As the premiere of Westworld season 2 approaches, cast members are making the rounds to talk up the show. Evan Rachel Wood (Dolores Abernathy) spoke with ET Online about being “blown away” when she read the first script for season 2. “I thought, OK, well, let’s see how we ease back into this, you know? But they waste no time. I mean, we hit the ground running in a way that I don’t think anybody saw coming.”
We’re going to pick up in the aftermath a bit, and we’re going to see, definitely in the first episode, where Dolores is at with herself, her many selves. It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done. I spoke to [showrunners] Jonah [Nolan] and Lisa [Joy] before season two started to kinda say, ‘OK, so, where is Dolores now? Is there anything I can watch? Are there any references?’ Like, ‘What tone are you going for?’ And Jonah just goes, ‘I don’t think there’s ever been a character like this,’ and I go, ‘Great! Oh, cool. No pressure! It’s never been done.’
By the sound of it, season 2 will take Dolores, a robotic “host” designed to be fixture in a futuristic amusement park, to some unexpected places. “It was really intense. I also thought I was coming back and playing, like, somebody with the soul of a man. Like, Wyatt was a man and I was going to have this — but then they reminded me that Wyatt can also be a girl’s name.”
Despite the way season 1 ended — with Dolores leading a group of hosts in an attack on humans in the park — Wood says her character wants her freedom above all else. “I don’t know if her endgame is destroying it yet or not. I think that’s something we’re gonna explore a bit more.”
As far as Dolores’ relationship with fellow host Teddy (James Marsden) goes, Wood says the pair will explore whether their “love” for each other is actually real, now that the strings making them go through the motions have been cut. Also speaking with ET, Marsden says Teddy has retained a lot of his loyalty, allegiance, love and affection for Dolores. “But, that’s not to say that doesn’t get challenged this season. I think they’re going through a considerable phase of growth, and we’ll see where they go.”
Dolores will be teaming up with Maeve (Thandie Newton) in season 2, who at the end of season 1 decided to forgo hopping a train to freedom to stay in the park and look for her child. Also speaking to ET, Newton explored her character’s options:
As far as I guess, Maeve knows, or we know, she has a degree of command over what she’s doing. But because I’m so flummoxed by, you know, the second season, in a really good way, you know, it’s like I’m really paying attention now. I’m really paying attention. Like, in season one I was just, like, emotionally it was like I was on a trip, you know, like a spiritual trip with Maeve and now I’m like, my brain is kicked right in with season two.
Westworld season 2 premieres on April 22. It being one of the biggest genre shows out there next to Game of Thrones, and on HBO to boot, we’ll be keeping an eye on it.
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