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  • ‘Better Man’ Interview: Robbie Williams and Michael Gracey

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    Opening in theaters in wide release on January 10th is the new musical biopic ‘Better Man’, which is based on the life and career of Robbie Williams, who is depicted in the movie as a anthropomorphic chimpanzee.

    Directed by Michael Gracey (‘The Greatest Showman’), the film stars Jonno Davis (‘Hunters’) as the chimpanzee version of Robbie Williams, as well as Steve Pemberton (‘The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy’), Kate Mulvany (‘Elvis’), Damon Herriman (‘The Bikeriders’), and Raechelle Banno (‘Pandora’).

    Related Article: ‘Better Man’ Review

    (L to R) Director Michael Gracey and Robbie Williams talk 'Better Man'.
    (L to R) Director Michael Gracey and Robbie Williams talk ‘Better Man’.

    Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Robbie Williams and director Michael Gracey to talk about their work on ‘Better Man’, how Williams felt about the process, developing the screenplay, the idea to have Williams depicted as a chimpanzee, using CGI to achieve that effect, shooting the concert scenes, and if there was anything too personal for Williams to include in the movie.

    You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interviews with Williams, Gracey, Jonno Davis and Raechelle Banno.

    Robbie Williams in 'Better Man' from Paramount Pictures.
    Robbie Williams in ‘Better Man’ from Paramount Pictures.

    Moviefone: To begin with, Robbie, can you talk about what this process of working with Michael to tell your life story on the big screen has been like for you?

    Robbie Williams: It’s been all the feels. It has been an honor and such an incredible opportunity for me, my family, my career, my life, my ego, my sense of self-worth. It’s been all the above, and plus, I know Michael and people know him from his work outside of ‘The Greatest Showman’ too, and they know he’s a genius. The fact that he asked me and thought that I was a viable option to do this, it was just too much of a good opportunity to pass.

    Director Michael Gracey on the set of 'Better Man' from Paramount Pictures.
    Director Michael Gracey on the set of ‘Better Man’ from Paramount Pictures.

    MF: Michael, can you talk about the development of the screenplay, the interviews you conducted with Robbie, and at what point did you have the idea to depict Robbie as a chimpanzee?

    Michael Gracey: Well, the stories were obviously really engaged with me. The thing I loved about the stories, which is why Rob’s voiceover is in the final film, is that I always loved the way in which Rob expressed his own narrative. He has a very wonderful way of telling a story, whether that’s through his lyrics or whether he’s just talking. So that was the inspiration for the script. Then, again, I just wanted to come at it with a more unique angle. I think Rob’s story is quite unique. I think as a person, he is quite unique, and so I just thought there should be something a little more surprising in the way that we present the film. So, I came up with the idea of the monkey, but you should always make it the star’s idea. So, I went to Rob, and I said, if you were going to be represented by an animal, what would it be? And Rob said…

    Jonno Davies as “Robbie Williams" in 'Better Man' from Paramount Pictures.
    Jonno Davies as “Robbie Williams” in ‘Better Man’ from Paramount Pictures.

    Robbie Williams: A lion. This was not the right answer, not the right answer on many levels, and Michael went, “Mm.” I went, “A monkey.” He went, “Yeah, okay. Here’s the idea.”

    Michael Gracey directs Raechelle Banno on the set of Paramount Pictures’ 'Better Man'.
    Michael Gracey directs Raechelle Banno on the set of Paramount Pictures’ ‘Better Man’.

    Michael Gracey: To be fair, I hadn’t even finished the next sentence when I was describing what it would be to have Rob played by a monkey, and that no one would ever mention it. Rob was immediately on board. Rob was the easiest sell, then everyone else after Rob was the hardest sell ever.

    Jonno Davies and Robbie Williams as "Robbie Williams" in 'Better Man' from Paramount Pictures.
    Jonno Davies and Robbie Williams as “Robbie Williams” in ‘Better Man’ from Paramount Pictures.

