'Paradise' Stars Julianne Nicholson and Thomas Doherty

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This is all of it on WNYC. I'm Allison Stewart. The second season finale of Paradise

arrives on Hulu on Monday and I am counting the days. The show is a twisty political thriller

turned sci-fi cover up drama turned post apocalyptic survival adventure. The penultimate episode

dropped a major bomb that has something to do with my next two guests, actors Juliane Nicholson

and Thomas Dirty. That's as much as I'll say about that for now, but you can consider this

a spoiler warning for later in the conversation. Nicholson plays Samantha Redmond, aka

Sinatra, the de facto leader of the underground bunker that is hosted the first season of the show.

In the second season, we've gotten to see the world above and meet its survivors including

Link, played by Thomas. Link is a leader himself who has spearheaded a mission across the country

to the Colorado bunker with the goal of killing the mysterious Alex. Dirty and Nicholson are here

with me in studio and listeners. We're taking your calls. If you're a Paradise fan, call a now

with your thoughts and questions. Our number is two and two four three three nine six nine two two

and two four three three WNYC. It is nice to meet you in person. So nice to meet you in person.

It is nice to meet you in person. It's the whole thing going on over there and I'm not sure what's

going on over there. I know that it's not a panini as well. I just had a panini. We were going to

get them on in America so you know the coffee is kicking it. That's cool. Juliane, we last

time we spoke to you, you said that Dan Folveman had a plan about season two and you said we've

only just scratched the surface on what the construction of Paradise entailed. What is something

about the way that the city was constructed that struck you personally? Oh I think it's the

attention to detail in Paradise. I mean they thought about everything. You know we got a bible

actually and there'd be I mean not an actual Bible but there was like what we call the Bible

which they sent via email which was just all the details of the place. So in terms of you know

the restaurants that were there, the hair salons that were there, like you know top to bottom,

it was the specificity of it that I that I loved. The other major piece of world building that

happens this season is the above ground and you think about Link having to survive above ground.

What did he have to do to survive? Yeah I mean the turnaround for me to film was

from cast being cast to doing it was really quick so I had to like really I mean I got up my hands

on this Bible but it didn't really serve me up. Not outside. I mean yeah I think when you

you're talking about apocalypse you're talking about the end of the world. People definitely kind

of differ back to their most primitive survival instincts you know. So I think a lot of unsavory

characteristics will generally come to the forefront. So there's definitely yeah I mean people

are out for themselves and everyone else is up to right so there's a lot of violence and there's

a lot of death and there's a lot of behavior of that elk that he's definitely got to contend with

and so you can see why he wants to get into the bunker survival.

Sinatra your character has kept people underground and in the dark about the fact that there

might be survivors in the outside world. Why? What is she gained by keeping people underground?

I think it's too dangerous you know if people understand that there are survivors then they will

probably at you know at least one or two people out of 25,000 are going to go want to find

find people and there is no room for another person in our bunker. It has been planned to sustain

life for this amount of people including thinking about like births and deaths like it's all been

factored in and so any any outside influence is a bad is it is a nightmare it's it's all done.

Do you think she has a personal aspect of wanting to keep people down there?

Creepy. I think it really is about just protecting her family and protecting this community and I

think that anything she's such a control freak and anything that diverges from her her plan is

cause for major concern. Link can really swing big he can go from being completely charming to

being menacing in one scene. Why do you think he's so difficult to read? I think it's a defense

mechanism honestly I think and I think that's why in the first episode of season two with interaction

with Annie it's so poignant and so beautiful because we're seeing this young man who's been two

and a half three years on his own really having to survive coming up against not just the elements

I mean again and see the first episode you see kind of what transpires with all that

but with with people you know and so you build up this wall you build up this defense mechanism

these barriers these boundaries to survive you know surviving's not just making sure you have

fresh water and food and someone just leave it's also the emotional tool that it takes on

on you which I imagined you know I'm not actually experiencing that yeah you know as we've

what's going on your beard does a lot of work for you though I was going to say yeah it starts

with the beard it starts with the beard I'm actually not very good at it it's all the beard yeah

and that's how I was I auditioned as well as there oh really that's how it was described

barley man and I call my team and I was like guys can one barley really but I got enough

barley in yeah you're originally from Edinburgh I have a book in here how did you work on the accent

how did you know how liquid sound I went to I went to a dialect coach called Michael Buster he's

an LA and he's amazing and I've worked him I've worked with him a bunch before and in terms of I

mean I kind of gave us a general American accent I wasn't with it's really good I never hear

I never hear your your the Scots when we're acting together do you have did you ever hear it

