funny is ‑‑ because I didn’t have to deal with a lot of that, I think when the world was intro’d, my character didn’t come in until, like, the third episode in the last season, but there’s some wolves that show up ‑‑ if I can say it, David, and I already did ‑‑ and what I think was really funny was, not only was the guy in the ‑‑ he’s not only in a blue suit, he’s in a blue ‑‑ like, a leotard. Okay?  And then, snarling and acting like the animal and doing, like, his best impression and very, very into it.  So sometimes it’s hard keeping a straight face.

 

EOIN MACKEN:  Oh, that was the guy who was doing the full wolf howl, right?

 

NICHOLAS GONZALEZ:  Yeah, he was snarling and looking ‑‑

 

EOIN MACKEN:  And he was kind of basically almost, like, kind of sending his voice over.  It was pretty cool.

 

Q) So, other than maybe some of the green screen stuff you just talked about, what were some of the unique acting challenges that you found this season? For the performers.

 

JACK MARTIN:  I know one thing that’s very interesting for me is ‑‑ I don’t want to give anything away, but there’s obviously a lot of time jumps in the series, without saying anything specific.  And so there’s problems that present as a result of that, while remaining vague.  And so people are in times that maybe they shouldn’t be in, and you end up having to imagine, sometimes, even your own family members when they’re not the age they should be.  And it can completely change the dynamic.  And that’s got to be top on my list.

 

EOIN MACKEN:  I think one of the cool things that I found about just doing this show, in particularly, but especially this year, was just how exciting all the scripts were.  And it’s one of those ones where you get asked a couple of times, “Do we know what’s happening at a time?”  And Dave has been really cool, in terms of how he kind of gives us information, but it makes it — like, we sort of feel like the characters, in a way, where we’re on this, kind of, journey and adventure, and you’re not sure where it’s going to go from episode to episode.  So it’s become this kind of a ‑‑ this kind of fun, action‑packed experience for all us as well.  So from an acting point of view, you’re also sort of figuring out the character’s journey as the audience is going through the story.  So that’s been kind of the most exciting thing with it.

 

Q) This question is for David and Zyra. Without spoiling much of anything, in the premier, there’s a bit of drama revolving around Izzy’s prosthetic leg, which, when it happened, I was, like, “Oh, damn, that’s clearly, like, something that could happen.” I was curious, was that something that the writers came up with? And had Zyra written that, is that maybe, perhaps, something Zyra pitched? 

 

DAVID APPELBAUM:  Well, I’ll let Zyra talk about it a little bit too, but, you know, it was an idea in the writers’ room, but we certainly spoke ‑‑ you know, consulted with Zyra about, you know, how it would play out.  And maybe, Zyra, you want to speak a little bit about, you know, what that experience was like shooting it.

 

ZYRA GORECKI:  Yeah, it was ‑‑ it was really weird also just thinking about, like, being in 10,000 B.C. and having a fake leg and all of the garbage that goes with it, but David was really awesome about, like, asking exactly what would happen if that were the case, if you did ‑‑ something did happen to your leg in     10,000 B.C.

 

Q) Zyra, because you were kind of away from the special effects world the first season, and now you’re right in the middle of it here, I wanted to ask you a little bit about particularly the early scenes where you had to pat the little baby mammoth and it seemed very believable. You seemed pretty loving of it. What were you patting at that point, and could you kind of describe what that scene was like for you?  Just in general, what it’s like, some of these special effects scenes.

 

ZYRA GORECKI:  It was like a foam ‑‑ (laughs) ‑‑ a foam head.  It was, like, a baby rhino foam head, with Adam Davidson just holding it and wiggling it at you.  It was great.  It was super entertaining.

 

Q) And this being your special effects season, what did it feel like? How is this different for you than the first season? 

 

ZYRA GORECKI:  Totally different.  Totally different because you really have to, a lot of times, imagine something that’s not there, and a lot of times, you’re afraid of it because it’s trying to hurt you.  So being afraid of something that isn’t there is wild. (laughs)

 

Q) This is an interesting season for you, Jack. He has to traverse the ’80s. What was your experience like, as far as costumes and learning the lingo of the times? 

 

JACK MARTIN:  I mean, it was a dream for me.  As soon as David told me we were going to the ’80s, I was kind of jumping up and down and freaking out in excitement.  I’m naturally ‑‑ I was already obsessed with the ’80s.  The “Top Gun” soundtrack was my number one most played song on Spotify in 2020.  So I was leaning right into it.  We have some great needle drops in there that I am incredibly excited to see on screen that were really fun to film.  As for costume, it was a lot of consulting my parents and looking at photos of them wearing ridiculous things and being like, “This is really what you guys wore?”  And then, putting it on myself.  So I think it was incredibly fun, and I can’t wait for you guys to see it.

 

DAVID APPELBAUM:  And I’ll say, Veronica is also a huge part of that story in the ’80s, and the dynamic that her and Jack have together is fantastic.  Maybe, Veronica, you want to talk a little bit about what it’s been like shooting some of those scenes too.

 

VERONICA ST. CLAIR:  Yeah.  I mean, it’s been so much fun to get to shoot this separate storyline with Jack.  And, yeah, I mean, the ’80s, it’s fun.  The hair is big. The costumes are great. the music is amazing.  I mean, we’re really just having so much fun, and there’s such a ‑‑ the difference in shooting this year and shooting last year is vast.  I mean, obviously, like, we get to be amongst civilization, we get to shoot interior scenes, you know. So it’s been ‑‑ it’s been a lot of fun.  We’re not in the mud. We’re not in the rain. We’re not in an Austrian winter. So ‑‑

 

NATALIE ZEA:  Okay.  Okay.  We get it.

 

(Laughter.)

 

VERONICA ST. CLAIR:  But, yeah, it’s great.  It’s going to be really fun for everyone to get to see, as you guys have seen, what Josh and Riley are going to get to do this season.

 

Q) Nicholas, since you’ve been introduced in the series, how has your character evolved?

 

NICHOLAS GONZALEZ:  Wow, that’s a really good question.  You know, I mean, we’re going to be seeing some ‑‑ we’ve already seen some really tough moments, I think, because Levi is such a ‑‑ you know, one of the main things that David told me about him when we sat down and talked about before we started this series was that he’s a very ‑‑ he’s a guy of principles and, you know, upstanding, very trustworthy. And then, here he is, put in this position, as we all know, of having an affair with Eve. And it just gets more difficult from there, you know?  I mean, here’s someone who’s, obviously, a bit of a protector.  Like Gavin, they’re, you know, very well-trained, very ‑‑ I think they feel saddled with keeping everybody safe and, you know, putting themselves aside. But that’s very hard to do when I’m also faced with the woman I love.

And at some point, this is all going to come together in a clash, and it’s all about what you care about more, and will friendship win out over love, or which direction ‑‑ [technical interruption] ‑‑ vacillating.  So there’s a lot that takes place in a matter of days, you know, that we’ve seen, I guess. Or maybe it’s a ‑‑ we’re up to, like, over a week now, but it’s a very collapsed time, when you think about it that way, because we’ve been shooting for so long.  But dealing with a lot of those kind of interchanges, it’s something that’s ‑‑ there’s a lot of subtlety in it, but some big moments that put them to the test.

 

Q) Zyra, your character goes through some pretty physical problems this season. I don’t want to spoil the premiere episode. Can you talk to us at all about what she’s going through, either physically or emotionally? 

 

ZYRA GORECKI:  I think both physically and emotionally, she’s having a very difficult time.  So the goal is, obviously, they land in Seattle, they’re trying to make it back to L.A., right?  That’s a very long walk.  That’s a very long walk with two completely‑there legs, let alone, you know, one leg and a dad that’s got a lot of issues, you know?

 

(Laughter.)

 

Yeah, she’s ‑‑

 

NICHOLAS GONZALEZ:  Wow.

 

ZYRA GORECKI:  She’s going through it.

 

EOIN MAKEN:  She is talking about the show, right?

 

(Laughter.)

 

Q) I have a question for the cast. Can you share what you like about your character?

 

NATALIE ZEA:  I’ll go.  I like that she’s sort of been fed this narrative most of her adult life that she is this sort of regular person who, you know, gets up, eats breakfast, goes to work, comes home, goes to bed. And she’s sort of bought into that narrative over the years. And then she’s put in this extraordinary situation and has to sort of, all by herself, undue the narrative that’s been fed to her for so many years in order to survive.  She’s got no choice.  So, she’s sort of got this very clear internal struggle as she’s struggling, and even, you know, clearer external struggles.  And I like being able to play that.  I like being able to play it as a woman, and I like her flaws.  I like her flaws a lot more than I probably should.  But, yeah, I like that she’s having to sort of take control of her own narrative now.

