Caution: This interview contains spoilers for Episode 105 of ‘Orphan Black: Echoes’.
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After weeks of speculation and theorizing, regarding why Lucy was printed to life in Orphan Black: Echoes we came to learn during last night’s episode that it all related to grief. In that, Dr. Kira Manning lost the original Eleanor Miller, the love of her life, to dementia, and that prompted her to try and resurrect her love and fix the problem. Giving rise to a very intimate twist to this series that we will fawn over for days and to further explore the gravity of this twist… we sat down with Rya Kihlstedt, who played the next iteration of Eleanor Miller on the show… to discuss all things Orphan Black: Echoes.
 
John Betancourt I am very curious to learn how you came to play the role of Eleanor.
 
Rya Kihlstedt: I did a number of self-tapes that I sent in, to Anna (Fishko) and John (Fawcett), and I think… trying to remember if I had a script, I don't think, at least not the first time. I don't think I had a script. I think I just had scenes. And, you know, some idea of, this is really fascinating, and made something up in my head, and then I ended up, I was traveling and in Brazil, and got a note from my manager saying that they wanted to meet and test me and just do a meeting on Zoom. So, I was in Brazil with terrible internet in a room, trying to balance my computer and see them. And we had a really fascinating, interesting meeting. And then I ended up flying to Toronto, they had already started filming and I did a hair makeup test, and the most complicated and trickiest part is that I had to look like Krysten (Ritter), and Krysten and Amanda (Fix), and I had to look enough alike in three different generations to make it work. And Krysten is beautiful, but with very specific, unusual features. So, I think that was kind of the trickiest part. And I ended up wearing a prosthetic nose for the whole show, which is so spectacular that you don't notice. But interestingly enough, I look more like Amanda and Krysten looks more like Amanda than Krysten, and I look alike. So, we just had to find a way to string the three together.
 
John Betancourt: That’s just incredible, and we are going to talk about how you strung that together in a moment. But I do want to talk about how you mentioned, fascinating ideas, fascinating concepts. I'm very curious what fascinating aspects about the character of Eleanor just ignited something in you as an actor.
 
Rya Kihlstedt: It was a lot, I think Anna has created a show full of women that really, for me, the interesting part is it addresses and sorts out marriage, relationships, career women who are, I feel like Eleanor is a woman who is, who is ruled by her head, by her intellect, far more than her emotions in her heart. And to play that and look at marriage, relationships, before we even get into the clone world and dementia, and aging, and parents and I mean, I feel like it's such a multi-layered -- there's so many ideas and themes that circle through this, but that all circles back to kind of… women… and what it is being a woman of different generations, and it all fascinated me. And the more that we -- that Keeley (Hawes) and Amanda, and Anna, and we talked about it, the more complicated it got, which I love.
 
John Betancourt: So, this episode was so wonderfully layered, so beautiful. But it also, I think, from an acting standpoint, I couldn't help but also notice that the everything about this show, when it comes to the structure of Elanor’s life, everything is seamless. You know, Amanda and Krysten sync up so well, and you are a perfect extension of Krysten as well. How did you as an actor pull that off.
 
Rya Kihlstedt: You know, it's… I feel like I would have loved to have a little more time at the start of filming to really spend time with Krysten working on that. But I came in at Episode Five. They had already been filming four. Everybody was already deep in, you know, it was like being late to school, right? You get invited to the party. The party's already started. You're playing catch up. And in some ways, I mean, I would, but I think this is me, and probably most actors, always, you would love to go back and make different changes and have the opportunity to do things again. I would have loved more time to kind of develop and play with that, but I ended up, really just as much as I could, watching Krysten, just kind of taking what I thought would work without being too much, different generation, different print out.
 
How much can I thread in so it's subtle and doesn't feel like it's making a point or like it's, you know, like I am I'm pointing to something. And I tried to do the same thing with Amanda, like Amanda, and I had a number of meals together and talks, and I felt like, if we can string it through the three of us, even subtly, that will be perfect, but that was tricky. I would have loved to have come in at the beginning, before everybody started all together, and find that, I think, in a little more consistent but buried way, if that makes sense, but I'm glad you saw it and that it works enough.
 
John Betancourt: Now we have talked about the layers in brief, and there's so much in this episode, and it's so pivotal and so powerful. I'm curious what you hope the audience takes away from this particular episode, kind of from a lesson standpoint, if you will.
 
Rya Kihlstedt: Oh, my God. From a lesson standpoint, I don't know about a lesson standpoint, but I guess I feel like, for me, it's the episode where the show starts to open up, right? It starts to kind of get into where I think the show really starts to light fire, right? I feel like it really starts to kind of engage everybody, in all levels. And I don't know this, this episode is, you know, it's their… it's their love, right?
 
John Betancourt Now what's obvious to me, is how much you wanted to make sure you got the material right. Like I can hear the passion in your voice about it. I'm curious, on a more personal level, what it means to be a part of such a pivotal episode. Because, like you said yourself, this is, this is the one. What does that mean to you as a as a person and as an actor?
 
Rya Kihlstedt: I mean, I… I guess I felt like this project. I mean, to be part of something with such smart women everywhere I turned. I mean, you know, from Keeley to Anna to, you know, all of our writers on set, Amanda… like we had extraordinarily bright, smart, engaged, curious, thoughtful conversations every day. And you don't get to do that all the time, you know. And we really, I felt like got to dive in and explore marriage, what that means, what that looks like, the thought of dementia, the thought of losing your mind. What that means in a relationship, what that means if a relationship is suddenly built and started, built on, on a lie, how do you repair that? What is it, you know, how does your relationship survive? And then, for me personally, it brought up a lot of… a lot of thinking about what, you know, what moving ahead in my life looks like? What are the important things for me, right? I turned 55 this year, and you kind of go, “Alright, where do I draw the lines like, what happens if dementia…” you know, I've got two kids, what do I want them to be responsible for, not be responsible for, you know, watching my parents age, it really made me think of all of that in my life and in the imaginary a lot.
 
This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.

If there is one big question that was hanging over the season one finale of the hit SYFY series, The Ark, it would have to be… what became of Angus and Alicia? Because our favorite nerdy couple were separated and in dire straits thanks to what happened to Ark One. But thankfully, night’s season two premiere of the show informed us, they’re okay and Angus is on the mend, and now that the secret is out that they survived disaster aboard Ark One, we sat down with Stacey Read and Ryan Adams, who play Alicia and Angus, to talk about season two of The Ark, and more.
 
John Betancourt: Since it's our first chance to talk, and since I'm such a fan of this show, I am curious to know what it was that attracted you each to this project and your characters in the first place.
 
Ryan Adams: Oh my gosh. I think, like, Stacey, we both hadn't really done much work before this. So, yeah, getting presented with an audition of scale like this, you know, Dean Devlin and Jonathan Glassner, it was immediately like, “Oh, my God, I need this.” Put everything into the audition as always. And, yeah, was just really, really, really lucky and really excited to get started. And, yeah, I think immediately presented with Angus. It was, it was so, I mean, I think I said this before, but he was originally written as a completely different guy, like, he was, like, overweight and had, like, just different morals and everything. So, reading that for the first time, I was like, “I'm quite skinny. I don't know how I can play this guy (Laughs),” but, yeah, like, Dean fantastically changed it for me, which was nice.
 