I didn't know I didn't know no the first time I heard him speak I was like hang on

and that's saying something as well because you know and I'm also like an accent snob so I

didn't know that's the nicest thing you could have written yeah it is and I mean I just wanted to get

it into that space where it was just coming out yeah you know and I didn't have to think about it

you didn't have to think about it yeah that's always the aim and I didn't eventually I mean just

working repetition and stuff you don't you get there and the beautiful thing about the American

accent is it's I feel like it's very can what comes out is very directly connected to what's been

felt words with Scottish it's almost like you have this feeling you want to express it but before

it comes out it has to be articulated and there's like a divide there for me it's so micro

but that's why I loved it in the American I'm speaking to actors Julian Nicholson and Thomas

Darryl they star in season two of the Hulu series Paradise the season finale is on Monday we

are taking your calls your Paradise fan Colin now with your thoughts and questions our number is

two and two four three three nine six nine two two and two four three three WNYC Julian your

character spends time recovering from this gunshot wound she's determined but something is kind of

changed in her a little bit what do you think is changed I think where we find her in season two

you know she's been it's the most vulnerable we've ever seen her and her world has been rocked she

thought always that if you had enough money if you had enough power that you would be able to

control the outcome of everything around you and she has been disavowed of that belief and so I

think we find her just I mean I said to somebody else about we have her with like her edges are a

little bit softer and they're like yeah but she still has the president killed so I mean it's like

sort of a tomato tomato but I feel like she is definitely a bit softer this year I mean she

realizes that she can't control everything and I think that's humbling I'm interested in her as a

mom you know because it's what she does in a crisis is to create this entire bunker in part for

her family you know and who she then ignores she does about her being a mom is a big part of it

for me I don't know if I'm a mom yeah I feel that way um you know people might think she's a villain

but this season you're sort of like is she she is but she isn't like she could kill the president but

that's why I feel about her exactly there is there is yeah what what is it about what is it about her

role as a mom it's a huge part of her the of who she is where she comes from because it all

does stem from the loss of her son and that's the impetus behind everything she does because she

doesn't want to ever suffer a loss like that again she never recovers and it's in the forefront of

her mind every day which she I think says in episode seven and um yeah we don't get to see her in

her day-to-day with her family life we only see her usually in you know in the in the bunker or in

the office um like um and sadly they they get um I wouldn't say neglected but her her attention

is definitely on the is more macro than micro at the minute but I feel like in the last episode

especially you see her in seven and eight you see her coming back to her family a little bit and

you see what that you know the thing that's most important to her yeah that was an amazing scene that's

so easy to do wrong what scene the scene where you come back oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh the way

that you do it is so beautiful honestly I yeah it's a hard scene to do it when you're thinking about

this show Thomas is there a villain on this show for sure yeah she said beside me watch your words

young man and it is it's I mean it's one of those things and it definitely makes you reflect on

your own life and all you're already preconceived notions of who people are and what they stand for

and being so kind of intimate with the Sinatra storyline to Link's character definitely a villain but

when you're doing character work and you're trying to understand these connections you understand

you know you see and it's that goes back to that whole question is to people who do evil things know

that they're doing evil things or do they think that they're doing the right thing and so it's a

great position as an actor to be to be forced into a very objective position to see all these

different characters and how they work and what their objectives are to then kind of put into your

own life and I think all that really does is breed compassion I think I think that's what it

will eventually come down to the answer does your character think she's doing the right thing yes

100% she thinks she's doing the right thing yeah great a good I'm talking to Julian Nicholson and

Thomas Darryl we're talking about the season two series finale series of paradise all right

spoiler alert we're going to talk about it after the break

you're listening to all of it on WNYC I'm Alison Stewart in studio with me I have actors Julian

Nicholson and Thomas Darryl they star in season two of Hulu series paradise the season finale

is on Monday all right this is the big spoiler alert yeah turn your radios

all right link has a tricky relationship with time let's put it that way and he asks him how

all he is and he says he's about 25 let's listen

you're 25 wow I mean it's been a rough few years it's not easy to maintain a skincare routine

no I think it's just the beard well the beard makes me look like a leader the beard makes you look like

Charles Manson he has a weird knowledge of pop culture certain things he knows certain things

he doesn't know as you play this character are you trying to hide from us as a viewer there's

something going on with him about time or does Link not really know Link doesn't really know

Link doesn't really know he's highly highly intelligent obviously we're aware of his

relationship with professor all shall all will be revealed I promise you on Monday

um but I do for for me playing Link nothing is impossible with what we're dealing with Alex who

is Alex nice in the third episode there's a flashback where Sinatra is speaking to a scientist

about how to save the world and he says billionaires are amazing you think that your money gives you

superpowers there's only one thing that can fix this and it's the one thing you can't buy time

mm-hmm how does Sinatra react to that I think she will never take no for an answer so however she has

to go about solving a problem she's gonna figure out a way should we read into Sinatra's reaction

about time um it probably in the most recent episode we learned that Link's name is actually

Dylan and that's the same name as your son's character they share a birthday later on Sinatra says

to her husband it worked does Sinatra believe Link is her son um yeah I think she really does

and whether she thinks that's like a factual thing or you know I think there's I think there's um

she does believe it and it gives her peace and hope and um yeah a level of relief and release

that she that she's been holding so tightly for you know 20 almost 20 years so it's it's uh yeah

Link doesn't necessarily recognize Sinatra even though she might be his mother um but he does

tell her that she's the Darth Vader to his Luke so he'll fill in the lights also yeah that little

connection where else in the series all right that have already aired can we see references to Link's

possible parentage can you give us one area people should pay attention to good question I'm just

really really quickly right nothing nothing really specific there isn't really anything specific he

talks about the non-vocation with his family so he never yeah you'll never be able to kind of

peace anything together but even it's no but it's even still confusing for us like it doesn't

mean that he's in this it doesn't mean that he's the Dylan at least in my understanding it doesn't

mean that he's the Dylan like the same body of Dylan my son type of thing like I don't know

that this is this is me this is me just like it's sort of it's you have to sort of um you have to

have faith is what it is so it's not like necessarily you know because I think that too like okay well

I had Dylan we he did die we did very so like what it's sort of you have to have a little um

some faith and uh yeah I mean this is I mean I'm an actor that we're talking about quantum

mechanic to quantum physics here and there's so many times we're being too man we'd be like

we just have to trust the writing because I can't speak for her she's incredibly intelligent

move but I am an actor I didn't tell you about my degree in quantum physics my side hustle

it's been so interesting just like all the reactions that are people are having is it time travel

there's an alternative universe um what have you heard that has been just it that isn't true but

you've been like okay that that's that's pretty good that's a pretty good uh explanation I think

is there somebody well I'm not gonna say whether these things are true or not but somebody today

was saying like oh maybe maybe it's Cal Bradford is Alex or maybe like they have they're thinking

about who the other what what some of the possibilities might be or maybe Annie is Alex and she's

still alive but it has a different name so I love it to be on a show that people are that excited

about and are talking about and like letting their minds wander about is such a thrill yeah and it

makes I mean I'm so excited as well you know I'm so excited for Monday I cannot wait

for everyone to see it do you know from the beginning of shooting till the end of the series what's

going to happen at the end of the series um maybe broad strokes but not the specifics of it we

don't I don't we don't see the all of the epic all of the scripts right away they come while we're

filming hmm we've been talking about Alex and I keep saying is Alex a person is Alex a thing should

be we be thinking about Alex in a different way what do you think well I watched last night

I watched episode seven again and you go in and you put on a blue coat when you talk to Alex

and it's is it a lot I love people looking for clues it's so gratifying and well it's like is it

is this to protect you from Alex's rate I don't know it's like I'm like is Alex real as Alex AI

that's a big part of it is Alex a creature you've created to make time different I don't know it's

your your characters are smart woman I know we're not like to tell you but my favorite thing in

this whole press run is that when people tell me what they think it might be they have this like

look in their eyes they're looking for confirmation like looking at you like I'm like I can't

he are trained up the wise right there's searching they're like okay yeah I'm guilty looking for

okay let's talk to Sophie online one hey Sophie thanks for calling all of it you're on the air

with Julianne Nicholson and Tomas Tarty hello thank you for taking my call hi Sophie

I am a big fan of paradise often since the start of the first season and so excited to see

Beast Nally and I know you've talked a little bit about the fact that it's unclear that no

or that Thomas do your character is actually synopsis son if it's the same Dylan from the same

timeline etc but you know I guess assuming you did have this general understanding that this

would be explored at the start of the season when in filming I'm curious if that informed your

performance at all or if you were thinking about this possibility when you were filming like

those early episodes as link if if if if you were thinking about this possibility that he could

potentially be synopsis son or or if that really wasn't a part of it because she has no idea

um you I have for me I had the information but you just have to actually kind of put it out of your

mind and take the scenes as they come because when when we first meet it's it's nowhere near an idea

for Sinatra so she's like greeting him as she meets him um but then it is I found it very moving

when that revelation is made when she hears his name when she finds out his birth date and then

there's a real shift down wanted a real shift um from that moment uh and I and I really felt that

happened genuinely just getting that information and the possibility of this being the person that

she's longed for and missed so deeply was was really powerful and you could tell it was really

beautiful and for me I mean my my turn around was so quick I think I got the job on a Thursday

and I had moved it early on the Monday and I was yeah and I was on set on the third Friday

so it was really really quick for me so I was kind of just thrown into this and so I was just

