10.
Going off of that, this is such a big and vast ensemble series, it must be hard to pack so much of your own character’s journey into the select amount of scenes you’re given per season. I can imagine, especially with Season 2, that was even more challenging considering you have to somehow continue Matthias and Nina’s story without sharing scenes together?
CS: Like you said, you have a select amount of scenes, and you know you have to deliver and tell that story, similar to the challenge we had in Season 1. There are so many stories to cover. There’s so many brilliant actors and characters that are intriguing, but you just have to show up and deliver the few amount of scenes you’re given. I spent months and months thinking about that one look in Episode 3, and then that other look when I’m getting taken out in Episode 8. I’m being dragged away, and what is that moment of desperation and this realization. How do you take months and months — and actually a lifetime — of pain and desperation for Matthias and pack it into one look?
It’s a phenomenal challenge, and it’s one that you literally pray for as an actor. The moment when I walk out of the fight in the arena and see her for the first time when she’s almost like a mirage. After seeing it, I’m so proud of the work that we put into that behind the scenes. We didn’t get a ton of time to act together this season, but when she was there, just having Danielle on set those days, it was special to me. We didn’t even talk that much, really. Just to have her there. Even the eye contact between us filming the, like, 20th round of the fight. Knowing she was there and knowing we’re building this moment. It really means a lot.
DG: I couldn’t agree more. I think, as well, like you’re saying, there was so much life and history and emotion and feelings, and everything filtered into that one second. I think that’s when the real cohesion of the piece comes into focus for me because there’s only so much of this that we can do. Whereas, if you’re not supported by the story and by the text, all our work prior, all the writers, everyone’s work prior, has given all the context to make that one moment between Nina and Matthias the most electric moment it was. I was like, I hope we nailed it. I hope we got it. But I think there’s so much supporting story around it that it was good.