Stacey Read: Very similarly, like getting through an audition, like it was, The Ark, it was incredible. But also, I'm a big science fiction nerd. I think Ryan's a big science fiction nerd as well. So that is really cool. Like to be able to do a show where we're at a spaceship in space, like… a dream come true, really.
 
John Betancourt: I do kind of want to expand upon that a little further, because I would not have ever known, judging from your performances, that this was relatively one of the bigger roles that you've had so far in your careers, because you're both so good at it, and there's such depth to it. And I'm very curious to know how you as actors created that amazing depth and that amazing individuality for both of your characters.
 
Ryan Adams: Oh, wow. I think, what was great about season one and coming onto this show was the fact that… I know me and Stace relate to this and have the same thoughts. Our characters were so much like us, in the sense of, like Angus and Alicia, like, stepping foot onto a spaceship, super like, “Oh my god, I'm really nervous. I'm really scared. This is a big deal. I don't want to mess it up,” kind of thing. Literally, the same thoughts that we had about the show, you know, coming onto this as actors, you know, big show, don't want to mess it up. So, yeah, we related to our characters so much in that way. And luckily, they were nervous, like, well, I can only speak for myself, luckily, Angus was a bit of a nervous wreck, so I could really channel that. And “No, I'm not nervous, guys. It's just Angus, I promise.” So yeah, that was really nice to sort of start with that. It was cool.
 
Stacey Read: I was a nervous wreck too. Don't worry.
 
Ryan Adams: Okay, cool, more than just me, thank god!
 
Stacey Read: It was also really nice to be able to, like, have the characters parallel, you know, our real lives, but also, like, we would get the episodes as we were shooting. So, it's not like we knew what our character was like, or like how it was going to end. So, it was really nice being able to build on that. You know, every time we got a new episode and you're like, “Okay, so this is the character. Oh, I'll do this with Cat. Oh, she's a bit like this.” So, yeah, we just got to mold them to how we wanted them, which was really cool.
 
John Betancourt: Now, getting into kind of season two gear as it is. One thing I love about the show is it does have a lot of underlying parallels to our world and some good discussions about, you know, us finding a better way together. I'm curious what you kind of hope from a message standpoint, audiences take away in season two.
 
Ryan Adams: I mean, the main driving point that we try and hit home in this show is that it’s about hope. Um, you know, Ark One’s objective and mission with the state of their ship in season one is really quite impossible, like it's, it's a really impossible task, and they are constantly set back all the time. And it's the same with season two, but I think the thing that we love is like we just never give up hope. You know, even when you're at the darkest, darkest, darkest moment of your life. I mean, I'm thinking about Angus waking up in season two and just thinking, “How am I alive? Oh, the only reason I'm alive is because I have my worst enemy's blood flowing through my veins, cool,” and I use the imagery of “trying to get out my own skin,” kind of thing a lot this season. Um, yeah, so he's not great physically, and obviously, when that mends with the blood, his mental state doesn't mend at all. And he's really gotta live with that and just keep pushing and carrying on. I mean, let's not forget, he's got a big job on the ship. Everyone does. So yeah, sometimes working whilst having a bad mental state is, is really taxing. It's really hard. But yeah, I think what, what the crew of Ark One have to remember, is we’re not doing it really just for us, not doing it for us. We're doing it for the world. We're doing it for humanity and for our families.
 
Stacey Read: I would just like to say, like, there's a lot to take away from this show, but I think what's really lovely about this show is, it's not just the action, adventures, but the heart of it, like Ryan was saying, there is hope. And not just with that, with season two, there's, you know, conflict, and how can you resolve certain conflicts? Is there redemption? And I think it's really as humans, you know, humanity is a very complex thing, and I think when you look at the state of the world today, with the conflicts going around in the world today, it would be nice if people could just find a way to resolve things in a better way. And I think The Ark does touch on that, like, how can we resolve certain things without causing more problems?
 
John Betancourt: The last question that I have for each of you today, what has it meant to you on a personal level when it comes to just the enormous fan response because the show's a hit, people are all about it, and you guys are beloved characters. What does that mean to both of you?
 
Ryan Adams: It means a lot, man, it means, it means so much. I mean working on season one, like, with it being a completely new show, not attached to anything else, like we had no idea what the fan reception was going to be like. We didn't have fans at that point, you know. We had no idea what the audience reception was going to be. So, yeah, to get that, like warm feeling from and to have such a nice, loyal fan base as well, from season one, was so nice, and to have that in the back of our minds whilst making this season was so nice. You know, thinking, we're making this show for, like, people that really, really care about it. It's really, really nice.
 
Stacey Read: it's really heartwarming. Like, even as season one was coming out, I'd love to go on Twitter and just see all the, like, fans’ theories and everything. And then, you know, I get really lovely messages from fans as well. People make fan art. I love the names that the fans have come up with as well, “The Arkaholics.” I'm just like, cool we've got, like, a cool name going, like, yeah, it's really heartwarming knowing that you touched so many people.
 
Ryan Adams: I think even the fact that we got a season two, in itself was like, a nice like, “Oh, amazing. We did well, we did good. We have support” kind of thing.
 
This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.

It is definitely safe to say, that people are eagerly awaiting the second season of the hit SYFY series, The Ark. Simply because the series offers up a refreshing science fiction adventure, one that fans simply cannot get enough of, and in anticipation of the arrival of its second season, we sat down with series lead Christie Burke (Lieutenant/Captain Sharon Garnet), and co-showrunners Dean Devlin and Jonathan Glassner to discuss all things The Ark.
 
John Betancourt: This is a two-part opening question, the first one is for Dean and Jonathan, and I'd love to know what went into the decision to create such a bigger and bolder and amazing season two.
 
Dean Devlin: I think it's really… we owed it to the people who stuck with us. You know, I mean, it was, look, we're an independent company doing a show on a big network, and we didn't know if it was going to work or not, and suddenly, six and a half million people showed up and they stayed with us through the whole season. In fact, the numbers grew as the season went on, and we just felt a responsibility. We said, “You know, we can't just give them what they've gotten. We gotta up our game in every way that we can.”
 
Jonathan Glassner: I mean, you know, if you're gonna do a series and it's successful, you better be bigger the next season, or you're not doing your job. You know, we don't want to suddenly make a smaller show.
 
John Betancourt: The second part of this is for Christie. As an actor, how meaningful is it to work on a season and a series, that is this ambitious?
 
Christie Burke: I mean, it's the most meaningful. It's incredible, the idea that, like, you know, we went to Serbia, and we did this thing, and that anyone watched it, and not only watched it, but liked it, and kept coming back to, like, this little, beautiful, heartfelt story that we created is like, I think the most meaningful. I'm really excited. I think we really took into consideration our fans when making this season in what surprises and unpredictability we wanted to show them, but also, just like we showed up every day and wanted to do the best we possibly could. So, I'm really excited for fans to watch it.
 
John Betancourt: In keeping with the two-part style here, starting with Dean and Jonathan here, what kind of challenges did you run into, from a showrunner and writer standpoint, in creating a season so… I mean, the season two premiere is just so ambitious.
 
Jonathan Glasser: You ain't seen nothing yet. (Laughter from everyone.)
 
John Betancourt: Oh man, I only received the first three episodes of season three, that’s scary.
 
Jonathan Glassner: We… actually go to planets this season. So, it gets big and fun and hard from a production perspective. Just ask Christie. It was, it was some challenging stuff this season.
 
