USA Network’s entertaining and thought-provoking sci-fi series Colony was represented at the 2016 San Diego Comic Con by series stars Josh Holloway, Sarah Wayne Callies, Adrian Pasdar, Amanda Righetti, Peter Jacobson, and Tory Kittles as well as writers/executive producers Carlton Cuse and Ryan Condal. The Colony cast and crew took part in a Q&A with fans and sat down for roundtable interviews to discuss the second season of the popular series. USA Network has not set a premiere date yet for season two, however co-stars Adrian Pasdar and Amanda Righetti teamed up for roundtable interviews to provide a little sneak peek into what viewers can expect from the highly anticipated second season when it does arrive in 2017.
The season one plot: “Set in the very near future, Colony‘s world is a dangerous one of divided ideologies. While some choose to collaborate with the occupation and benefit from the new order, others rebel and suffer the consequences. After being separated from their son during the invasion, former FBI agent Will Bowman (Holloway) and his wife Katie (Callies) are willing to do whatever is necessary to be reunited with him. Thus, when the powerful Proxy Snyder (Jacobson) offers Will a chance to get his son back if he will collaborate with the occupational government, Will and Katie find themselves faced with the toughest decision of their lives. They will have to go beyond whatever they thought possible, risking their lives and their relationship to protect their family.”
Adrian Pasdar and Amanda Righetti Interview:
How does the world open up and the characters change in season two?
Adrian Pasdar: “I think that the dynamics between the characters change in a way that allows you to even like them more or fear them more or become even more ambivalent. (Laughing) I think I have managed to make all three of those things happen this year.”
Amanda Righetti: “It’s more extreme. I think that the occupiers have taken a more extreme position; the resistance has taken a more extreme position. So, the screws are really tightening for everybody across the board.”
What’s going to happen with the relationships between your characters and Josh Holloway and Sarah Wayne Callies’ characters?
Amanda Righetti: “I think they have a lot to rebuild to come back to an understanding between each other. It makes an interesting dynamic for the season because it sort of gives them a throughline and somewhere to go. In terms of Maddie and Katie, Maddie is in more of a power position this season than she was last season. Everything she sort of built up to in the first season, it’s coming to fruition now. And Katie has had everything stripped from her, so the tables have turned. Katie is relying more on Maddie for her help and what’s happening with Bram, and not having her family close to her.”
Do you think we’re actually going to see the invaders this season?
Adrian Pasdar: “That’s a good question. I’ve been told we’re going to learn a lot more about them this season, but I haven’t been able to to confirm if that’s a physical description or more of purpose of why they’re here. I mean, we know ostensibly why they’re here but I think that gets expanded a little bit.”
Do you remember that Frankenheimer film, The Train? It’s a great film about rescuing art from Germany during World War II. If you want to, watch the movie and it will tell you a little bit more about what’s going on here. Why are they after art? Why are they after culture?”
Do you want to know what’s coming up or would you rather learn all of the secrets gradually?
Adrian Pasdar: “It really depends on…oftentimes information can handcuff you because things are fluid and they change. Sometimes playing just the scene without knowing where it’s going in two or three scripts down the road can be a little bit more energetic. If you have an idea of where you’re going, you can fall prey to… It lends a certain smugness to it. I see it in performances. It’s not intentional, but actors often if they know what they’re doing and they know where they’re going, their performance becomes a little more relaxed. That’s never quite as interesting. So, personally I like to know only as much as I need to.”
How do you feel about how morality is handled in the show and that delicate balance between what is right and what is wrong?
Adrian Pasdar: “I think it’s decided on an individual basis. I don’t think there’s a moral ambiguity in Nolan’s character but I think you adapt the morals that service your desires in the end. There’s no action that’s divorced from desire, ever. So you have to want something in order to do something. So while I may appear somewhat slippery in terms of characters I’ve played in the past, there’s a solidity to this guy that is a backbone that is a little different than what I’ve played before which I think is great.”
Amanda Righetti: “I also think you don’t know how you are going to react until you’re in an adversarial position. We can think that we’re going to react or act a certain way but until you’re placed in that specific position, you don’t really know what decisions you’re going to make. I think the fact that Carlton (Cuse) and Ryan (Condal) really explore those in every aspect – every character has some sort of moral dilemma and it makes it relatable for anybody who watches for any given emotion at any given time to go, ‘Oh, I get that. I totally can see why they would make that decision.'”
Adrian Pasdar: “How far would you go to protect the people you love?”
Amanda Righetti: “Yeah.”
Adrian Pasdar: “That’s what she’s confronted with on an every script basis. It seems like you’re against the wall trying to make things work for a family. I think I said it earlier. I was saying that every good TV show – you guys would probably agree, tell me if you don’t – is all about family. You don’t care whether it’s All in the Family or The Simpsons or The Sopranos or whatever, it’s about family. The dynamics that we’re creating here in this show is pushing people closer and closer together while the world around them is getting pushed farther and farther apart. I think if we can do that right and keep the audiences tuned in, it has a long way to go. There’s a long build on the show.”
Watch the full Adrian Pasdar and Amanda Righetti interview:
