In Season 2 of the Netflix series Sweet Tooth, Gus (Christian Convery) and a group of fellow hybrids are being held prisoner by the terrifying General Abbot (Neil Sandilands), who allows the children to be used for experiments in the hope of finding a cure for the Sick that has affected so much of the world. At the same time, Jepperd (Nonso Anozie) and Aimee Eden (Dania Ramirez) have teamed up to free the hybrids, saving them from the evil forces of the Last Men who would love nothing more than to wipe them all out.

During this 1-on-1 interview with Collider, Convery talked about how deep he got to dive into Gus’ origins, that this was one of his hardest acting experiences yet, the experience of playing the title character of a TV show at such a young age, how Gus has learned there are some people that just don’t need to be saved, working with his hybrid co-stars, and his journey of growth this season.
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Collider: The first season was great, but Season 2 is even better because you’re building on the world and you’re building on all of these relationships. What did you most enjoy about how much more you got to do and what you got to explore in the second season?

CHRISTIAN CONVERY: Compared to the first season, Gus didn’t know as much about the cruelty of man. In the second season, it was a really fun challenge to really dive deep into Gus and how he’s feeling. Throughout the season, Gus takes a deep, dark dive into his origins and that was a really fun challenge for me to get to do. That was probably one of my hardest acting experiences yet, but also some of my funnest. I loved getting to experiment and play around with it.

Image via Netflix

Because this is such a special show and such a special character, after you did the first season, and then had to wait to do the second season, did you miss anything about playing Gus? Was there anything that you were most looking forward to, when it came to playing him again?

CONVERY: I missed playing Gus because it’s such a fun role, a fun set, and a fun experience. I was so excited when it got renewed for Season 2. I was so looking forward to going back. I was really excited to get to be Gus again, to go on this adventure with everyone again, and to share it with the world.

What’s it like to play the title character of a TV show, at your age? How does that kind of responsibility feel to you, as an actor and as a kid?

CONVERY: It’s pretty crazy. One of the many good things about Sweet Tooth is that getting to work there was an incredible experience. In the second season, there were a lot of kids. It’s not about having to do “work.” It’s more just having fun, getting to pretend and act, and be in your character. That’s what acting really is. It shouldn’t be this struggle. It should just be this easygoing, amazing time. You get to just really bring out the best of you and your character, and that’s what I love about acting.

Was it an easy character to get back into? Was there anything about him that you had to remember how to do?

CONVERY: After filming the first season for about nine months total, I was still there. I had been doing a lot of parkour and was in Gus mode. Like anything, it takes a minute to get back into it, but once you’re there, you’re really there and you really love it.

When we spoke for Season 1, you told me that Jepp (Nonso Anozie) was trying to save Gus while Gus was trying to save everyone. Would you say that Gus is still trying to save everyone, or has he learned that maybe there are some people that just shouldn’t be saved?

CONVERY: Over the course of the season, he does start to learn that there are some people that just simply don’t need to be saved. For example, he learns, over the course of the season, that Abbot is a terrible person, and he goes head-to-head with him. That’s probably when he really starts to realize how cruel people can be, and he realizes that some people just shouldn’t or can’t be saved. Over the course of the season, Gus grows and matures, and he comes face-to-face with the things that he has to deal with.

Image via Netflix

What was it like to work with the actor that plays General Abbot (Neil Sandilands)? Everything about that character is so awful and just creepy. What’s it like to share scenes with him?

CONVERY: In person, Neil is an awesome dude who’s so fun to be around. It’s hard because I’m so used to him being this amazing person. Getting to switch that up was a fun challenge. With anything that I do with acting, if someone has to be mean to you, it’s just their character. When you’re in that character, you’re in that character, but at the end of the day, none of that is really true. He was like, “Christian, I’m sorry to do all this.”

For a good portion of Season 2, your character is separated from Jepp and only has the other hybrids to be with. What was it like to meet all the other kids and work with them all? What was it like to get to know each other?

CONVERY: We had these things, called hybrid workshops, that were so incredible because I’d never been around that many kids at once before, except when I was in grade school. It was so fun to see all these actors who are my age. It was so incredible to see new young actors getting brought onto this incredible, warm set. And getting to go from being with adults to kids was a really fun challenge. I loved it. I’d never worked with so many kids. They were all so fun.

What did you get to do in the hybrid workshops? What exactly did that entail? How did that help you guys?

CONVERY: The main point of it was just to see how we all got along in the chemistry of things. In the hybrid workshops, our coaches would say, “Hey, let’s do major/minor,” which is an acting game that essentially made us work together to try to coordinate our actions, or to do certain things that they wanted us to do. I felt like that really inspired the creativity. The hybrid workshops were definitely a huge help, and I’m so glad that we got them.

Had you ever done anything like that before, for any of your previous roles? Had you ever had an acting camp or workshops before, or was this the first time you got to do something like that?

CONVERY: It was actually the first time I got to do something like that. I thought it was a really great way to get everyone to connect with each other, and it was super fun, at the same time. I just really loved it. It was a completely new experience, and I thought it was a really smart idea that we should do more often.

Image via Netflix

What was it like to do so many scenes that all the kids were in together? Is there a bit of organized chaos, when there are that many people working in a scene together?

CONVERY: In the actual series, yes. Since we all got to really know each other and we all understood each other, we knew what we were bringing to the table. It was actually not as claustrophobic as it appeared on camera. It was just really fun. All the different animals and all the different people combined, really brought a hint of light to the shade in the series. I thought it was really actually surprisingly much cooler than you would have thought from watching it.

In the first season, Gus got used to having Jepp around. It was easy to see how Big Man could make your character feel protected, just by his size. How hard was it for Gus to find himself and his purpose and where he fits into things, without having his backup there?

CONVERY: In the series, Gus goes through this thing with the other hybrids, where they have a mini fallout and he feels left out. He really misses Big Man, and having to be without Big Man was really a struggle and challenge for us. But he had to mature, and over the course of Season 1 and Season 2, he starts to slowly mature. He goes from a little deer to a big deer stag. He matures and steps up to take a leadership role, alongside Wendy (Naledi Murray), and he really faces true problems. Diving deep into his dark origins with Dr. Singh (Adeel Akhtar) and having to manage all that was a real struggle for Gus and a really fun acting challenge for me.

What was it like for you, when you did finally get to reunite with Nonso Anozie and shares scenes as your characters again? How was it to have your first scene back together?

CONVERY: It was actually really fun because it was so odd not working with Nonso, the whole season, after working with him for the whole first season. When I finally got to start acting with him again, we were so excited. Our first scene was a great time. It was incredible. I loved it.

What do you most enjoy about working with him? What have you learned from the time that you guys have spent together?

CONVERY: We’ve really become friends. We’re friends in real life and as characters. It’s incredible because, after filming with someone for so long, you start to fully pick up on their acting and it was a really great learning experience for me. He has been in the business for so long, and he’s very talented and experienced. Getting to work with adults, I learn more about how to develop my acting skills and we share that passion for acting. I love it so much, to relate to someone like that, in real life.

Image via Netflix

What’s it like to get to wear the horns?

CONVERY: Every day, when I get there, I put the cap on. As soon as I look at that and I see it on my head, I’m like, “Okay, I’m Gus.” It just becomes a part of me, throughout the day and throughout the shoot. It’s really fun to be attached to a certain object like that. I know that I’m Gus when I’m in that. That takes away all the feelings about it being itchy, or whatever. Being in that is really cool. That’s what acting is.

Saving the world is a lot for a kid. That’s a lot of pressure, stress, and responsibility to put on someone, before they’re even a teenager. Do you think that Gus really understands what that means? Does he fully feel the weight of the responsibility of trying to save everybody, over the course of the season?

CONVERY: Over the course of the season, Gus starts to truly understand. After he takes the dive into his true origins, and after going face-to-face with Abbot, he actually does start to realize the weight that’s on his shoulders from all those insane, cruel experiences that he’s had to go through. By the end of the season, he’s fully grown and he’s fully aware of what’s to come.

Sweet Tooth is available to stream at Netflix.