Dean Devlin: We have very big appetites, and we have very small budgets. (Laughter) Normally… you would curb your appetite based on your budget, but we don't. And so, it's like, “All right, well, let's use every trick in the book that we've ever learned, and let's beg, borrow and steal from everyone to help us get there” and it takes everybody. I mean, you know, as much as Garnet is a leader on screen, Christie's a leader off screen. And you know, she's really on set, working with the other actors and motivating people. I mean, I we couldn't have a better number one on a show. And it takes all of that, it takes everybody stepping up to try and fulfill these ambitions we have with the time and money we've got.
 
John Betancourt: And then the second part of that is for Christie. In keeping with what Dean and Jonathan just said, what kind of challenges did you deal with as an actor with such ambitious material?
 
Christie Burke: I revel in challenge. I think I really shine when, like, something's difficult to do. Like, I don't take no for an answer. Like, if you're telling me, “we have to get this scene in this amount of time,” I'm like, “it's going to be the best scene you've ever seen in your life.” So, I kind of love rising to face difficulty, if that makes sense. I think also, too, like that kind of pressure really creates magical art, in my opinion. But I think we get to see Garnet, not only in challenging situations, but also emotional situations with other cast members, we get to see her develop deeper relationships and lots of other fun stuff.
 
John Betancourt: This is more of a global question one for everyone. I've always from day one, loved how the show had a lot of depth and a lot of intelligence about the human condition, which great sci fi always does. And I'm very curious what each of you kind of hope this season audiences take away from a messaging standpoint.
 
Jonathan Glassner: I mean, I would say it's very similar to last season in that it's hope, it's hope for that, humans, when they work together, can do anything, and, you know, even survive where we left us at the end of last season.
 
Dean Devlin: I think that's right. I mean, this is a show about hope. It's also a show about empathy, it's a show about forgiveness, and it's about grit. And you know, the storylines this year are different than last year. It's not “disaster movie of the week” this year. It's really, we go to some very unexpected places, but it's always in service of what we just said. It's always just to illustrate what the best versions of us can be.
 
Christie Burke: Well, I remember like something just came to mind right now. I remember, like the first meeting I ever had with Dean, which was really scary, by the way, (Laughs) was he said that hope is the journey, not the destination. And I think that's a really beautiful sentiment. I think it is the journey like, I think so often in society, we get caught in, like, “we got to get to the planet!” We got to do this” -- that we forget, like, human connection and like not giving up on people, and like lifting each other up is also like the destination and the journey. So, I think that's also should be the takeaway. Don't give up on people.
 
John Betancourt: The last question that I have for each of you today, what has the fan response meant to each of you? Because this show just blew up and folks really do love it.
 
Jonathan Glassner: Wow, I love it. You know, who wouldn't? It's very gratifying to know that all the hard work we put in means something to some people. And, you know, maybe bringing a little happiness to their life for an hour every week. And I think that's valuable.
 
Dean Devlin: I've made things that were loved, and I've made things that were loved a lot less. It is better to be loved more. (Laughter from everyone)
 
Christie Burke: Oh, man, yeah, I think I second everything they just said. It's like, I feel very honored that people decide to take an hour out of out of their day and watch this show that we made, that we wanted to put our all into. And when I'm on set, I'm thinking about fans, like, I'm like, “Oh my gosh, I can't wait for them to see this amazing thing that we're making.” And I just want to, like, text every fan I know personally and be like,” Oh my gosh, this and this happened, and this and this happened,” and I'm not allowed to because I'd be fired. (Laughter) But yeah, I feel really lucky. I think sci fi fans are incredible. I've gotten to be a part of other projects that weren't necessarily in this genre, and sci fi fans are the best. They're the most loving, accepting, like, how lucky are we that we get to do it again? You know?
 
This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.

​The latest chapter in the Descendants saga is available to stream on Disney+ right now, and to properly celebrate the arrival of Descendants: The Rise of Red, we sat down with cast members, Kylie Cantrell (Red), Malia Baker (Chloe), Ruby Rose Turner (Bridget), Morgan Dudley (Ella), and Dara Reneé (Uliana) to discuss this movie and its wonderful messaging.

John Betancourt: What does it mean to each of you to be part of such a storied Disney franchise?
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Kylie Cantrell: Oof. I mean some pressure when you put it like that, yeah, I think it's honestly like a pressure that I think I put on myself just because I'm like, “Guys, you can't touch the Descendants, the franchise is already perfect.” Like, I was such a fan of the films growing up, so I feel so similar to the fans of like, “don't mess this up.” We gotta do it justice, which I think that that's a bit of a tricky mindset to have because of the fact that this is a new story. It's a complete new, new reimagined, of course, it's the same world and where there's many nods to the older films, and that's done in a tasteful way, but essentially, it's a new movie and I think there was so much creative freedom in that and just getting to have fun and introduce these new characters that you know of, but they haven't been told in this way and imagined in this scenario. So, I think there was just so much liberty that we got to take with, you know, our characters, and it was just so iconic and fun.

Malia Baker: I mean, that kinda covers it. But yeah, I feel like, as much as a tricky mindset it is to have it was so prevalent on set and creating the story and these characters that, yeah, we don't want to mess up the old ones, which I feel like holds so true, to a testament to what we did. I feel like we didn't.  I really, I love this movie. I loved working on it, and I loved what came out of it. So, I feel like to everybody that was an old fan that watched the older ones, I truly hope that you're able to love and find this new place in your heart for this one, because it does. It's all the best parts of the older ones in this new, reimagined, new light. So, I think it's fun. I think I really hope people enjoy it.

John Betancourt: I’m also curious what message you hope audiences take away from this film.

Malia Baker: I feel like the themes that have stuck in my head the most are the female friendships in it. I feel like they're so strong throughout this movie. I feel like the mother daughter theme is a huge one that I think is so interesting, and I love talking about it because it's so versatile within the contrast between Chloe and Red and there are different relationships with our mothers, but also that our differences really push towards an equal ending and an equal outcome that we want to have. We hate each other at the start of the movie, but we end up loving each other by the end of it, and it's fueled by this motivation for, let's save our moms. Let's, like, get the pocket watch. Let's go back in time so we can solve this, which I think hopefully people will be able to take away even small chapters in their life.
 
Kylie Cantrell: I mean, I would say just that. I second that I think it is all about girl power. And, I mean, me and Malia talked about this. It's really cool that with this film in particular, aside from the other original films, there's no love story, like it's really just badass girls that are going on this journey, they come together. Hate each other in the beginning, but they learn to love each other, and, you know, kind of celebrate each other's differences by the end, instead of kind of judging each other for it, which I think is special. And there's something to take from that for every girl out there.

John Betancourt: What does it mean to be part of this storied franchise?
​
Morgan Dudley: Wow, oh my God. So unreal. I don't think like… as much as it's been my dream since I was little, I don't think I ever could see it actualized until it did. I'm just really grateful that to be here and to be here with such freaking amazing people. I'm just, yeah.
 
Ruby Rose Turner: Like, until I’m sat in that theater, watching it, it hasn’t happened yet.
 
Dara Renée: I literally feel like we're all just such hardcore fans, so the fact that we're a part of something that we love so much is truly, like, it's a mind Twister.
 