    MF: Robbie, I was really touched by the father-son element in the movie. What was it like for you watching those scenes, and did you ever feel like there was anything too personal for you to include in this movie and share with audiences?

    Robbie Williams: Not too personal for me, but maybe too personal for the people involved. It may not have happened in that order, and my father may not be completely that way, but everything was how it felt, and everything was how it feels. The unusual thing is that typical northern English family dynamic is that we don’t talk about anything. The unusual thing about my life is I talk about everything, and not only do I talk about everything, but it’s also projected for the world to see. So, it’s highly unusual and difficult.

    (L to R) Jonno Davies as “Robbie Williams" and Nick Nicolas as “Tom Jones" in 'Better Man' from Paramount Pictures.
    (L to R) Jonno Davies as “Robbie Williams” and Nick Nicolas as “Tom Jones” in ‘Better Man’ from Paramount Pictures.

    Moviefone: Finally, Michael, can you talk about shooting the concert sequences and working with the mocap technology to create the lead character?

    Michael Gracey: So, the mocap technology, Weta Digital made it very seamless. In fact, the technical side of it never interrupted anything, performance-wise, and they were just incredible. They were incredible, the artists that came on board, but also the on-set crew that we had capturing all that data that ended up being the performance of the monkey, all based on Jonno Davies. Concert sequences, we were very fortunate to have a real-life rock star, so he threw multiple concerts, which we took over and then got the shots we needed at Royal Albert Hall and at stadiums in Melbourne. So, they were real crowds, and it feels like real crowds, and for the performers, them up on stage with thousands of people in front of them screaming and cheering, it just makes it electric. So, there’s a real energy to those concert performance.

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    What’s the plot of ‘Better Man’?

    ‘Better Man’ is based on the true story of the meteoric rise, dramatic fall, and remarkable resurgence of British pop superstar Robbie Williams, one of the greatest entertainers of all time.

    The film is told from Robbie’s perspective. It follows his journey from childhood, to being the youngest member of chart-topping boyband Take That, through to his unparalleled achievements as a record-breaking solo artist –– all the while confronting the challenges that stratospheric fame and success can bring.

    Who is in the cast of ‘Better Man’?

    • Robbie Williams as the voice of himself
    • Jonno Davies as young Robbie Williams
    • Steve Pemberton as Peter
    • Alison Steadman as Betty
    • Damon Herriman as Nigel Martin-Smith
    • Raechelle Banno as Nicole Appleton
    • Anthony Hayes as Chris Briggs
    • Kate Mulvany as Janet
    Jonno Davies and Robbie Williams as Robbie Williams in 'Better Man' from Paramount Pictures.
    Jonno Davies and Robbie Williams as Robbie Williams in ‘Better Man’ from Paramount Pictures.

    List of Biopics Based on Musicians:

    Buy Tickets: ‘Better Man’ Movie Showtimes

    Buy Robbie Williams Music on Amazon

     

     

  • Movie Review: ‘Better Man’

    Jonno Davies as “Robbie Williams" in 'Better Man' from Paramount Pictures.
    Jonno Davies as “Robbie Williams” in ‘Better Man’ from Paramount Pictures.

    Opening in theaters on December 25th, ‘Better Man’ is a distinctly unconventional music biopic (at least in one respect), since it portrays British singer and pop star Robbie Williams as a CG simian for its entire running time.

    Directed by ‘The Greatest Showman’s Michael Gracey, it tells the performer’s story with humor, heart and no little sense of honesty, since it lets Williams reveal his inner demons even as his fame takes off like a rocket.

    Does ‘Better Man’ sing its song effectively?

    Jonno Davies and Robbie Williams as Robbie Williams in 'Better Man' from Paramount Pictures.
    Jonno Davies and Robbie Williams as Robbie Williams in ‘Better Man’ from Paramount Pictures.

    We have seen a glut of musical biopics in the last few years, primarily driven by the box office and Oscar-winning success of ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ in 2018. But while that movie chose to smooth off many of its subject’s raw edges and did Freddie Mercury no favors in its portrayal, ‘Better Man’ heads off on a different path.

