Note: This interview was conducted in Brazil, where Paradise is available on Disney+. You can stream Paradise on Hulu or Hulu on Disney+ in the US.

Summary

Collider’s Steve Weintraub talks with Sterling K. Brown and Shailene Woodley for Paradise Season 2.

Woodley discusses the incredible production design for Season 2’s precise recreation of Graceland and what it was like joining the show.

Brown talks about leaving the bunker, creator Dan Fogelman’s mapped-out three-season arc, and what fans can expect from Season 3.

Less than a year ago, Hulu’s thriller series Paradise, created by Dan Fogelman (This Is Us), rocked viewers’ worlds when it went from a high-stakes whodunit to a full-blown dystopian mystery. Now, in Season 2, we’re stepping out of the bunker, as Sterling K. Brown’s Xavier Collins leaves the underground city in hopes of tracking down his wife, Teri, played by Enuka Okuma. As we discovered last season, there’s a whole world to be explored, and Episode 1 begins with one of those survivors’ stories, introducing Shailene Woodley’s Annie. One thing Fogelman isn’t going to do is bite off more than he can chew, so to speak. While at CCXP, Collider’s Steve Weintraub had the opportunity to sit down with the writer, producer, and showrunner, as well as Brown and Woodley, to discuss details about Season 2, but also dig into where the show is ultimately heading. With so many streamers and so much television, oftentimes it can feel like the plot is meandering across seasons and spinoffs, but Fogelman reveals that was never going to be the case with Paradise. In this interview, Sterling and Woodley dig into the epic production design that takes this Hulu series to another level and tease how Xavier and Annie offer fans the chance to explore beyond the bunker, answering some of the questions we have from Season 1, while also presenting all-new mysteries. Sterling, who reveals he knows how it’s all going to end, teases why he believes fans will be more than satisfied with the three-season arc, and how this experience has changed his outlook on television forever. Plus, Sterling gives an exciting update for the upcoming Voltron movie with Henry Cavill.
Sterling K. Brown Teases the New Voltron Movie

“It’s going to be pretty dope.”

Image via World Events Productions

COLLIDER: I’ve got a ton of questions for you guys, and I was going to save this for the end, but I’ve got to start with an individual question, if you don’t mind, that’s not about Paradise. I grew up with Voltron, and I can’t believe you guys have made a Voltron movie. I just have to know, because I know nothing about it, what the hell is this movie about? What can you tease people? STERLING K. BROWN: It’s about Voltron. [Laughs] I knew that part. BROWN: We must be around the same age because it was a big deal when I was growing up. I think it was a Japanese anime first, and then we got the rights for it in St. Louis, and the Koplars, which are based in St. Louis, were the primary distributors of it in the United States. I’m from St. Louis, and I went to school with the main producer for the film, Bob Koplar. [To Shailene Woodley] Do you know what Voltron is at all? It’s these robot lions that come together to form this ultimate defender of the universe, and he’s got this amazing flaming sword, and he beats a lot of ass. So, I’m in it. We shot in Australia. That’s directed by Rawson Marshall Thurber, who’s awesome. We’ve got a great cast — some familiar faces, a lot of newcomers, or what have you. And I think that’s all I can say without them wanting to cut off my pinky toe. SHAILENE WOODLEY: It’s just the pinky toe. BROWN: It’s just the pinky, but I like my pinky toe. I grew up with this, and there’s a lot of IP from the ‘80s that is ripe to be explored now via VFX. Robotech, Star Blazers. The list goes on. But Voltron, I’m just happy it got made. I’m so curious. BROWN: It’s going to be pretty dope. I honestly can’t wait.