John Betancourt: If there’s one message you hope the audience takes away from this film, what would it be?
 
Morgan Dudley: I think I would want audiences to just take away that they can be whoever they want to be, and they are not tied down to their circumstances. And yeah, take the lessons that life throws at you and make them their own. When life gives you lemons, you make what? Lemonade.
 
Ruby Rose Turner: I agree. I feel like life comes from you, not at you. I feel like life is sweeter when you are. I feel like, you know, I'm gonna take a little bit of Bridget's advice.
 
Dara Renée: Yeah, I 100% agree. I mean, you make mistakes for a reason. It makes you a better person. You learn who you are and develop the version of yourself as you go through the pathways that's created for you.
 
John Betancourt: What are you each most proud of when it comes to your work on this?
 
Ruby Rose Turner: Like everybody else, yeah, absolutely everybody else, the most talented cast, crew, everybody. Like, I'm like the last part of this, because I'm so obsessed with everybody else.
 
Morgan Dudley: I also like, I am so proud of us. I feel like we really brought the story to life. I really feel like we all dug our claws into our characters and, like, brought out one of the best versions that it could be. So, I'm really grateful.
 
Dara Renée: I'm excited for people to see the music. I can’t wait. We love the music.
 
Morgan Dudley: And shout out to everybody who was a part of the creative process, because these songs are they're banging.
 
Dara Renée: They’re bops.
 
John Betancourt: The last question I have for you today, if you had to describe this movie in one word, what would that word be?
 
Ruby Rose Turner: Captivating.
 
Dara Renée: Mischievous.
 
Morgan Dudley: Wicked.
 
These interviews have been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.

Lucian-River Chauhan and Abigail Pniowsky are a pair of rising stars on the silver and small screen, that have already appeared in some major projects, such as Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender and Arrival, respectively. Currently they start as Ben and Abby in the new Apple TV+ series, Me, and we had the honor of sitting down with both of them to discuss their new roles and new show.
 
John Betancourt: I'd like to start by getting to know as actors, what it was that attracted you to the characters that you play.
 
Lucian-River Chauhan: I think the most important thing that attracted me to the series was the brilliant writing from creator Barry L. Levy, you know, he's sort of the brains behind this production, you know, this is his vision. And so, I really love the way he was able to develop characters and, you know, go into their lives and explore them a lot more than another show.
 
Abigail Pniowsky: Yeah, I completely agree. I think that the writing was amazing. I was completely attracted to my character, Max. I felt like I connected with her a lot. And I also loved that the whole season, the whole show, has a lot of different layers, a lot of different plot points that I feel like shows in this sort of age range don't usually gear towards. So, I really liked that difference. And I thought it was really special.
 
John Betancourt: Now, both of your characters, both Ben and both Max, are just so… unbelievably believable, I guess is the best way to put it. And I'm very curious how you as actors brought that authenticity to each of these roles.
 
Lucian-River Chauhan: Yeah, absolutely. I mean, me and Abby can both talk about all the stuff that we did on set. I mean, we can. We could just talk and talk. I mean, we did a lot, you know, we would have lots of arm-wrestling competitions. We would play Uno, we would play double, oh, seven. You know, sometimes we would just hang out even, like, not on set, just like, in our trailers, that's sort of the way that we would bond and form that relationship. I remember this one time we went to Jonathan Bergman's House, who plays Owen, and he has this really amazing pool at his house, and so, well, we just sort of had a pool party there. And that was, that was that was a lot of fun, and brought us closer as people and as actors.
 
Abigail Pniowsky: I think that what Riv said was amazing, and definitely Barry was a big help in the process of getting to understand our characters. This was his vision. So, we really wanted to make sure that we brought it to life.
 
John Betancourt: I have noticed in talking to Barry and obviously talking to the two of you, just the joy that it's in everyone's voice when they talk about this show, and I'm very curious what each of you enjoyed working or what you enjoyed the most about working on Season One of the show.
 
Lucian-River Chauhan: I mean, there are so many things that I loved about working on the show. I mean, I could talk to you about, you know, the characters, and getting a chance to talk with Barry about the show, you know. But I think the coolest part about the show, you know, was that I also sort of learned from the show. As much as Ben was learning, I was also learning, you know, I'm actually an only child, and so I don't have any siblings. And so, as Ben was learning how to be a brother, so was I with Abby. And I think that was that was really unique in terms of in the show.
 
Abigail Pniowsky: Yeah, I totally agree with Riv. I think that that dynamic made it really special. I think that being with other kids our age was a new experience for both of us. I've never done a shoot with a lot of other kids, and so it kind of felt like they were kind of like a built-in friend group, like almost our own family. And it was really fun doing scenes with them, especially when there would be a lot of laughter on set. It was just such an amazing time.
 
John Betancourt: So, I have to ask now, because you both kind of brought it up that you had a lot of great sit downs with Barry. I don't want to get into, obviously, every single thing you talked about, but could you kind of walk us through what you guys talked about with Barry to kind of help build your characters?
 
Lucian-River Chauhan: Yeah, 100% I think, you know, there are a couple points that I think Barry wanted us to really understand. I think the one that is pretty general was that you know, Me, is more than just a superhero story. You know, we talk about really important themes that that everyone in the world can learn from it and can hear and I think something that's more specific that we talked about was that Ben will be a legend… one day… and today is not that day. (Laughter)
 
Abigail Pniowsky: Yeah, Barry definitely wanted to -- he wanted us to remember that this isn't a superhero show. It is a show about learning, how to find yourself, coming of age, it has so many different plot points. And for Max especially, I think that he just wanted me to remember that well, one, she's allergic to apologies. She doesn't ever say sorry, which I feel like it's very different from me. I'm always saying sorry, but she, well, I like to use the metaphor she's a “Burnt Marshmallow,” because they are tough and hard on the outside, but in reality, on the inside, they're gooey. And I think that even though she was tough and witty and hard on the outside, she really did care for the people around her, especially for Ben.
 
John Betancourt: Now this is a special project, and unlike anything else on television right now, on a personal level, what does it mean to each of you be part of a project that is this special and is this unique?
 
Abigail Pniowsky: I think that what makes this project special to me is what I took away from Max's overall character development and her journey. I think that… keep the people who are close to you, close to you and learn to grow with them, as opposed to trying to do everything on your own. You know, trying not to let the pressure get to you is easier when you have other people to help you.
 
Lucian-River Chauhan: I think the reason why this, this show, is really special for me, is that, you know, obviously I learned, I learned quite a bit from my character, about forgiveness and, you know, empathy. But I think also, the thing is that anyone can relate to the show, and I think that's why it's not only special to me, but it will be special for everyone who gets a chance to see it. Because, you know, at one point you can see yourself on the screen, and, you know, you can learn from that and relate to it in a certain way.
 
John Betancourt: The last question I have for each of you today, what are you most proud of when it comes to your work on this show?
 
Abigail Pniowsky: Um, I think that I am most proud of how I could bring Max to life. Um, I kind of knew what was riding on this, especially for Barry, this was a really special project to him, and I wanted to make sure that I could make him proud and help him create such an amazing project. And I think that I really understood my character and her feelings towards each and every other character, especially Ben and her family. I think that I grew with her, and each new scene was a new challenge, a new a new opportunity to kind of bring her to life,
 
Lucian-River Chauhan: I think what I'm most proud of is what I what I've learned, and how I've grown from… from being the Lucian-River or the Riv, that I was before the show, and then the one after. The show is, is really important, because, you know, it transforms you. And I think that's sort of what happened to me. And I'm really proud of my transformation. Because, you know, I learned about friendships and family, like our sibling relationship, Abby and, you know, I learned that support can be, can be in places you least expect it to be, and that's what I'm really proud of.
 
This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.

Barry L. Levy is a highly accomplished writer that’s crafted some memorable stores on the silver and small screen, such as Vantage Point and episodes of StartUp. Currently he serves as the creator and showrunner of the upcoming Apple TV+ series, Me, and we here at NTG had the distinct honor of sitting down with Barry to discuss the genesis of this show and more.
 
John Betancourt: I would like to start by learning what inspired you to create such an ambitious show.
 
Barry L. Levy: I have identical twin daughters with my wife, and two years later, we had a son who was tall right out of the gate, and therefore always looked like a triplet, and couldn't quite be a triplet, despite his desire to be one. And so, for him, the question became a bedtime story, and it became, then the story of the show, which is a boy named Ben. Who do you want to be, if you could be anyone in the world? And so that became the sort of impetus and the starting point, and the writing just came from there. And, you know, for us, you know, in our house, anyways, I talk about this as a love letter to them, and to being able to sort of capture their relationships. You know, for posterity, forever. So, this has been… truly a dream come true.
 
John Betancourt: Well, how lovely of an answer is that? Your kids get to say, “Yeah, my dad wrote this about me.” That's pretty amazing. Well, with that in mind, you said the writing came pretty quick. But were there any challenges that came into crafting this? I mean, because it's such a complex and emotional story.
 
Barry L. Levy: No. (Laughter from Barry and John.)
 
John Betancourt: All right, easy enough.
 
Barry L. Levy: Just kidding. You know, the challenges were never in the writing. It was also in the producing of what was being written. Because we designed the show to be written, to be shot as a, essentially a, what a five-hour movie, and then we had to sort of recognize that from a production point of view, that's a brutal way to shoot. How do we organize these scenes? How do we sort of tailor what we're writing so that it makes more sense from a production point of view? That was the biggest hurdle. And I mean, I think we, you know, I feel thrilled to have great collaborators where it worked out, but those were the questions that we were asking ourselves from the start.
 
John Betancourt: I will say that I'm noticing more and more. Especially, seems like in the last year or so, we're seeing a lot of family stories that go deeper into topics like this, stuff that I know that when I was kid, no TV shows went into. Like there was “a very special episode,” and that was pretty much it. I'm curious, why do you think now is the right time to see these kinds of shows on the air?
 
Barry L. Levy: Oh, wow. You know, I'm, I'm not sure. I will say that one of the key lessons of show running was being authentic about when you don't know the answer, telling you I don't know the answer. I do think that we have trended for decades, though, towards authenticity and grounded-ness and realism. If you think back to those old black and white movies where performances were always broad and you know, they're sort of shouted at you, and then by the 70s, it was sort of real and grounded. And now it makes sense that it trickles down to even the performers of all ages. I mean, I think those are trends.
 
John Betancourt: Wow. Well, that is quite the insightful answer.
 
Barry L. Levy: Top of my head!
 
John Betancourt: So, let's talk about some of those themes. Because the show covers so many and it is so authentic in doing so, and I’m curious how you brought forth that authenticity.
 
Barry L. Levy: So that started with the casting, and it started with the hiring of a director. I knew from the start that I sort of had a leadership philosophy of going… I want to bring in people, and I want them to elevate what we've done so that I'm not the pinnacle. I'm the bottom of the heap, of the pyramid. And in that regard, Michael really brought a real cinematic style to it. Michael Dowse, and I brought in Joshua Einsohn, who I'd known forever, who cast, This is Us and Love, Victor, and a lot of other sort of awards-y shows. And I wanted to find kids who could really reach the levels that we wanted in terms of performance, that it was going to feel real, that it wasn't going to feel like anything else that I had seen on television, and so that we could hit those marks. And when we saw river Lucien-River (Chauhan), but we call him Riv, he, he just, he nailed it with his eyes. He could do a lot of things that we didn't have to put on the page.
 
In terms of dialogue, you felt it with him. You know, casting Abby (Pniowsky) meant we needed someone, because the role always demanded that she was every bit his equal and then some, but also that she could be a sister to him, and so who played best off of him, and those two, the minute that we saw them at a camera read, the first time, it was so obvious that those two were siblings, and it just was like, “Yes, please.” Um. And from moving off from there, Josh had seen Amanda Reid, had met her in Dallas at some place, and seen her perform. And he was like, months before we ever saw her. He's like, “I know who Carter is. I know who Carter is.” And he kept saying it and saying it. And then it just took me a minute to get my head around and go. I think Josh might be right. And so, you know, that's how we that's how we got them.
 
John Betancourt: I couldn't help but notice too, that there's a very, cinematic spark to the story, and a superhero feel, which I also like. Were there any influences that you wanted intentionally in this show from that genre or in general?
 
Barry L. Levy: So, when I first met Michael Dowse, I brought one, and he brought one, and it was so clear, you know, that there was touchstones for us. Stand By Me, was a touchstone which was about children, but it wasn't for children. It was for everyone. E.T., that there were layers to the sort of the culture of knowing that if you were a parent watching it, you would find different things. Like I didn't know until I showed it to my kids that Elliot's father had run off with a flight attendant to Mexico. And it was so, so specific. And it was like, I just somehow it never passed -- it just passed right over me. But then Michael also brought, I guess, with him, Super 8 was a touchstone for him, which was sort of paid homage to those other ones, you know. And I think those films really sort of set us up of going, this is what we are aspiring to. It'll feel cinematic, but it'll feel real, and you'll almost forget the fact that in, you know, five years’ time, we should be so fortunate as to be looking at the superheroes of this show, because today, we're just telling the story of a someday superhero.
 
John Betancourt: Obviously the show is loaded with all kinds of amazing messaging and stuff that parents and kids can talk about after watching the show. If there's one particular message that you hope really everybody carries with them as they walk away from this first season, what would that message be?
 
Barry L. Levy: Oh, wow. I mean, I do think it's challenging to find the just one, for me personally, the finding who you are and accepting who you are. You know, those are sort of part and parcel of becoming yourself. You know, when we talked about season one with Apple from the start, it was always, this is a boy who can be anyone in the world. Who does he want to be? Well, by the end of season one, he knows the answer. It's our title. I want to be, me. And that idea was always there from the start.
 
John Betancourt: Since you talked some of the personal aspects of what the show has meant, what does it mean to you now to know that you're just so close to having this important project come to life on the screen.
 
Barry L. Levy: I mean, I will say having been here with movies as well as TV, it always is sort of a powerless feeling of going “it's there.” And I don't know how the world will accept it, but I will say that versus any other experience in my life, I'm sort of, I'm excited to share it, and I'm so proud of what we did, and I know that the people in this family are, so the audience of three, I've already got that seal of approval, you know, I'm good. I'm playing with house money at this point.
 
John Betancourt: The last question that I have for you, speaking of that pride, what are you most proud of when it comes to this project?
 