taking the task at hand and it wasn't until a little later on when I read this script and I'm just

like you guys like I read it and I'm like what um but I think that I think that's a beneficial thing

not to really know because then you kind of like you play the truth and you're not playing the

death of Romeo and Juliet at the beginning of it um and so I think yeah yeah it's interesting

when as an actor and you're in a sci-fi world what's the key to making it seem real even though

you're dealing with the world where you have to suspend belief on some level you just have to

believe there's really no other way for me anyway you just have to you have to okay you just have

to believe the facts that have been written for you and um just commit yeah how about for you yeah

data exactly what she said and as well I mean done for women and this whole team the set

designers and the light in and everything is nothing's really left to the imagination so you

can really just throw yourself in an immersed and then I don't talk working with Julian

Nicholson and Stern K. Brown and Shelly Moodley and these actors of this caliber they're so present

and they'll just bring the performance out of you as yeah can you explain the nosebleeds to me no

we don't we're still wondering ourselves um a lot of nosebleeds let's this Alex's fault

we'll blame it on Alex it is Alex's fault oh it is you'll find out I'm on there sort of sort of

yeah I don't know I didn't say that down that was you it I want to ask you about two other things

aside from paradise I think we've kind of gone as far as we can go yes um keep asking we keep

shoving him down it's okay it's all good my job um you want an Emmy for playing this off the rails

influencer on hacks yes which was great um what do you like about playing comedy oh my gosh

that well that's that show hacks I love so much I feel like it's top of the tops in in comedy

and they're so smart and so funny and their risks always pay off and um it's so nice to go and be

silly and to move your body and to wear funny clothes and make people laugh you know I feel like

um I love doing dramatic roles but it's so nice to not have to like you know tear your heart out

or go into like deep dark places in your soul to um pull up a performance sometimes it's nice

just go to work and really laugh and I feel like the world needs more laughs right now so what's

easier today for you do you prefer today I mean I have more experience in the in the drama yeah

but I love comedy I'd love to do more comedy I knew I recognized you from little shop of

hearts oh yeah I for a god I was like I know this guy why don't I know this guy and then I

remembered you were in little shop of horror and the reason I did that is because of the women's

that beside me right now oh tell me more yeah I yeah we were on set we were in the apple pie

stuff and I got a call for my team saying I want to do a little shop and I love musical theater I've

always loved I went to college to do it but I mean I was off the back of paradise and I was just

I wasn't sure is it the right time and I was kind of leaning toward not doing it and then I sat

there moving around to like to convince me to do it and it was one of the best experiences I've

ever had why did you think he would be good for little shop well I just felt like do it why not

I mean you're young you're single you don't have another job right after this it was happening like

two weeks later or something so it wasn't like he was committing himself five months down the road

to a project it was like I knew we talked about his musical theater um history and how much he

loved it and it felt like and it was a character that unlike ones that you would normally play it's

like the goofy guy that's nerd the scientist and so it felt like do it it's it's a long game

it's a long game do different stuff explore take risks why not and I think I was very much in this

all right this is like the the game changer from my screen career I need to really double down

on that and I mean yeah it's kind of like a young egoic actor not even necessarily maliciously

but like oh I'm trying to like build this image that doesn't align with that and then talking

to Julianna about yeah just time everyone says life's short but like life's also kind of long

as well you know and actually really open my eyes to that and it's grateful and it's also just

the long game is like what I tell all actors like if you I so many times I've had like the one

that's going to like it's going to be that one and then you're going to never have to worry again

and it's not it's not true yeah it's like so just do fun stuff challenge yourself like um

yeah proud of you it's the longest shortest time as they say the season finale of paradise will

happen this Monday all be clear or not I've been speaking to Julian Nicholson and Thomas Dirty

thank you for coming in and for fielding my questions I really appreciate thank you so much thank you

sorry we couldn't reveal more well no more on Monday there you go here you go and that is all

of it I'm Allison Stewart I appreciate you listening and I appreciate you I'll meet you back here next

time the new LinkedIn hiring pro can't clone you but it can streamline your hiring workflow from

posting jobs to shortlisting candidates to interviewing LinkedIn hiring pro is the hiring

partner you need so you can focus on connecting with the right talent in fact small businesses report

saving over six hours per week so I write the first time with LinkedIn hiring pro post a free

job today at linkton.com slash bandora few things are as uplifting as the greatest moments in sports

and nothing brings us together quite like team USA at the Olympic winter games from NBC

universals iconic storytelling to the innovative technology across Xfinity and peacock

Comcast brings the Olympic Games home to America sharing every moment with millions when team USA

steps onto the world stage we're not just watching we're cheering together this winter we're all

on the same team Comcast proud partner of team USA