The Big Picture

In the Apple TV+ series ‘Constellation,’ Jo, played by Noomi Rapace, returns to Earth post-space tragedy, seeking truth and recovering her lost life pieces.
Twin characters Bud and Henry Caldera offered unique challenges and opportunities for actor Jonathan Banks.
Banks praises director Michelle MacLaren’s dedication and artistry on the set of ‘Constellation.’

Created and written by Peter Harness (Wallander, Doctor Who), the Apple TV+ series Constellation follows Jo Ericsson (Noomi Rapace), an astronaut who returns to Earth after her team is struck by tragedy while in space. Having deeply missed her husband (James D’Arcy) and their daughter (Davina Coleman and Rosie Coleman), Jo begins experiencing mysterious symptoms, leaving her to wonder whether she’s just having a hard time readjusting, or if her reality has been altered in some way.

Former Apollo mission astronaut Henry Caldera (Jonathan Banks) is the Chief Science Consultant at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the one in charge of the quantum physics experiment aboard the International Space Station that Jo finds herself taking part in. And then, there’s Henry’s twin, Bud (also Banks), who was also a NASA astronaut, but without the respect that his brother has and instead living a life of failure.

During this interview with Collider, Banks talked about how much he enjoyed getting to play twins, working with real twins on the series, getting to collaborate with director Michelle MacLaren again, after Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, the location he couldn’t make it to due to COVID, and why he prefers to look forward instead of back in his career.

Constellation Jo returns to Earth after a disaster in space and discovers that there are missing pieces in her life, so she sets out to expose the truth about the hidden secrets of space travel and recover what she has lost.Release Date February 21, 2024 Seasons 1

Collider: This is such a fascinating character, or dual characters, to watch you playing. Did you know from the beginning that you would be playing these two characters and how different they would be from each other? Was that part of the appeal of doing something like this?

JONATHAN BANKS: I wanted to play two characters and I loved that they were twins. But as far as the differences, that develops from the first day as you start playing the character, and then you play the other character. I was always going to (showrunner) Peter Harness and saying, “Are we going in the right direction with this?” I also found it very helpful to see Davina and Rosie [Coleman], who played the little girl, because they are identical. I was very careful around them because I wanted each of them to have their own identity. Maybe that’s not their concern, but maybe it is. It’s very interesting to see them when they’re pissed at each other because they become very different people. You have a lot less trouble telling them apart, and not with the level of anger, but just the facial expressions. They were great. I don’t want to generalize, but I will, there are a lot of child actresses and actors that have been taught to be cute, be effervescent, and be this or be that. Both Rosie and Davina listened, way beyond their years. When they act with you, they instinctually listen. Their mother is a very special person.

Related Everything We Know About Apple TV’s Latest Sci-Fi Series: ‘Constellation’ Apple TV+’s latest sci-fi series tells the story of “a catastrophe in space” that leads to “madness on earth.”

Were there physical things you wanted to do to set the two characters apart? Was there anything you wanted to change in your own physicality?

BANKS: No, they’re identical twins. When you’re dealing with Bud, he’s a little bit more of a derelict. He’s a little more broken and a little more pissed off, so the physicality of that attitude takes over on its own.

Jonathan Banks’ Previous Roles Led to Being Cast in ‘Constellation’

You had previously worked with (director/EP) Michelle MacLaren on Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, and she immediately thought of you when she read these scripts and reached out to you about doing this series. How does it feel to have something like that happen?

BANKS: What more could you ask for? As most actors have, I’ve been left on the outside of that process many times. But when you’re lucky enough that it happens to you, where there’s a director that wants you to be there, you have a little more sympathy and you’re not as critical when you see it happening. For example, the [Martin] Scorsese film, Killers of the Flower Moon, he’s working with people that he wants to work with, and they made a wonderful film. Whether it was Walter Huston or John Ford, all through the years, there were some directors that had their cast of players while others didn’t. It’s just all part of it. It’s not an easy business.

What do you enjoy about working and collaborating with Michelle MacLaren, having done it on different projects? Are there the same things that she always brings to each one?

BANKS: Her mind is not unlike Noomi [Rapace]’s. They’re two women who can approach their art and bring everything they have to it, and I mean everything, with the preparation, the homework, and the physical energy that it takes to go through a day. I’ve never seen Michelle on a set be pissy or angry. She’s straight ahead. She’s a force of nature as she moves. God only knows what she sees in me, but I’m sure glad that she sees something. I almost wanted to stand back at times and just watch her. She is so dedicated. She is going to bring you the best that she knows how.

32:58 Related ‘Constellation’s Noomi Rapace Explains Why Apple TV+ Is Dominating Sci-Fi Rapace and EP/director Michelle MacLaren also talk about practical, life-size sets, working with astronauts, filming in extreme conditions, and more.

Usually with a story like this, it’s the character relationships that ground you, but this is a story that’s being told in a nonlinear way with some gaps in memory, and the audience isn’t entirely sure of what to make of anyone or anything. Did that make it more challenging for you, as an actor, when it comes to figuring out what the relationship dynamics were between the characters or is that fun to explore?

BANKS: I stayed in my character’s world. Henry wants his machine. That is his life’s work. That is his creation. His thrust is that he must get it back. Bud is just so angry. He’s looking for respect. Within that story, while you may be shifting into different parallel universes, the quantum physics aspect of it with the same thing existing in two different places, that doesn’t come into my character’s needs as much.

What was this shoot like to do? What locations did you actually get to shoot in?

BANKS: The shoot was in Morocco, northern Finland, the Baltic Sea, and Berlin. To be out on the Baltic Sea, the vastness of it was incredible. I slept like a baby on that ship. It was a gentle ride. It wasn’t a huge storm. I didn’t go to Morocco because I got COVID and I was locked in a hotel room in Berlin, where I had a TV.

Jonathan Banks Found ‘Constellation’ to Be a Joy to Make
Image via Apple TV+

You have so much great work to choose from, but for newer fans that see you in something like this and want to go back through your previous work, where would you recommend they start? Obviously, there’s Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, but is there something that you’d consider less well known in your career that still holds a special place for you?

BANKS: There’s the Wiseguy years and The Gangster Chronicles years, but I don’t like going back. I know this is for people who may appreciate my work, so they can go back and see that I always tried to do my best, but there were times when I was just trying to put bread on the table and keep the kids up and going. So, I’d say watch Constellation. Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul were a joy, but Constellation has been a joy too. Will Catlett was so good in a scene we had together. He did something that brought me to attention and I thought to myself, “Man, you better be on your game, if you’re gonna act with this man.”

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What is the most nervous you’ve ever been, the night before starting a project? Was it something earlier on in your career, or are you someone who always tries to seek enough of a challenge that you feel a little bit nervous on every project you do?

BANKS: I’ve never done any job where I wasn’t nervous, especially that first day, and it’s not a comfortable feeling. I’ve gotten older, so even if I’m involved in a sports game on TV, it’s not fun, and I’ll turn it off because it’s not a good feeling to be anxious. I can understand why people my age stop and go to the garden. The reality is that there’s always gonna be something that will make you anxious or nervous, but the number of times you go, as an actor, to an audition and are told, “No,” it’ll work on you. But then, the payoff that’s wonderful is when you’re doing a character and, all of a sudden, you’re into it. You’re doing it, and you are released from what ties you to this earth, and you are flying. That’s such a great feeling.

Related ‘Constellation’s Creator Says There’s More to Explore for Future Seasons Director Michelle MacLaren also talks about how they captured ‘Constellation’s zero gravity scenes.

Constellation is available to stream on Apple TV+. Check out the trailer:

Watch on Apple TV+