Barry L. Levy: Oh, my God, I think it's those the performances that are captured on film. Because I think that that's actually a deeper issue than simply a performer, because the way it's shot, is so much a credit to Mike and Bella Gonzalez, our DP, the way that those scenes are cut together. I don't know who's seen how much of the series, but Episode Seven with Abby, with Max in the dressing room is a scene that I will always hold on to as being so special, the birthday dinner of Episode Five. I mean, those are real moments of such emotional depth that, you know, Episode Eight, in the exploring of Carter and her father's relationship. I mean, we went to places that I was so proud of going, I know we're doing, we're hitting above our, our weight. We're punching above our weight in this regard. And I just, I was so thrilled that the performers, that the crew and the cast, you know, delivered, and then some. And, of course, the writers as well.
 
This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.
 

The hit STARZ series, The Serpent Queen, returns to the airwaves on Friday, July 12, 2024, and to celebrate its return, we here at NTG sat down with the show’s creator/showrunner and its executive producer, Justin Haythe and Erwin Stoff, respectively, to discuss the season ahead.
​
John Betancourt: Gentlemen, congratulations on a second season, and thank you for your time today. First and foremost, would love to start with getting to know what went into the decision to make an already bold show even bolder and bigger in season two.
 
Justin Haythe: Look the tone. The show is all about the tone, right? And I think tone is one of those the most important things when you're telling a story and often not talked about because it's a way to angle the show. And I think that working on a season one, you learn a language, you develop collaborations, and you test the concept, and when you see this tone works, when you see the humor can coexist with the blood and the pathos. You're obligation free, you can push it farther. And it's always about pushing as far as you can go before, before it goes too far.
 
Erwin Stoff: I mean, you have to go bigger and bolder, otherwise, why bother doing a second season?
 
John Betancourt: Obviously, there have to be some challenges that come into play when you're assembling a season that's so much more ambitious. I'm curious as to what kind of challenges each of you ran into in doing so.
 
Erwin Stoff: The challenges are, it's funny. The challenge is, on the one hand, you want to give the audience what they liked last year, but then you don't want to repeat what you did last year. So, you sort of go with the story, which is okay, they loved Catherine, they loved that character, etc. Now in, sort of in, taking the story forward. what were all of the additional complications in her life? Well, she had children. Well, the religious wars were, you know, were beginning to happen and so on. So that's what causes it to, you know, to sort of AMP up further.
 
Justin Haythe: Well, I think, you know, the genre of television, you come back to feel a little bit like you felt last week, but if you feel exactly the way you felt last week, there's no point right to Erwin's point. But I would say the same thing about any character, a non-growing, non-developing character isn't interesting. And Catherine is the character who's changing. So, when season two, you come back to see who she was, what made her she was, but you also see where she's going and the new line, she's willing to cross. And in that sense, what remains interesting is what remains interesting about the characters.
 
John Betancourt: It could be said that this isn’t a hard philosophical show, because it's just telling history, so we can't really pull philosophy from that, but I will say that it is definitely about the human condition and a lot of the choices that we make. And I'm curious what kind of the underlying theme you hope the audience takes away in season two?
 
Justin Haythe: I mean, I would disagree with you slightly. I think you can take a philosophy by the frame you look at history through, and me, if there's a theme to this show, it's about the impact of arbitrary power systems, meaning you don't win this game by being the smartest, the best person, the kindest. That's not how you win this game. You win this game by being closest to who we've decided God picked to be king. So, under that system, Anything's fair game, right? It's not a fair system. So, you can lie and cheat and steal to win. And the question is, how often do we live under systems like that? When do people still lose faith in the system today? When are people feeling that way, and it's delicious to watch people behave where there are no rules. That's also pretty scary.
 
John Betancourt: Then I stand corrected. We can find philosophy here. Last question I have for you today, what has the response to the series meant to each of you?
 
Erwin Stoff: It's highly gratifying. Justin and I enjoyed the show. Justin and I have been friends and have worked together for well over 20 years. So, we actually had the greatest time. It was hard work, but we had the best time. So, to see other to see audiences having the response to it that they do, is obviously incredibly gratifying.
 
Justin Haythe: I couldn't agree with Erwin more. I mean, look, you wouldn't want to be in a foxhole with anybody else. Erwin, and I have known each other so long, anything that goes wrong, we've been there, and we've seen worse. But the real pleasure of it is to see that what amuses us, right, amuses other people as well.
 
Erwin Stoff: Yeah, that’s absolutely right.
 
This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.

Last night’s episode of Race to Survive: New Zealand, saw not one, but two teams head home for varying reasons. Corry and Oliver left due to disqualification, while Ryan and Bronsen tapped out for health reasons and we here at NTG were fortunate enough to sit down with Ryan and Bronsen as well, to discuss their experiences during the race and their tough call.
 
John Betancourt: First and foremost, Ryan, how are you feeling? 
 
Ryan: Feeling good. It's kind of… knowing this episode's going to air tonight. It's kind of one of those give you a little kind of gut punch, you know. It just sucks having to watch yourself. We wanted to go at least to the end, you know. So, yeah, it kind of hurt a little bit, you know, all the episodes were fun, except for this one. 
 
John Betancourt: So, this will be a bit of a two-part question, the first is for Ryan. I’d love to know how hard it was to push through those injuries. Because I’m a guy with a bad knee, I felt for you, and I don’t know how you did it. 
 
Ryan: I mean, yeah, it happened early on in the second race. I fell and hurt, but then I fell into a really good tumble, and I don't think it ever was ever shown, but that's when I stood up and you could feel, that's when I first started feeling like more of a burning sensation, I guess it would have been. And so, I mean, all I could do is push through it. You know what? Even the doctor said, it probably started out as a small tear and worked its way to a larger tear. And so, I tried to focus on other things than the knee. And it was kind of funny, it would only hurt generally if weight was on my back, because the LCL acts as, I guess, is a weight bearing ligament, and so it's when that weight was on and going downhill or side hill or, you know, it just, I mean, it was I wanted to push through to, you know, to get the money for Bronsen, you know, and for myself, and just to finish it. So, it really stuck in that last leg. It just we, we got out of these rafts and got down the river, and it just didn't want to go. And it just kept locking up. It was weird. It would lock up. Then I’d go for like, 10 feet, and then it would lock up again. I’d go 10 feet, lock up. It just… it was bad.
 
John Betancourt: Now the second part, is for Bronsen. How hard was it to watch him go through that? 
 
Bronsen: Yeah, I know Ryan's a tough guy. Um, it was, I mean, not necessarily, like, way hard for me. I felt really bad for him, because I know he wanted to just keep pushing and keep going. But like, it got to the point to where, like, he literally couldn't or, I mean, we were walking five steps, and then we'd have a little five-minute break, and then five more steps, another five-minute break. I wouldn’t say I was bummed or anything, just had to support him.
 
John Betancourt: Now, obviously this was a decision that you guys didn't come to very quickly. You took a little time to get there. How hard was it to come to the decision to tap out?
 
