Warning: This article contains spoilers for Three Body Problem season one.
‘Has the universe ever winked at you?’
This question is at the heart of Three Body Problem, the highly-anticipated new series from Game of Thrones creators David Benioff and D. B. Weiss, a mind-bending, time jumping, sci-fi epic based on the hit book by Cxin Liu.
In the world of the new show – which is streaming on Netflix – it’s not just the stars looking down at the earth, but a race of aliens searching for help.
The show opens with a series of grisly deaths amongst the world’s leading physicists after they discover irregularities in the universe, sending the ensemble cast on a journey to uncover answers.
It explores very real science, including the quantum mechanics of the universe and how those laws play into the likelihood of life forms on other planets. The science aspect of the show is so prominent that the production team hired physicist Dr. Matt Kenzie to help the cast understand the concepts integral to the plot.
Speaking to Metro.co.uk, two of the series’ leads, Jess Hong – who plays Jin, a brilliant theoretical physicist – and Zine Tseng – who plays Ye Wenjie, an astrophysicist conscripted by the Chinese military – explain how learning about that science made the existence of extraterrestrial life seem undeniable.
Hong says, ‘I just think about it in more detail now, I have more thought experiments about what would happen if– but I think I’ve always thought there must be life outside.’
The pair agree that while they always believed in the possibility of beings on other planets, acting in the show made it all seem very real.
‘Our human brains are so limited right?,’ Tseng adds.
Anything seems possible for Hong and Tseng, who were both plucked from relative anonymity to star in the big-budget production.
But when asked whether they felt the pressure of working on a Benioff and Weiss vehicle, they both agree they were too worried about the basics to think much about it.
Hong, who is from New Zealand and lived there until she got this role, says, ‘For me, I was too busy thinking about, “Oh, this is my first international job.” So we’re both pretty green. We’re both kind of new to the film industry. And particularly, for you know, Netflix, that’s a big deal in itself.’
Chinese-native Tseng agrees, saying, ‘I was just so worried about getting fired in the first week, I worried more about myself more than the boys [Weiss, Benioff, and script writer Alexander Woo].’
Hong opens up about the challenges of playing a scientist, starting by pumping her fist and saying, ‘Repping female scientists!’ drawing a cheer from Tseng.
She goes on to explain that while it would be tempting to reduce her character to nothing but a brain, the real work was in finding who she was underneath all the intellect.
She says, ‘You can just remember that they’re human beings, and that they have these flawed characteristics, that they have these complex lives and relationships.’
Exploring those complex inner lives took its toll on Tseng particularly, whose character lives through atrocity.
She reflects on her process, sharing that for her, ‘The biggest challenge was staying in my character for eight months. Because what my character went through her life events was was deep, dark, life threatening. So I had to stay in that character zone for like, eight months. I was so happy on the wrapping day.’
Luckily, the two actresses, who hold hands and lean together to giggle throughout the interview, had each other for support. Hong confesses, ‘We’d meet up in her apartment for red wine and to just kind of detox from the whole thing.’
Hong and Tseng are joined by Eiza González as Augstina ‘Auggie’ Salazar, Jovan Adepo as Saul Durand, Alex Sharp as Will Downing, Rosalind Chao as the older Ye Wenjie, Marvel-alum Benedict Wong as Clarence “Da” Shi, and Liam Cunningham as Wade.
The cast is also joined by Game of Thrones alumni Jonathan Pryce as Mike Evans and John Bradley as Jack Rooney.
The show has been met with wildly differing reactions so far, with some calling it a masterpiece and others accusing it of being flat and overcomplicated. But even the harshest of critics seem to agree that both Wong and Tseng give stand out performances and have long careers in front of them.
Three Body Problem is now streaming on Netflix.
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