 

EOIN MACKEN:  And I like the arc that Gavin has, which mainly kind of focuses on his kids, not just on his kind of relationship with Eve.  And a large part of that, for me, is kind of, once Zyra and Jack are brought into it, and especially with Zyra, because I think especially this season, the kind of father‑daughter journey that they’ve kind of gone on and kind of understanding and now, as Zyra’s character has to kind of ‑‑ is being allowed to go off, I think kind of seeing Gavin kind of change and become kind of more self‑aware, and almost more selfless towards his daughter and kind of just how, as a man, he can kind of embrace his flaws and sort of try, for his family. Even though he’s managed to kind of make a chaotic mess of that before, it’s something that I kind of really enjoyed. But that also, for me, mainly comes from kind of working with Zyra.

 

Q) Zyra, how about you?

 

ZYRA GORECKI:  Izzy is just a really hardened character.  She just has been through so much with her family and her leg, with everything. And she comes back, and she’s still a kind person, and she still continues to try every day, and she shows up for her dad, she shows up for her mom.  And also, like Eoin was saying, it’s just super fun to see the difference in the Izzy‑Gavin relationship this season versus last season.  Last season, I think it was very much ‑‑ she was following him around like a lost puppy because this is the only person she has left, right?  And this season, you really see her take control of who she is and really start to grow into herself.  I really like that.

 

JACK MARTIN:  Yeah.  I mean, I think Josh’s story is about an agency and self‑actualization.  And what I really like is he’s been thrown under this really accelerated timeline, where he’s forced to grow at a rate much faster than most 17‑year‑olds.  And it’s one where, you know, he was raised in a family that was heavy on responsibility and loyalty and a lot of these strong values.  And prior to the events of this show, he felt betrayed by his dad, which made him question those things. But as we saw over the course of Season 1, he realized that his view on it was wrong, and that sent him on a new journey where he is forced to take on more responsibility.  And I think we see him grow to be more heroic, while also still being 17, and asking first and ‑‑ or acting first and thinking later. And I think it’s fun to watch that dynamic where he’s growing up, but he’s definitely still a kid.

 

NICHOLAS GONZALEZ:  For me, it’s been navigating, I think ‑‑ like I said, it’s a kind of really interesting dichotomy with Levi, that he’s this really upstanding man with all these values, but at the same time, he’s in this situation that just ‑‑ I mean, he goes down there for love. He goes down there for a sense of duty. But, you know, I feel like that love, if anything, trumps it all. And now it’s a matter of trying to navigate his way through this very thorny area. I mean, because, you know, Jack ‑‑ I mean, sorry — Jack ‑‑ Josh finds out and, you know, Izzy.  And what that ‑‑ that effect on him, a man who I think really prides himself on being honorable, has now had to kind of wade through this mire that he’s created and repair relationships.  And I really love, kind of, playing with the little relationships with each character and navigating those.  And, you know, there’s so much that we come to heads with. And people who were friends initially in the show, then, you know, have a falling out and come back.  And, you know, we’re dealing with such heightened decisions and things in the moment.  I just really love the way he’s able to not only push his agenda, but at the same time, be understanding and realize when he needs to step aside.  And he’s not the parent, you know?  Jon Seda’s character, you know, and Gavin and Eve, like, they all have a little bit more skin in the game, you know?  And he becomes more helpful out of a sense of duty to that, and that’s been interesting to watch, and I enjoy playing that

 

VERONICA ST. CLAIR:  Hi.  I love how resilient Riley is, obviously, like, in the face of this epic disaster, but also in her relationship with her father and how complicated that can be.  I know how strong she is. Like, she’s often just dealing with a lot of these temperamental men, and I think that she’s strong in that and, like, keeping a sense of humor and also, you know, and wearing a skirt.  Wearing a skirt for all of Season 1, you know?

 

NATALIE ZEA:  Yes, girl.  Yes.

 

VERONICA ST. CLAIR:  It’s tough for Riley, but she’s out there. She’s learning field medicine in a skirt, and she’s doing much more of that in Season 2.  So willing to learn, and I love that about her.

 

Q) I just wanted to ask about, like, what the dynamic is going to be like when we do kind of get everyone back together, especially with this love triangle that’s happening. And now some of the kids know about the love triangle, and now that Eve knows that Gavin wasn’t crazy this whole time and that he actually did, like, have these memories from a different time in his life.

 

NATALIE ZEA:  Fireworks, baby.

 

DAVID APPELBAUM:  Fireworks, yeah.

 

NATALIE ZEA:  Yeah.  I mean, I don’t ‑‑ I hope this isn’t giving anything away, but I feel like we cooperate very well under the circumstances.  I mean, you know, when ‑‑ again, when the stakes are literal life and death, you tend to kind of put that bullshit aside ‑‑ initially, at least ‑‑ to make sure everybody stays alive. And then you get to toy around with, you know, emotions.  But I’m very proud of how mature our characters handle themselves.

 

EOIN MACKEN:  Well, yeah.  Yeah, but I do ‑‑

 

NATALIE ZEA:  Oh, I’m not mature.

 

EOIN MACKEN:  Yes.  I think it’s interesting because, you know, as Natalie says, you kind of do end up being in this crazy situation with the characters, and they’re actually going to put surviving ahead of any of their, kind of, emotional complexities and those kind of dynamics between them. But, then, I think — you know, then there’s always a moment when it’s a good time to have those conversations. And when that happens, we’ll see, but ‑‑ Nick, what do you think?

 

(Laughter.)

 

NICHOLAS GONZALEZ:  You know, I just love to look at him and wonder how he feels about everything in any given moment. But, you know, he’s right. We have to, like, set all this stuff aside.  And it’s got to be tough.  It’s got to be tough for Gavin.  I don’t know, you know, to be around, but ‑‑

 

EOIN MACKEN:  It’s got to be tough for Levi.  It’s got to be tough for Levi.  I don’t know.  I mean ‑‑

 

NATALIE ZEA:  All right, boys.  You’re both pretty.

 

(Laughter.)

 

Q) How do you guys feel about expanding the world, since this was so much a 10,000 B.C. show in Season 1, and now, we’re, like, getting into the ’80s. I mean, did you guys — the cast like that? And, David, how much more is it going to expand from that? 

 

DAVID APPELBAUM:  Well, you know, I think the show has a lot of potential for growth and expansion. And, you know, we’re just starting to uncover the mysteries of what this place is.  You know, I think, generally, you know, it’s been such a great experience working with Universal Television and NBC and Keshet [phonetic], and Peter Traugott, and Rachel Kaplan.  They’ve been so supportive of me. And the writers finding, you know, these different layers and elements of what this world is and what the characters are and where the show can go.  So I think, you know, ultimately, it’s a show that has the potential to go into different time periods and to see different mysteries.  So it’s just exciting what the potential is.  And I think we’re starting ‑‑ in Season 2, we’re just starting to unpeel a few more layers of that.

 

NICHOLAS GONZALEZ:  And for us, it’s exciting because we get to come in out of the cold, you know?  I mean, it always fun to kind of be on a location or being in some interior or ‑‑ you know, and jumping to different time periods, you know, allows that world to open. And it’s fun, you know?  I mean, it’s fun to kind of discover the different ‑‑ like you said, the ’80s, you know, is something that once that entered into it, I think it kind of just ‑‑ the world splits open, and then you realize so many of the possibilities.  And even then, we just really didn’t see what was coming.  I mean, I think I can speak for all of us that nothing is predictable.  That’s for sure.

 

JACK MARTIN:  Yeah.  I mean, I think a great thing about these different time periods, too, is we get to throw these characters into different dynamics that you’ve never seen them in before.  In the ’80s, Josh and Riley are basically on their own.  And, you know, in the past, you’ve seen them really just as pieces of their own families. But now, when it’s the two of them figuring out how to survive in this totally different circumstance, it changes everything, and you get a closer look at who these characters really are as people, which is really exciting to me.

 

Q) Zyra, when this came up, did the script always say that the character was an amputee? And when you saw this script, did you say, “Hey, this is perfect for me?” Or how did this first come off to you? 

 

ZYRA GORECKI:  David, do you want to talk on that, or do you want me to?

 

DAVID APPELBAUM:  No, I can talk about it.  It was always part of the story that the character is an amputee, and it was always important to us that we find an actor who was an amputee.  And, you know, we conducted a really big search when we were initially doing the pilot, and we were just so lucky to find Zyra.  You know, she has this great charisma and this natural talent and just immediately inhabited the role and has grown so much through the series and into Season 2.  And it’s just so exciting to see what she’s doing with it now.

 

Q) This is for David, the executive producer, showrunner. Do you recall exactly where you were when you first got the news that the show had been renewed?

 

DAVID APPELBAUM: (Laughs.)  I had just had a baby around then, and I was feeding the baby a bottle, and I got the news.

 

 

*CONFERENCE CALL*