Ryan: It was hard. It was really hard. Yeah, it was very, very, very difficult. But we just kind of had to think about, you know, we didn't know what was going on with the knee at the time, you know, at all. And, I mean, I still kind of go against it, but the doctor even said, if you kept pushing it, you probably would have eventually ripped all the way through, you know, and it would have been a, it would have been a complete tear where you would have had to have surgery, it would have been that, but I don't know, in my mind, I kind of feel like I should have just kept… maybe I should have made crutches. Or, you know what I mean, you kind of look back on it now, but at the same time, this is 10 months ago, so it's really hard to really understand the pain. You know what I mean? So, it's really hard. I put myself now, like, I should have done this, I should have done that, a lot of shoulders, but in the moment, you're thinking of like, I gotta go back home and work, you know what I mean, I gotta go back home and get back to regular life where I, you know, I make money and stuff and so, having that, ligament… it was 90% torn. Yeah, I don't know if I could have made it the 10% I, I feel like I could've now, (Laughs) but I don't know. I mean, it would have been pretty brutal. I don't know if we could, the last race would have been probably really, really hard to have probably done. 
 
So that was kind of our decision is like, is it worth the injury, the risk? Because I have a landscaping business as well as the guiding. So… how far do you permanently damage this thing? You know what I mean? That’s kind of where Bronson started talking sense into me on some of this stuff, because I did, I wanted to keep going. And he did. He's like, “Dude, you gotta, when you get home, you still gotta have a living,” you know what I mean. And it all kind of made sense. And so, I think we just kind of thought, well, you know, we had a good time there. We saved the leg enough that I hope, I hope we get to do something else, cool again. I mean, you know, I really do, my leg feels a lot better. I'll bet it's about 90%-95% and I'll just do, I think I do a lot more stretching next time. You know, as you get older, you don't stretch that body. Yeah, I think it would have prevented the injury, to be honest, I really do. I just, I work out and stuff. I don't do enough stretching. 
 
John Betancourt: Bronsen, anything to add?
 
Bronsen: Like Ryan said, it came down, like he just wanted to keep going, pushing through and like he said, I'm like, kind of talking sense into him, like, “Dude, life doesn't work for when you get back, you're just going to be a bum on the couch.”
 
Ryan: Yeah, yeah, it sucked I think the hardest part is, as well as kind of pride myself, I wanted to get all the way, and the next thing was letting Bronson down. You know, you kind of feel like you're letting him down. And I still have a hard time with it. I really do. I feel like I let us get down when we should have went, at least there to the end. But, I mean, life is life, you know, sucks. 
 
John Betancourt: Now that you’ve had time to reflect on the journey, what are you each going to miss about being out there?
 
Ryan: I loved all the challenges. I loved the simple life. To be honest. I love having no phones, no connection, being very isolated, um, kind of one with nature. Just kind of, it was simple. It showed you so much, I guess, in life, of how you don't need the materialistic things. Because all we cared about was food, water and shelter, and that was it. And we were happy. There was nothing to, you know, look at somebody else and say, “Oh, they have this. I have this.” You know, nowhere to be like that. So, I'll miss that. I even… coming back. I had a hard time with that. Of just engaging back into the real life, you know, the phone going, and then the messages and the stress of real life coming on to you. It was so simple out there. I really miss the simplicity of how life was out there.
 
Bronsen: I really just missed, like, the adventures and stuff we did, looking back, like in the moment, like you didn't notice because you're hungry, or whatever you like, thought it sucked, but watching the episodes, it's actually really cool. We did a lot of cool things, and we were in a really cool place, so I'll miss that. And also, like Ryan said, and I'm sure everybody else felt out there, just how much like, yeah, just how simple life needs to be like, you don't need to always be like, wanting the next big thing, I guess, like Ryan said, it's shelter, food, water and family. Miss family a lot out there. 
 
John Betancourt: Last question I have for each of you today, what did you learn about yourself that you didn’t know before? 
 
Ryan: I'm getting older. (Laughter from all) Yeah, you know, I didn't realize that, yeah, I just, I'm getting older. I mean, it's a hard thing to know my body's getting older. I guess. You know. I guess it's aging. It's… I’ve come to realize, because, to go against 20-year-olds and 25-year-olds. And, you know, just, I remember just being so prime in those days of just going, going, going, and now I'm 43, I never was sore. Like, that's what it was. I wasn't crazy sore. Wasn't crazy anything. But I just, I don't know, it was just weird, not going, like, I used to go, like, so full throttle, you know what I mean, kind of like the youngins, Corry and Oliver. It was just, it really ticked me off, actually, and it's actually made me want to work harder, physically, like, as far as stretching and getting simpler that way, it's really important, really, you know, because I just didn't realize that, because I played sports my whole life, and I just didn't realize that the body was getting a little old on me. 
 
Bronsen: Just how much family actually meant to me. Probably. Like just, you take a lot of things for granted when you're providing and working. So yeah, just life is simple, and family is everything.
 
This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity. 

It is definitely safe to say that this week’s episode of Race to Survive: New Zealand on USA Network was shocking in nature. For two teams went home, one of which for a rule violation. Since Corry and Oliver unfortunately succumbed to hunger and shattered a rule in the process, disqualifying them from further competition and we here at NTG had the honor of sitting down with both of them to discuss this unfortunate end to their time on the show. 
 
John Betancourt: So, gentlemen, we will get right into it, I simply have to ask, how bad was the hunger? 
 
Corry: Yeah, I mean, totally the hunger was super real. I think honestly, it's, it's hard to fully portray that and fully show what that experience is like for a lot of us out there on the ground, but yeah, the was super real. Yeah, we’d often sit around the fire and just talk about food at survival camp for hours with the other teams. 
 
Oliver: I think that's what made the survival camp the hardest, right? While we were racing, we didn't actually think about the hunger. But then, you know, while we were actually out there sitting around like being hungry, really, actually took away from the overall experience, right? All we could think about was how hungry we were. And I think, at the end there, I don't know if this will make the final cut, but I basically said something along lines of, like, the best way that you can that -- like anyone else that's watching could really understand what we were going through is like, if someone tells you to hold your breath and, like, if you hold it long enough, you can win half a million dollars… as those seconds tick on that half a million dollars becomes a lot less important. And that's where we were at. We didn't even care about the money because we were so hungry.
 
John Betancourt: Now it was very obvious at the end of this episode that it was tough news and a tough reality to work with for both of you. How hard was it to mentally bid farewell to this race? 
 
Corry: It was, it was super upsetting, to be totally honest, there's, there's a lot of things that are part of this story that you know, I'm totally not sure how everything's going to come out in the episode. I haven't seen it, but yeah, it was super, super frustrating, super upsetting. It's been something that's really kind of got under my skin, honestly.
 
Oliver: I think, truth be told, like it, yeah. It was upsetting. It felt like we had let a lot of people down. You know? It felt like we had let our community down. It felt like we let production down, these people that we had become really close with. But I'll be honest, like part of me was, like, a little bit relieved, because I knew we were going to get to get food again. You know, it's like, once we're done, we get food again. And that made it sting a little bit less, if I'm being honest.
 
John Betancourt: Now it wasn’t all sour grapes for this race, you guys accomplished a lot, and I’m also curious about what you learned about yourself in this competition you didn’t know before?
 
Oliver: You know, I think, and this also, like Corry mentioned at some point during the show like he wanted, like they asked us a question, like, why do you want to win this for your partner? I think he said, for me, like he wanted for me to see what I'm actually capable of. And I never really considered myself an athlete before this experience, but going up against some, like, pretty incredible individuals and doing really well against them, like I 100% would identify as an athlete now, which, which is super cool.
 