    Certainly, there are the landmarks we expect to visit along the way in a coming-of-fame story such as this –– the humble upbringing, the first taste of success, the troubled parentage of so many big stars.

    ‘Better Man,’ while it contains plenty of that, is also, like the much-dismissed ‘Rocket Man,’ which gave Elton John more of warts-and-all treatment, infused with Williams’ cheeky delivery and performing style, but manages to do a solid job of peeking beneath the brash exterior to find the haunted, self-doubting soul within, while still being riotously entertaining.

    Script and Direction

    Director Michael Gracey on the set of 'Better Man' from Paramount Pictures.
    Director Michael Gracey on the set of ‘Better Man’ from Paramount Pictures.

    The screenplay, by Oliver Cole, Simon Gleeson and director Michael Gracey runs the gamut from the standard biopic stuff to some inventive and emotional moments drawn from Williams’ own life, while selectively choosing which chunks to dramatize.

    Naturally, not everything makes the cut and with Williams providing the voice and rights in order for the movie to happen, there are moments where you feel his trying to excuse certain things. Those are very few and far between, though as the major takeaway from the script is its painful honesty about how much Williams has dealt with –– and continues to deal with –– in his life.

    Some performers hide from their problems while singing on stage; not Williams, who has always faced his demons (here represented as younger versions of himself threatening him from the audience). He’s not afraid to detail his addictions and indiscretions and the whole effect draws you to empathize far more with him than a simple hagiography might.

    As director, Gracey (who previously made ‘The Greatest Showman’ certainly knows when and how to deploy the musical moments, and stages them effectively, with certain sequences such as Williams’ song ‘Angels’ tied to his grandmother’s death proving actually moving. Though the occasional moment dives a tough too far into sensationalism (such as a chaotic battle between the singer and his various past incarnations, a literal battle with his demons), this is more than the sum of its parts.

    Cast and Performances

    Williams is of course the focus here, but there are some wonderful supporting performances that help to bring his world to life.

    Robbie Williams as Robbie Williams

    Robbie Williams in 'Better Man' from Paramount Pictures.
    Robbie Williams in ‘Better Man’ from Paramount Pictures.

    With Jonno Davies providing the performance capture and much of the dancing for the “Williams” ape character when he’s an adult (combined with Williams’ vocals and voice work during the non-musical moments), the simian take on the singer feels authentically him, capturing his essence and boasting some fantastic effects work from the Weta team, who after all have no small experience with this sort of creature animation thanks to the ‘Planet of the Apes’ movie.

    It’s most impressive that you stop thinking of “Robbie” as an effect and simply buy him as an avatar do for the singer before long.

    Steve Pemberton as Peter Williams/Pete Conway

    Pemberton, a veteran British comic performer (and one part of the League of Gentlemen troupe), is both heartbreaking and heartwarming as Williams’ father, one of the key elements in his life. He left the family when Williams was young, but despite their estrangement, their complicated relationship is a huge part of what drives the man.

    Raechelle Banno as Nicole Appleton

    (L to R) Raechelle Banno as “Nicole Appleton” and Jonno Davies as “Robbie Williams" in 'Better Man' from Paramount Pictures.
    (L to R) Raechelle Banno as “Nicole Appleton” and Jonno Davies as “Robbie Williams” in ‘Better Man’ from Paramount Pictures.

    One of Williams’ great loves, the singer/songwriter and member of girl group All Saints is brought to welcome life by Banno. While she’s sometimes reduced to being a predictable musical biopic partner, their connection is more complicated, and Banno more than makes you see why Williams might have fallen for her beyond looks.

    Damon Herriman as Nigel Martin Smith

    Smith was the man who put boy band Take That together and launched Williams on his path to stardom –– even as the pair were oil and water (and there are some inventive, filthy descriptions for the manager, which we can’t repeat here). Herriman doesn’t always have much to do other than be the frustrated, pushy authority figure early one, but he does get some nuance.

