La Brea Cast Members Take Us Behind The Scenes Of Season 2 - Exclusive Interview
Season 1 of "La Brea" followed the story of events directly after a giant sinkhole opened in the middle of modern-day Los Angeles, pulling people into a mysterious and apparently primeval world. Eve (Natalie Zea) and her son, Josh, are two of the people who fall into the sinkhole, separating them from her husband, Gavin (Eoin Macken), and daughter, Izzy. The mother and son join others who fell through to survive the elements and try to get back to their families.
At the opening of Season 2, coming out September 27, Gavin and Izzy have just landed in prehistoric Seattle but are unaware that Josh accidentally went through a portal to 1988. The family is still working to survive the elements and figure out the strange environment they've found themselves in to get back together. Cast members Zea, Macken, and Nicholas Gonzalez (who plays Levi) sat down for an exclusive interview with The List to discuss the upcoming season, their experience filming, and "La Brea" fan theories.
The biggest changes from Season 1 to Season 2
How do you feel your characters have changed going into this season from the first season?
Nicholas Gonzales: It's in some ways an easy answer for us, because it's only in "The Next Day," as the episode is titled, but the outlook is very different. Natalie especially can speak to how once the kids disappear, that becomes the most important thing on our radar. It's about getting them back.
Natalie Zea: Even though it is just the next day for me, what has transpired in those 24 hours is about as big as you can get. She's gone from missing one child to missing both children, and understandably, she's starting to fray around the edges. Her mission continues to be to find the children. [It goes] from finding the child to finding the children, but there are also so many other factors that are still going on about survival and her inner emotional life. It does quickly transition into getting onto a Season 2 path where things are slightly different and slightly more elevated.
Eoin Macken: From [my character] Gavin's point of view, it's an entirely new world for him, because he's in 10,000 BC for the first time. I get to experience that — or he gets to experience that — with fresh eyes; he's not privy to the fact that Josh has actually gone into 1988. He's trying to make sure that he keeps Izzy alive and manages to find everyone. They got to get on this journey back to LA. It's a whole new adventure for Gavin.
In this season, you're in the world that they [Natalie and Nicholas] have been in for the first season. What was it like for you transitioning into that and acting with these prehistoric creatures that aren't really there?
Eoin: I got a kick out of it. I was jealous that all the rest of these guys got to run around the forest so often at nighttime, and in the wind and the rain — that's what I wanted to do all year. I finally got to do that, and that was a big kick. Also, exploring that world where Gavin had grown up as Isaiah was a really interesting place to start off from. I got a kick out of it.
The challenges of shooting La Brea
Do you feel like there were any big challenges for any of this season?
Natalie: Oh, yes. Well, it has been — we're still shooting. What has been great about this season is that the challenges were huge last season for all of us, and having experienced that, many or all of us went into Season 2 at least knowing what the landscape was going to be. A lot of those challenges, while still there, weren't necessarily new challenges.
This season is even more high impact, and a lot of us who didn't get to do as many stunts last year now are getting the experience of doing a lot of those. Actors love doing stunts, they love being physical, and it's like they're 11 years old and they're playing war on the playground. As challenging as that has been, it's such a great release for all of us.
Nicholas: The challenge for us has been that we were aware of the distance challenge, as actors, of going to Australia, which is still the biggest one for all of us. We're big with family — all three of us, I know — and friends, and being far away is difficult. It's one of the biggest challenges, but this is a really difficult show to shoot. It's very early morning hours, and it's long commutes back and forth, too, because we have some pretty out there locations. [They] are absolutely beautiful, but it is tough getting out there and back each day, so it's a little bit of a tough shoot. My personal challenge was having my family there this year, which was great. I had my wife and two kids there, but it's also a challenge trying to do it with the trying schedule.
Eoin: I'd echo what Nick said and Natalie said, but also, there was a lot of extra additional stunt work and emotional character work. Some of the adventures that they bring us on this year are quite vast and chaotic and challenging. From an emotional point of view, trying to navigate those in the journey that the character goes on, I found quite taxing. Then, on top of the fact that Australia's far away, it's been tough, but rewarding.
They can't figure out the show
With this show, there are a lot of mysteries and a lot of fan theories about what it all means. Have you all looked at any of the fan theories, or do you have any theories about the show?
Natalie: They did give us some fan theories when we did [press material], and I was blown away by some of the theories that I thought were so smart and would never have even thought of putting any of these ideas together. There was one that was like ... There's a theory that Josh is the kidnapper guy, Aaron.
Nicholas: Wouldn't they recognize him, though?
Natalie: I don't know. But also, they were both in the clearing together. I don't know. I'm not sure how they got to that, but those kinds of things are fascinating because we're so in it, we've got blinders on and can't really think outside of what we're doing that day. I don't think it occurs to us to even think past the page.
Nicholas: We can't figure out what's actually happening.
Natalie: No, we can't figure out the show.
Nicholas: Not to be able to be smart enough to then do theories on it.
"La Brea" Season 2 will premiere September 27 on NBC at 9:00 pm ET/PT.
This interview was edited for clarity.