Corry: I came in, I think knowing, like we came in, knowing that we would be competitors on the physical side and be able to race really well. And if you know something, maybe two things, like, I really, was really proud of how navigation went for me. I feel like I was one of the stronger navigators in the competition, as far as mapping and compasses. And really didn't make almost any mistakes on the navigation side. And I'm really proud of that. Another thing I probably learned was the, you know, just how real the hunger is and what that component actually feels like, right? Like, that's not something you get to test out and really go toe to toe with in a lot of other experiences. And this was very unique in that way.
 
John Betancourt: Now this was, a very amazing opportunity in general, and I’m wondering what each of you are going to miss the most about being out there?
 
Oliver: I think, like going in, we were both kind of on the same page about just wanting to experience the entire thing, right? Like, I think from the beginning, like the money wasn't the motivating factor, it was just to stay competitive enough to make it to the last race. And that's kind of what hurts, I think, more than the loss of the money. It's just like the fact that we didn't get to experience every single aspect of this overall race.
 
Corry: I mean, yeah, that's definitely a thing that that bites a little bit, is we came out of this thing feeling strong, hungry, but strong. We weren't injured. There were other teams that continued past where we got out that were not physically sound, that had injuries, and we, we didn't, and to leave that experience like knowing that we still had a pretty good, competitive foot in front of us, and I think we could have, you know, gone a lot farther, and been able to go through to the end, and to see that not come to fruition is definitely super upsetting. I miss the companionship at survival camps we had with the other teams. There was definitely a kind of tribal bond that formed that doesn't get a lot of attention in the show, but it was very real. Being out there and being in the situation together.
 
John Betancourt: Folks have obviously been following your journey here closely, what do you hope they take away from it? 
 
Corry: Don't underestimate the river guides. 
 
John Betancourt: I like that, watch for the river guides. 
 
Corry: Yeah, watch out for the river guides, They're not out here, just all drinking beer. 
 
John Betancourt: Now I know hindsight is 2020 but I am very curious as to if you if you had to do anything differently regarding to the lead up point, what would you guys have done differently in this race? 
 
Corry: There's some teams I maybe wouldn't have trusted. 
 
Oliver: I think Corey and I are, like, we're very outgoing, friendly individuals, and, you know, I think we were the ones that kind of got the ball rolling in terms of that, like, tribal mentality, where, like, at survival camp, we all kind of come together, you know, there are these communal fires, and you see that on the show. Occasionally, you'll see us all sitting around one fire, and we saw these people as friends, you know, and this is like a… we maybe saw it more as a bonding experience. And I think Corry’s spot on, like there's maybe too much trust in these people and, yeah, it wasn't like that, that tribal-ness and that friendliness wasn't maybe reciprocated, because that's what led to all of this.
 
John Betancourt: That’s so very interesting. I’ve not heard that before, so that’s very intriguing. Now, if you ever get the chance to come back to the show and do this again, would you? 
 
Oliver: You know, that's a question that I got asked a lot, and for the longest time I was saying yes, but honestly, it's one of those things where I think, like, after the fact, like, I'm going to be honest, like it kind of profoundly affected our relationship and our friendship and…. maybe I don't think that was exactly worth it to be honest.
 
Corry: Yeah, my answer would be maybe a little different. If Oliver would have me back as a partner, and it wasn't in New Zealand. Yeah, I'd probably do it again, because I know we could win it. Simple as that.
 
Oliver: We could totally win it. 
 
Corry: We should have won this one. 
 
John Betancourt: Last question I have for you today, mistakes aside, what are you most proud of when it comes to this race?
 
Oliver: We were composed.
 
Corry: There's a lot that I'm proud of. 
 
Oliver: Yeah, I think for me, the if I could pick one thing, I would say our attitudes throughout the whole thing, we were easily the most composed team out there. And I think it really shows, you know, there wasn't any drama we, there isn't any scenes of us like talking poorly about other teams, like we came out there with the intention to race our own race, and we did just that, and never deviated from it. 
 
Corry: Yeah, I think definitely like coming out there, and, you know, we kind of, we said this a lot, but if we're going to win, we're going to win it in the way that, you know, that we are like, we're going to be friendly, we're going to have probably way too much fun. And that's, I think, how we raced, really, through the first two races. And I'm really proud of how we performed in all of those and even when things were obnoxious and rules around survival were not what we thought, and things with dark zones were not what we thought, and we got kind of… some of these obstacles that seemed strange. We still… we raced through them, and we won three in a to. Second team to ever take home a win in Race to Survive.
 
This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.
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Máiréad Tyers is an accomplished actor that has appeared in multiple projects on the silver and small screen. Currently, she stars as Susannah in the Prime Video series, My Lady Jane, and we here at NTG had the distinct honor of sitting down with Máiréad, to discuss her experiences on the show.
 
John Betancourt: I would love to know what it means to you as an actor, to be part of such a dynamic and just so supremely unique show.
 
Máiréad Tyers: Yeah. I mean, that description is bang on, like, I think there's so many elements of the show that are really original and unique, as you say. And I think, like, there's so much kind of shows out there nowadays to watch. And I think if I was sitting at home and wasn't involved in the show, and I saw the trailer, I’d be like, “Oh my God, I want to watch that.” And so, to be part of something that I would really love to actually watch is very exciting. And also, like, you know, there's such an amazing team behind it. When I saw the list of names of creatives, you know, like the execs and directors and everything, when I, you know, look back on the work that has influenced me, a lot of their names are attached to those films and TV shows. So yeah, I feel like exceptionally proud to be part of this.
 
John Betancourt: As you should be, and what’s really interesting, is your character is relatively new to this universe, since there isn’t really any Susannah’s in the Tudor world. So, what did you enjoy the most as an actor, having the freedom that you did to create your character?
 
Máiréad Tyers: I think, like, if you told me I was going to be doing, like, a period piece that was set in Tudor times, and I'd be playing a maid, in my head, I'd be like, “Okay, so I'll wear a corset and a uniform and a little hat and be responsible for bringing in the tea and taking it away when they're done.” Like, I thought that that would be the extent of my character. And then, you know, reading the scripts, I'm like, “Oh my God.” Like, this character's got such a big secret, and the evolution of her and her journey from the first episode to the eighth, like, she goes on such a journey. And I think there was such freedom and joy to be found in playing, you know her, I guess, repression at the start, and her being forced to keep the secret and hide who she is, and then you see her being released into the world in a way that you know she didn't particularly want, but had to go along with what Jane wanted.
 
And then by being freed into the world, she actually, I think, found the people who she should have been with all along. And then you gladly see her relationship with Jane forming back together. And while there's a lot of tests in their relationship that they have to kind of figure out, and chats they need to have that have been needed to be had for years, I think it's really satisfying, as an actor playing that part, to finally be able to say all the things that you imagine she has had to hold in for years.
 
John Betancourt: What are you more excited for audiences to see, without any spoilers, just as a whole, for the show?
 
Máiréad Tyers: I think I'm really excited for people to see the costumes. Mainly, I think the costumes are incredible, like they're so well made, and the team who are working exceptionally hard day in day out, like, you know, get these deadlines and these dresses made and beautiful artwork and everything that's the production -- there's so many like, well crafted elements to this piece, as well as the music. Like, the music is really inventive and new and thoughtful. I think, like, yeah… there's loads. But also, to be honest, I'm really excited people just to see Emily Bader's performance. I think she's marvel, and I'm excited for them to learn that she's actually American and not English, when they hear her accent.
 
This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.