    Alison Steadman as Betty

    Alison Steadman as “Betty" in 'Better Man' from Paramount Pictures.
    Alison Steadman as “Betty” in ‘Better Man’ from Paramount Pictures.

    One of the emotional support pillars for Williams through his younger life, Steadman’s performance as his grandmother is wonderful –– authentic and powerful, fully setting you up to feel as he does when she passes away.

    Supporting Cast

    The rest of the cast is a mixture of solid-but-surface-level portrayals of the other members of Take That and some more layered characters, such as Kate Mulvany as Janet, Robbie’s mother and Frazer Hadfield as Nate, his best mate. They in particular get some juicier scenes interacting with our troubled central figure.

    Final Thoughts

    Jonno Davies and Robbie Williams as "Robbie Williams" in 'Better Man' from Paramount Pictures.
    Jonno Davies and Robbie Williams as “Robbie Williams” in ‘Better Man’ from Paramount Pictures.

    Once you are past the cognitive dissonance brought on by having a CG chimp play the central character through the entire film, the story settles into being a frank and funny account of Robbie Williams’ life.

    The movie itself may struggle slightly with American audiences, since Williams, for all his star power, has never been quite as well known here as he is at home. Still, if you let yourself go with the flow, this is a truly fascinating example of the musical biopic genre with enough invention and sheer charm to carry it through.

    Let him entertain you. You may also find yourself moved at times.

    ‘Better Man’ receives 7.5 out of 10 stars.

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    What’s the plot of ‘Better Man’?

    ‘Better Man’ is based on the true story of the meteoric rise, dramatic fall, and remarkable resurgence of British pop superstar Robbie Williams, one of the greatest entertainers of all time.

    The film is told from Robbie’s perspective. It follows his journey from childhood, to being the youngest member of chart-topping boyband Take That, through to his unparalleled achievements as a record-breaking solo artist –– all the while confronting the challenges that stratospheric fame and success can bring.

    Who is in the cast of ‘Better Man’?

    • Robbie Williams as the voice of himself
    • Jonno Davies as young Robbie Williams
    • Steve Pemberton as Peter
    • Alison Steadman as Betty
    • Damon Herriman as Nigel Martin-Smith
    • Raechelle Banno as Nicole Appleton
    • Anthony Hayes as Chris Briggs
    • Kate Mulvany as Janet
    Jonno Davies as “Robbie Williams" in 'Better Man' from Paramount Pictures.
    Jonno Davies as “Robbie Williams” in ‘Better Man’ from Paramount Pictures.

    List of Biopics Based on Musicians:

    Buy Tickets: ‘Better Man’ Movie Showtimes

    Buy Robbie Williams Music on Amazon

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  • ‘The Clearing’ Interview: Teresa Palmer and Miranda Otto

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    Premiering on Hulu in the United States and on Disney+ throughout the world on May 24th is the new Australian TV series entitled ‘The Clearing,’ which was directed by Jeffrey Walker and Gracie Otto.

    What is the plot of ‘The Clearing?’

    ‘The Clearing’ is an eight-part psychological thriller based on the best-selling crime thriller ‘In The Clearing’ by author J.P. Pomare, inspired by the darkness of real-life cults in Australia and around the world. The series follows a woman (Teresa Palmer) who’s forced to face the demons from her past in order to stop the kidnapping and coercion of innocent children in the future. The series burrows under the skin and inside the mind, blurring the lines between past and present, reality and nightmare in a truly unnerving way.

    Who is in the cast of ‘The Clearing?’

    ‘The Clearing’ stars Teresa Palmer (‘Warm Bodies,’ ‘The Twin‘) as Freya, Miranda Otto (‘The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers,’ ‘The Homesman‘) as Adrienne, Guy Pearce (‘L.A. Confidential,’ ‘Memento’) as Dr. Bryce Latham, Hazem Shammas (‘Alex & Eve‘) as Yusuf Joe Saad, Mark Coles-Smith (‘Last Cab to Darwin‘) as Wayne Dhurrkay, Kate Mulvany (‘Hunters‘) as Tamsin Latham, and Julia Savage as Amy (‘Blaze’).

    Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Teresa Palmer and Miranda Otto about their work on ‘The Clearing,’ their approach to their characters and their unusual relationship, the show’s use of flashbacks, Adrienne’s power over the children, what kind of mother Freya is, and what it was like for Otto to be directed by her sister.

    Teresa Palmer and Miranda Otto star in Hulu's 'The Clearing.'
    (L to R) Teresa Palmer and Miranda Otto star in Hulu’s ‘The Clearing.’

    You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interviews with Palmer, Otto, and Guy Pearce.

    Moviefone: To begin with, Teresa, your character has experienced a lot of trauma throughout her life. Can you talk about the challenges of playing a character like that?

    Teresa Palmer: I have to say I was very immersed in a dark place throughout the four months, but really it was only reserved for when I was filming because I have four children at home. So I’d have to come to work, get into the head space, and then leave it at the door, so I could go home and show up and be with my kids. But a lot of it was researching. I did so much research. I read journals. I watched documentaries on different cults around the world, and I wanted to get beneath the fabric of who this person was and why she is making the choices she’s making in her life. So it was a dark head space to be in. It was pretty harrowing, but certainly it was needed.

    MF: Miranda, you play your character at different points of her life, did it feel at times like you were playing different characters and what was your approach to playing Adrienne?

    Miranda Otto: Well, that’s a tricky one because we’re trying not to give away too much because there are so many reveals as the show goes on throughout the eight episodes. But yes, I’m definitely playing Adrienne over a breadth of time and it was challenging to keep coming up with the different ways she was at different times. It really was like a massive jigsaw puzzle. I mean, at one stage I think we were shooting six episodes at once. That’s just how it turned out because of people’s availability. So we were shooting six episodes and you’re trying to piece all the little fragments of the story together and remember exactly what happened where. It’s just so intricate this script, that was a big part of the puzzle for me. I really could have had a full-time assistant helping me with that, but I did not have that. It was me trying to put the pages together and work it all out. But I have to say, costume, hair and makeup were amazingly helpful, and I always feel like once you’re dressed and everything’s all done, it’s sort of like the character kind of begins to reveal itself to you.

    Miranda Otto stars in Hulu's 'The Clearing.'
    Miranda Otto stars in Hulu’s ‘The Clearing.’

    MF: Teresa, the series features flashback scenes to when your character was younger, that you do not physically appear in. How did reading those scenes about Freya’s past help inform your performance in the present day scenes?

    TP: I think it very much does. I get to have a little look into the history of my character, how she was in the past and the choices that she made. I also took another step further and I asked to see some of the scenes that Julia Savage had filmed. Julia is the young actress who played the younger version of me in the show. She was so beautifully nuanced and there was such a fragility, bravery and strength, and all these wonderful colors that she was able to show. But I was like, “Okay, A, I’ve got to bring it. And B, I was looking for these specific things that she did with her hands, with her face and what were her mannerisms that I could sort of bring into the later ages where we see my character. So it’s complicated when it turns out that way, but I really enjoyed the process. It was just an extra little challenge.

    MF: Miranda, can you talk about the power that Adrienne has over the children and especially with Freya?

    MO: She’s definitely a hugely powerful figure in the series with the children. I think her power is very much about withholding from them, giving to them as a special moment and telling them how special and important they are when she wants something from them or she needs them to behave in a certain way, but then completely cutting off from them once that’s complete. It’s very transactional for her. She gives certain things to get things, and then she cuts off from them entirely. She seems to see them more as a photograph than actual real human beings. There’s sort of a definite lack of empathy.

    Teresa Palmer stars in Hulu's 'The Clearing.'
    Teresa Palmer stars in Hulu’s ‘The Clearing.’

