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Roswell, New Mexico Season 2: Michael Vlamis Talks Michael’s Love Life and Max’s Death

The CW’s Roswell, New Mexico star Michael Vlamis talked chest hairs, family drama, and Michael’s relationships with Alex and Maria in our interview for season two. Vlamis and his co-stars chatted up the new season at the New York Comic-Con, and during our roundtable interview he teased what’s in store for Michael and his alien siblings.

Roswell, New Mexico returns for season two on March 16, 2020.

How is Michael handling what happened with Max?

Michael Vlamis: “Not well. Not well at all. God, he’s a mess. Lot of fights…lot of booze…lot of nail polish…a lot of chest hair. I keep making that joke but it’s true! There’s so much chest hair this year!”

Why?

Michael Vlamis: “You know I just… When we did the costume fittings in the first season I had my buttons all normal for the pictures and then I had a couple where he let them down. I was like, ‘I just feel like he’d be more open.’ And my one note in the audition was cover up your chest hair a little bit. I was wearing an A-Tee or an A-tank, you know? Both words I know for that you can’t say anymore… Anyway, any tee that anyone in Goodfellas wears. (Laughing) I wore one of those with the jean jacket and they were like, ‘Just cover up the chest hairs.’

I always felt I had to let the chest hairs out! So, before we started shooting season one, I unbuttoned it without telling anybody and got it really low and then went. And then we just had to match that the rest of the year. (Laughing) So, that’s kind of how I weaseled that in there.

But, yeah, he’s an absolute mess this year. It’s really fun to play.”


Who’s he turning to? Is he with Liz more because they’re trying to bring back Max?

Michael Vlamis: “Well at the very beginning, nobody. He’s turned away from everyone at the very beginning. But then, yes, of course they’re trying to bring him back with whatever they can do. So, he’s going to go to the other scientific brain in the group. So, I’ve gotten to do some really cool work with Jeanine (Mason). He’s kind of getting…I’m getting a lot of different scenes with different characters. Michael Guerin’s all over the place this season.”

Michael Vlamis as Michael and Tyler Blackburn as Alex in ‘Roswell, New Mexico’ season 2 episode 1 (Photo: Ursula Coyote © 2020 The CW Network, LLC)

How’s his love life?

Michael Vlamis: “He just can’t be happy, you know? He can’t allow himself to be happy. I don’t think he thinks he deserves it. But he’s spending a lot of time with Alex and Maria in different contexts.

I don’t even know which one’s best for him. Everyone keeps asking which one is best for Michael Guerin. I don’t know. I have no idea. One reminds him of tragedy and one reminds him of a fresh start. So, they’re very different. One’s very heavy; one’s super light. But that doesn’t mean they’re not crisscrossing.

Me and Heather have had some really cool scenes this year – Heather Hemmens who plays Maria. Some scenes I’m really proud of. I’ve just gotten to go to like a deep place this year because that’s where the character is. He’s in a lot of pain.”

How’s his relationship with his sister?

Michael Vlamis: “Even that has gotten strained at times. But that will always be like his rock. That’s like the one person that has always been there for him.”

More so than Max?

Michael Vlamis: “I think he thinks that. I don’t know if that’s true or if that’s the case. But I think he feels that, especially with… I mean, last year Max just grabs his hand and heals him without him even wanting that, you know, or asking for that. It’s little things like that. It’s that brother complex and so I think that’s the case.

I think they were both there for him as much, but I don’t think Michael Guerin sees that.”

And he’s still going to be dealing with the fact that now he’s got a healed hand that he can’t explain.

Michael Vlamis: “Yeah. He’s hiding it. And I think he’s also not just hiding it from everybody, I think he’s hiding it from himself. He did not want that to happen. And it was really nice I got to play the guitar at the end of last season and kind of go back to the old ways, almost, it felt. But it’s not the old ways and he knows that.

I think he’s ashamed almost of that hand being healed, like he didn’t deserve it which is another deep masochistic choice that I’m going with.”

Does his world expand in this coming season?

Michael Vlamis: “Yeah, definitely. It definitely expands. It’s really cool. I’ve been hinted to a storyline that’s developing this season that I’m really excited about. I can’t talk about it but there are new characters coming into play and it does open up the world and give him more to do. But he’s very focused on brother and information about his mom. He wants to find out more about his mom.”

He’ll spend a good deal of time delving into that?

Michael Vlamis: “Yeah, he’s definitely trying to figure out more about his mom. He’s looking for help in all the places that he can. He might find out some stuff he doesn’t want to find out.”

What have been your favorite scenes to film this season?

Michael Vlamis: “My favorite scenes in this season I didn’t think I could do. I read the script and you’re like, ‘I can act this but can I f**king do it? Can I make you believe that I’m doing this right now?’

The writers came up to me after a scene the other day and they were crying. That was a similar thing that happened in the prison scene last year. Those are moments where they know it’s fake – they’re seeing me in front of cameras doing it – and so if I can evoke that emotion through that without the music coming in or the different shots being cut together or the other actor in frame making everything believable on screen, then I’m really, really proud. It’s been like the deep, emotional feelings of loss of a brother that I’ve been trying to honor and make as real as possible this year. That’s been the most fun and also the most difficult.”



This post was last modified on March 23, 2020 7:01 pm

Rebecca Murray: Journalist covering the entertainment industry for 23+ years, including 13 years as the first writer for About.com's Hollywood Movies site. Member of the Critics Choice Association (Film & TV Branches), Alliance of Women Film Journalists, and Past President of the San Diego Film Critics Society.
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