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This is for both of you. I’ve been asking this of a lot of people recently. I just asked it of Paul Giamatti yesterday. Do you have a favorite Christopher Nolan movie? BROWN: I do. Mine’s Inception. WOODLEY: I was going to say Inception, too. BROWN: Mine’s Inception. It could be The Dark Knight. I know Interstellar is making a real strong push. My 14-year-old, he’s like, “Dude, have you watched Interstellar?” I was like, “Yeah, I’ve watched it, and it’s a good movie.” But I watched Inception in the theater three times. WOODLEY: I’ve seen Inception so many times, as well. The theme, the ideas, it’s so brilliant. Every time I watch it, I learn something new, or I discover something different. But Interstellar, I did see outside, and I happened to be in Australia, and they projected it on a screen right as the sun went down. So we were watching Interstellar on these beanbags, looking up at the stars. Watching the movie and looking up at the stars. BROWN: Get outta here. WOODLEY: That was a very special moment. BROWN: What’s yours? It changes. I love The Prestige. WOODLEY: Oh, gosh! The Prestige is so good. BROWN: The Prestige is dope. And Memento. He’s kind of talented. BROWN: He’s solid. He’s a solid filmmaker. WOODLEY: He’s fine. [Laughs]
‘Paradise’ Season 2 Almost Perfectly Recreates This Iconic Estate

Season 2 ventures into the world beyond the bunker.

Annie is in an oversized hoodie, leaning on her knees, holding knitting needles and a scarf, by a lantern.Image via Hulu

So I’m a big fan of the show. I’ve seen the first two episodes of Season 2, and they are very impressive. I want to specifically talk about Episode 1 with no spoilers because you do incredible work in this. It’s so impressive, but also what’s impressive is that I thought that you guys, at the beginning of the episode, filmed at Graceland. I was convinced you filmed there. WOODLEY: How incredible is the set design? The set is incredible. So I definitely have to ask you, what was it like filming the first episode, which is so on you, and being at Graceland on that set? WOODLEY: I’m a fan of Paradise Season 1, like a genuine fan, and so to have the opportunity to be a part of this now was really exciting to me. Coming into a second season, you never know what to expect, everybody knows each other, and people, the crew, the cast, really embraced me. I don’t want to give anything away, but because of the nature of how Episode 1 specifically unfolds and the journey that Annie goes on, we filmed, actually, a lot more that ended up in the final cut, just because of time limitations. But it was really fun to play with the textures and this idea of survival, and survival not coming from someone who was expecting survival, someone who had a few seconds to decide, “How am I going to make this work?” And then every single day, asks herself the same question.

Annie is leaning away from a man in a coat, looking at her intensely.Image via Hulu

Honestly, it was very playful. We had a really playful time. Using the textures of the environment at Graceland was really fun. There were a lot of moments that, again, aren’t in this episode where I interacted with a photo of Elvis or I would speak to Elvis through the walls, just kind of feeling the ghost of him. And because of the genius of our set design, there’s one item in Graceland that in our Graceland is different. Our couch, I think, is like two inches longer than what Elvis’ actual couch is, but that’s how precise everything is. The precision of our construction is identical to the actual Graceland. BROWN: We had a situation where our head of makeup, her family was in Graceland, and she took a picture of herself, Zoe [Hay], on the shag carpet downstairs, and she’s like, “Where are you guys? I’m looking for you.” And they’re like, “Where are you? How did you get here?” And it was on set. It was great. It was that exact. I’m telling you, the beginning of the episode, I was like, “I can’t believe they filmed in Graceland.” I couldn’t believe it. Then I realized, “Oh, no, no. They built this.” BROWN: Yeah, they did. Episode 2 is so different than Episode 1 because it’s not at the bunker, right? It’s you on the road. Can you talk about what that brings to Paradise Season 2, that you are exploring the world? BROWN: For three years, we thought that the world didn’t exist, that everything had been destroyed. Turns out that the world has not been destroyed, that there are survivors. There are pockets of survivors. A lot of people have been wiped out, but a lot of people have found a way out of no way. So Xavier is on the road trying to find his wife again, and he comes across different people. There’s sort of this gauge of, like, “Who do you trust? Who do you not trust? Who is out for self? Who wants to actually find a way to come together to survive this thing as a collective rather than as individuals?” There’s a feeling-out process. Any time people meet each other for the first time, it’s almost like dogs sniffing each other and making sure that, like, “Alright, are we going to bite each other or am I going to lovingly nose you’re behind?” I don’t know what they do exactly, what that’s all about, and it’s strange, but that’s what they’re doing. The human equivalent of that. Obviously, Dan [Fogelman] told you a lot, I’m sure, but what was it like actually reading the eight scripts for Season 2 and seeing where it’s all going this season? BROWN: I’ll go first because I love it, and I’ve actually had Season 3 teased out for me, as well. I love that we answer questions and we sort of create new questions. So you get answers, but also we get a chance to see that things are bigger than what we thought. Like at the end of the teaser, Sinatra says, “It was never just about the bunker.” And it was never just about the bunker. So while certain things get wrapped up, other things get introduced that make people feel like, “What kind of journey are you taking us on here, Fogelman?” And I’ve got to say, I think it’s a pretty good one. WOODLEY: Yeah, I agree. Perfect answer.
‘Paradise’ Will End After Three Seasons

“Our audience will be very happy with how the show concludes.”