    MF: Teresa, having grown up with Adrienne, what is Freya’s relationship like with her children now and what type of mother is she?

    TP: I think Freya really wants to give her children opportunities that she was never afforded as a child herself. So a lot of her parenting is reactionary because she’s in a place now where she’s able to love on that child as much as she can and give them so much. But also, her past manifests itself in being a little bit overbearing. She is a little bit paranoid, she’s a little bit controlling, and she feels safer when she can isolate herself. So I think she’s doing the very best that she can with what she knows and what her experiences are. But of course, when I have a look at her, I realize that probably Billy, her young son, is being negatively impacted because Freya is sitting in such a fear-induced place.

    MF: Miranda, what has it been like for you to work on this series and create the complex relationship between Adrienne and Freya with Teresa?

    MO: It was fantastic. I really enjoyed this shoot so much. Also, my sister was a director on it, so that was a heap of fun, and who’s also a friend of Teresa, so that was really nice. But I just enjoyed working with Teresa so much. She made it look so easy, and I thought when I read it, “Wow, that is a very complicated, heavy role to kind of carry through the whole thing.” But Teresa is such a light and effervescent person on set, and that was such a lovely thing because you could end up in a very dark place playing that role. So it was an absolute joy.

    Miranda Otto stars in Hulu's 'The Clearing.'
    Miranda Otto stars in Hulu’s ‘The Clearing.’

    MF: Teresa, what was it like for you working with Miranda on this project?

    TP: I feel like in every interview, all I’ve been saying is this is a performance of a lifetime for Miranda. It’s unbelievable to have to hold the performance of someone from age 30 all the way up to their 80s. She did it so beautifully, and it was so nuanced. I’ve said this before, but I felt like we really trusted each other. So we were in a scene together and she would give me something and I would give her something, and it was like this beautiful dance, and each take would be so different and have its own colors. So it just felt like we were able to play and we were also given the freedom to do that by the writers and also the wonderful directors, including Gracie Otto, Miranda’s sister. So it was wonderful.

    MF: Finally, Miranda, what was it like being directed by your sister? Had you ever worked with her before?

    MO: It was great, actually. We’ve never worked together before. She’s worked with my dad, my husband and my daughter. It was fantastic because we got to spend a lot of time on weekends talking about what she wanted to do and how she was going to set up the shots. So it felt like I had an in insider lane into knowing ahead of time what she was hoping to get, and it just made working together really fast.

    Teresa Palmer stars in Hulu's 'The Clearing.'
    Teresa Palmer stars in Hulu’s ‘The Clearing.’

    Movies Similar to ‘The Clearing:’

    Buy Teresa Palmer Movies on Amazon

    Buy Miranda Otto Movies on Amazon 

  • ‘Hunters’ Season 2 Interviews: Logan Lerman and Josh Radnor

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    Premiering on Prime Video on January 13th is the second season of the popular series ‘Hunters,’ which was created by David Weil.

    Set in 1977 New York City, the series follows a group of elite Nazi hunters led by Jonah Heidelbaum (Logan Lerman), who discover that several escaped Nazi officers are conspiring to create a Fourth Reich in the United States.

    Season two picks up after the events of season one, where Jonah’s mentor Meyer Offerman (Al Pacino) betrayed the team, it was revealed that The Colonel (Lena Olin) is really Eva Braun, and that Hitler is still alive!

    In addition to Lerman, Pacino and Olin, the cast also includes Jerrika Hinton, Josh Radnor, Greg Austin, Saul Rubinek, Carol Kane, Tiffany Boone, Louis Ozawa, Kate Mulvany, and Dylan Baker.

    Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Logan Lerman and Josh Radnor about their work on ‘Hunters’ Season 2, reuniting with the cast, putting the team back together, and hunting Hitler.

    Josh Radnor as Lonny Flash, Jerrika Hinton as Millie Morris, and Logan Lerman as Jonah Heidelbaum in Prime Video's 'Hunters' Season 2.
    (L to R) Josh Radnor as Lonny Flash, Jerrika Hinton as Millie Morris, and Logan Lerman as Jonah Heidelbaum in Prime Video’s ‘Hunters’ Season 2. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Prime Video. Copyright: Amazon Studios.

    You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interviews with Lerman, Radnor, Tiffany Boone, Louis Ozawa, and Greg Austin.

    Moviefone: To begin with, can you both talk about where we will find your characters when Season 2 begins?

    Logan Lerman: Jonah is a very different character at the beginning of this season. He’s dealing with the trauma of past events that have changed him, he’s burdened with the responsibility of it, and he’s also leading a double life. He’s trying to be a person, and he’s seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.

    He sees that the end is near and that he can just go back to, hopefully being a person again. Just a regular old guy and having love in his life, being in school, and just living. But then he gets sucked back in and he’s having to manage his responsibilities as a hunter with his desire to lead a normal life.

    Josh Radnor: Season two does take place two years after season one, but there’s also been a couple of years gap between seasons one and two for the viewer. So, in those two years, the hunters went off on a mission to Europe that seemed to have gone disastrously poorly. Lonnie was sober in season one but he’s fallen off the wagon. We find him in really not a good spot. His demons have got a hold of him again. He’s heartsick over an ill-fated romance with one of the hunters.

    It seems like his career is actually going well, which is not always the best thing to happen when someone’s in the grip of addiction. So, it’s kind of like a recipe for disaster for him. He’s starting in a really low place and the hunters have kind of disbanded. They’re all over the place. So, once the team gets reassembled and this mission takes place, he’s able to pull himself somewhat out of this nosedive. But he starts in a really tough place.

    MF: Logan, can you talk about Jonah’s partnership with Millie (Jerrika Hinton) and putting the team back together for this new mission?

    LL: Jonah and Millie really spearhead the mission, the movement to execute their mission given in the first episode. A big part of this show is that element of getting the team back together, which has been done in action films and things like that. It’s fun playing with that element of this story. At the end of the day, this is an action, entertainment adventure kind of show. Those things are so well executed by David Weil and the creative team that we just got to go in there and have fun with it as actors.

    Josh Radnor as Lonny Flash on Prime Video's 'Hunters' Season 2.
    Josh Radnor as Lonny Flash on Prime Video’s ‘Hunters’ Season 2. Credit: Christopher Saunders. Copyright: Amazon Prime Video.

    MF: Josh, as an actor yourself, is it fun playing another actor and having the opportunity to poke fun at your own profession?

    JR: It’s the best. I’m from Ohio, I’m from the Midwest. We’re taught to be very modest. It’s also fun to play this kind of mix. He’s this great mix of narcissism and insecurity. He’s both self-loathing and self-aggrandizing. He is grandiose and he is filled with shame. So, there’s all these great kind of tense inner conflicts that he has going on, and it’s fun to poke fun at actors.

    MF: Finally, what has it been like for both of you to return for season two and reunite with the rest of the cast?

    LL: It was great. I love these actors. I love them as people, my teammates, my friends, and my family now. So, getting together with them and getting to play with these characters and their dynamics and relationships, it’s just a joy. We had a really good time, all of us.

    JR: We had such a good time and we all missed each other. For such a dark show, the themes of it are so dark and what we have to do is so crazy and violent. We just have a great time and we really missed each other. It was great because we also got to go to Prague and shoot for a month. So, it’s great when you get a job that you’re thrilled to have, but a bonus is, I love everyone I’m working with and they’re flying us to Europe to shoot. There are a lot of great things about this season.

    Logan Lerman as Jonah Heidelbaum on Prime Video's 'Hunters' Season 2.
    Logan Lerman as Jonah Heidelbaum on Prime Video’s ‘Hunters’ Season 2. Photo Credit: Jason LaVeris/Prime Video. Copyright: Amazon Studios.
    Prime Video's 'Hunters' Season 2 premieres January 13th.
    Prime Video’s ‘Hunters’ Season 2 premieres January 13th.