An Interview with Tamara Podemski from ‘Outer Range’

Tamara Podemski as Deputy Sheriff Joy in Season 2 of ‘Outer Range’. (Photo Courtesy of Prime Video.)

Tamara Podemski is a highly accomplished actor that continues to grace the small screen with her incredible presence and ability to help us relate to the character she is playing. Currently she plays Deputy Sheriff Joy on the Prime Video series, Outer Range, and we here at NTG had the honor of sitting down with Tamara to discuss Joy’s journey in season two.
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John Betancourt: I would love to get started by knowing what you're most excited for audience to experience from Joy's very important journey this season.
 
Tamara Podemski: I think the audience will enjoy, Joy, becoming the badass that she was always meant to be.
 
John Betancourt: What does it mean to be a part of a show that takes the time to do something this ambitious with a character?
 
Tamara Podemski: Um, well, first, it was very surprising. I certainly didn't expect to be the recipient of a bottle episode. Like that. I've never had the privilege or opportunity to dig that deep into a character. I mean, we shot 204 in three and a half weeks. It was a career highlight. It was a personal triumph. I worked so hard. I trained so hard for it from the stunts to the horse, the horseback riding to the Shoshone language. It's a huge, huge responsibility. And I really, I was, I was so honored that Amazon and our showrunner Charles Murray and our writers, and producers trusted me… to tell that story.
 
John Betancourt: I'm very curious as to what you're hoping audiences will take away from season two as a whole.
 
Tamara Podemski: I think what I'm excited for but also like asking of them, we're trusting that they have, you know, that they want to do the work, that they want to think about it all. I think it is a smart show. There are no you know, maybe there are some right or wrong answers of things that really did happen and things that didn't, but there is also some things that just can't be explained and how, okay, are you to sit in the uncertainty, the unknowingness. I think that's really what season two, I think that's what our show asks people you know, this, the unknown, can you sit with the unknown? Can you be with the unanswerable and still not just dismiss it all and write it all off? Can you still show up, rise and fight for like, fight the good fight. But I do hope that the audience kind of, I don't know is, is up for the work of it, you know, this isn't a sit back, kick back and we'll spoon feed you everything. We're asking you, and I think that's what we love about our real hardcore Outer Range viewers, is that they love, figuring it out. They love it problem solving. So, we promise to give a lot more problem solving in season two and answers… but still problem solving.
 
John Betancourt: What are you most proud of when it comes to your work on this show?
 
Tamara Podemski: I think you know, just the, the feat of filming on location. I wish I could put people like, a day in the life of what it is to film on location in New Mexico in spring. This is with snowstorms, thunderstorms, dust storms, rain, like wind that you can't… you're sure is going to turn into a hurricane, the elements -- and it's what you get with that, those that epic landscape like you get to enjoy the beauty of it. But if you want that you have to deal with the elements. So really, I think, and you know, we have incredible film crews like our crew is amazing. Our background extras especially for most of you know, episode 204 where it's all exterior. So yeah, to really find your peace with the natural world and I think especially at a time and things are pulling so far away from the natural world. That's one of the things I'm most proud about this show also is that we are thrown into the elements, and you feel that, and I do really believe that comes across on screen.
 
John Betancourt: Last question I have for you today, if you had to describe season two in a single word… what would that word be?
 
Tamara Podemski: Reconciliation.
 
This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.

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