Dan told me, and I didn’t realize this, that ultimately this is a three-season show, which I actually love because it means that you can create three awesome seasons and leave people wanting more, but end it on a high. Can you talk about how this isn’t aimed at seven years, but that this is a contained story? BROWN: So, twice in a row now, we’ve done this, where with This Is Us, he knew it was going to be six seasons. Paradise, he knows it’s three seasons. It means that he gets to build towards something with each episode. We’re not trying to put filler into something just to keep it going in perpetuity. We get to build towards something. I think the audience senses the momentum that each episode has serious consequences to it, and it’s building to a complete picture. I think in film, and I think in theater, you get a chance to know the beginning, middle, and end, and I think it’s incredibly satisfying to know the arc. Maybe it’s not the exact same way, but as the sort of central character through this thing, I find it very satisfying to know that we’re starting at a place, we’re ending at a very different place, and it feels complete. It feels whole. I’m excited. I don’t think I ever want to do TV that is open-ended. That’s a big, bold thing that’s probably gonna keep me from a lot of jobs, but there’s incredible satisfaction in building towards something. I completely agree. I apologize, I have to ask him one other thing. Dan told me that he told you where the series finale goes in the last scene. So obviously no spoilers here, but what was your reaction to hearing where you’re ultimately going? BROWN: “This shit slaps.” It is… WOODLEY: [Laughs] I’m so glad you asked him. I don’t know if you could have answered that one. BROWN: It’s beyond good. He’s so creative. He has such a wild and inventive imagination. I think, also, because we share similar pop cultural references, because we’re both kids of 1976, that when he says something, it automatically clicks in my mind what he’s talking about in the reference. So it’s simpatico. I think our audience will be very happy with how the show concludes.

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For both of you, I know there’s going to be a lot of people watching this who are big fans of the show. Is there anything that you think would surprise people to learn about the actual making of the show?

BROWN: That’s a good one. WOODLEY: That is a good one. For a show that has quite heavy elements to it, it’s a very light set. The making of the show is a lot of love. BROWN: It’s a lot of love. A lot of laughter. WOODLEY: A lot of levity. A lot of joking. I don’t know if that’s surprising or not, but the energy that’s created when the cameras are rolling is polar opposite to the energy that exists when the cameras aren’t rolling. BROWN: It’s almost like you kind of needed to counterbalance it. It’s hard to live in that sort of weight the whole time. WOODLEY: There’s a lot of laughter. BROWN: I will say this year I got poison oak because we shot a lot on location and stuff, and Brown had to take Benadryl for the first time. I don’t think Benadryl should be street legal. That shit’s insane. I took a double dose of Benadryl, and I was like, “What is going on?” I’d never had it before. It was intense.

Sterling K Brown sitting in the Oval Office with his arm in a sling in Paradise

So you guys are here at CCXP right now. I was at the panel, and you guys walked out like rock stars. I just have to ask you, what is it like walking out in front of that many thousands of people who are freaking out and giving you that kind of love? BROWN: It’s stupid, bro! It’s amazing. Truly. WOODLEY: It’s not normal. BROWN: We walked out, and I feel my jaw almost hit the ground. The love that we got from Brazil was absolutely insane, and I’m addicted. I’ve got to come back. WOODLEY: I just couldn’t stop laughing. It’s overwhelming, but not in a bad way. There’s no other reaction. BROWN: It’s just a tremendous wave of love. That’s what it felt like. WOODLEY: It was beautiful. Paradise Season 2, Episodes 1–3​​​​​​, premieres on Hulu on February 23.

Release Date

January 26, 2025

Network

Hulu

Directors

Gandja Monteiro

Writers

Jason Wilborn