One of the breakout hits from last fall was HBO's Westworld. The sci-fi drama series was instantly praised for its stunning cinematography, all star cast of film actors, and fascinating plot. A favorite for the impending Emmy nominations, Westworld has managed to accrue a rabid fanbase while also becoming a critical darling. Unfortunately, we'll have to wait until 2018 for its sophomore season, although development for Season 2 has been occurring in the months since Season 1 ended. One of the ways that Season 2 is being planned is through casting, and Westworld's casting director recently revealed how difficult it is to find new actors. Why? Because even casting breakdowns have the potential to spoil the events of Season 2.
John Papsidera is the casting director for Westworld, and recently opened up about the struggle of finding new actors for the show's second season. In particular, how the eventual introduction of the other parks can be easily ruined by casting breakdowns. He told the Huffington Post,
If somebody's aware you're looking for Japanese actors that could play a period piece, you don't [want fans to] figure out or discuss how that world is now fitting into Westworld. . . . It's a huge cast, and it's a monumental task. Especially when you start to delve into different worlds, because then you're pulling from entirely different talent pools.
This makes a great deal of sense. While the fandom is expecting to explore the other parks, the events of the highly anticipated new season can be easily spoiled when putting out notices for new actors and extras.
In the Westworld movie, which the show is adapted from, there is more than one park available for the visitors. Specifically, they can chose between Westworld, Medieval World, and Roman World. This variety of parks was strongly hinted at during the season finale of Westworld. When Maeve and company attempted to escape the facility, they traveled through various rooms that included characters and settings for a Samurai World. And while we never saw the inside of those parks, it seems like the series will expand the mythology by including them in Season 2.
Aside from casting breakdowns, John Papsidera also discussed how potential actors must audition without any context of the character that they could be playing. This is fairly common practice in popular properties, with actors asked to prepare scenes that aren't even part of the project. Papsidera elaborated,
We don't really talk about where [the role] goes and what they do because there's so many intricacies in Westworld, and stories, and secrets. You got to be very careful to navigate those waters correctly so it doesn't get ruined for anyone.
This sounds about right. Westworld fans are extremely passionate an have been known to figure out major twists very early in Season 1. So extra measures must be taken in an attempt to keep them in the dark, and therefore surprise them with various plot twists.
Westworld will return to TV sometime in 2018. In the meantime, check out our summer premiere list to plan your next binge watch.
