ONE of the most exciting and talked-about sci-fi series during the pandemic was Raised by Wolves. It is set in a dystopian future after a devastating war between two groups of humans – the highly-religious Mithraic and the militant atheists – forced the entire species to abandon Earth and set up colonies elsewhere.
The story follows two androids named Mother and Father (played by Amanda Collin and Abubakar Salim) who are tasked with raising children in an atheist colony on Planet Kepler-22b. However, chaos breaks out when a Mithraic ship crash lands on the planet, and the two androids discover a group of Mithraic children they must care for.
At the same time, their group comes into conflict with Mithraic forces, which include two atheist soldiers who have secretly taken over the identities of two scientists named Marcus (Travis Fimmel) and Sue (Niamh Algar).
The show mixes action with cerebral drama, questioning the origins of humanity and religion. Season 2 of Raised by Wolves, which begins today, promises to take the story and the characters to the next level, with each one having to choose their place in the new world.
Recently, LYFE got the opportunity to join an international teleconference interview with stars Collin, Salim and Algar, as well as new cast members Selina Jones and Kim Engelbrecht and series creator Aaron Guzikowski.
The interviews allowed us an insight into what to expect for the new season, as well as a chance to get into some of the show’s broader themes of humanity and religion.
When asked what it was like to return to the series, Salim replied: “I think we were all excited to come back. It’s such a great show, and the story is – you just want to know and learn more, and to be given the opportunity to dive into another chapter of that is really exciting.
Algar said that she enjoyed the experience of “returning to a show where you’ve already established relationships with your cast members and there’s already that kind of familiarity, but also that you get to be, almost like the audience and seeing new cast members come in, and getting excited for them to be part of a show like this, and also feed off that energy of excitement and seeing what they’re going to bring to the story.”
She pointed out: “A lot of times as an actor, you do a show and then you move on and you don’t see them again, so it’s really nice to come back and be working with the same crew, and even though [filming during] Covid does make things difficult, we were lucky enough that we had that bond, and it only brings you closer.”
For Collin, she explained that she was looking forward to showcasing how much Mother had evolved since the first season, saying: “One big change is the ‘failure’; she’s scarred now, as a real grown up with traumas. I love the open and naive Mother in the beginning, just thinking that this is the mission and that everything was going to be fine ... it was a ‘teenage’ approach, I call it.
“And now I feel that Mother has moved into her 20s and is experiencing that life isn’t what she thought it was, and how do you deal with that?
“And so it’s much closer to being human, and to seeing things but not dealing with them, and to suppress things and feelings and keep things on the inside ... I mean, this character is such a spider-web of exploration, of learning about humanity through [the eyes of] an android.”
All three of them said that Season 2 will be just as “wild” as Season 1 in terms of the story, with Salim adding that Father will play a more pivotal role here.
He hinted: “He throws himself into a ‘passion project’, not really knowing what the end result will be, and is quite surprised by what it turns out to be.”
Season 2 also sees the introduction of six new faces to the cast, including Jones and Engelbrecht. We got a brief introduction to the two characters they play, a new android named Grandmother and the atheist soldier Decima.
About Grandmother, Jones said: “What I loved most about about [her] was this idea of experiencing emotions all over again. I’m a Pisces, so when I cry, I cry hard all the time. And Grandmother kind of touches on that and is like ‘what is this?’ ... what made me want the role [was] I think the ancientness of her, the gravitas of her, and as a woman who is 6’3” (190cm) I love just being able to use that full height and really explore that. And [the character] is written fantastically.”
Engelbrecht described Decima as a “quantum gravity engineer”, and said: “I think being transported into this world that Aaron [Guzikowski] dreamed up and being a part of all these characters is an amazing opportunity to play a strong female who has to deal with otherworldly emotions in an otherworldly environment.”
On being part of the new group of characters joining the story, Engelbrecht explained they were “really enthralled and excited” to be a part of the show.
“I think when it comes to any sci-fi world, especially one as [complex] as Raised by Wolves, it’s got such a big backstory, and everyone on [the show] was there to guide us, every character had a strong character bible of who they were and how they fit into the world, so we all had the ammo to get into gear with the show.”
Jones added: “The already existing cast were just wonderful people who opened their arms to us and made us feel like family ... and it’s beautiful to be part of something that’s already created and there for you to fit right in with the momentum that they’ve created with the first season. It was a challenge, but one that we were ready to take on, and were supported through.”
Guzikowski paid tribute to Ridley Scott – who directed the first two episodes – for helping create the visual style that other episode directors were able to follow, called the entire process “like creating one long movie”.
He also revealed that Season 1’s shocking finale – which ended with Mother ‘giving birth’ to a snake baby – was always part of the plan. He added that while there was a framework, that there was a possibility the story would shift as it went along.
“We’ve designed the ‘house’, but as we get into the ‘rooms’, things do change,” he said. “I think the show does start talking back to you. And you’d be a fool not to listen to it. You really want to follow these things and mine as much goodness as you can from all of this.”
While most viewers might consider Raised by Wolves to be a cautionary tale on the dangers of creating artificial intelligence and androids, what is Guzikowski’s own personal opinion of the matter?
In answer to that question, he said: “I appreciate all that [artificial intelligence] could give us, and I think that it’s an incredible tool. I obviously, like many people, have my fears about where that could lead us. On the other hand, I also feel ... we can’t understand what an artificial intelligence is going to be like 20 years from now.
“Making the assumption that artificial intelligence is going to take the same sorts of pathways as human behaviour does is probably incorrect. To me, it’s a great mystery, one with a little bit of fear, but you know, I’m optimistic ... that human beings will know how to use it in a way that’s most beneficial towards us.”
The first two episodes of Season 2 of Raised by Wolves premiere on Feb 3 exclusively on HBO GO, with subsequent episodes airing every Thursday.
Watch the season trailer here:
