{"id":113662,"date":"2020-07-16T18:25:43","date_gmt":"2020-07-16T17:25:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.scifinow.co.uk\/?p=113662"},"modified":"2020-09-05T10:34:34","modified_gmt":"2020-09-05T09:34:34","slug":"doom-patrol-season-two-who-ya-callin-weird","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.scifinow.co.uk\/interviews\/doom-patrol-season-two-who-ya-callin-weird\/","title":{"rendered":"Doom Patrol Season Two: Who ya callin’ weird?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Back in 2018, Netflix released its highly anticipated Titans<\/em><\/strong> <\/a>series. With young Robin himself dropping the f-bomb in the trailer, this looked to have a darker, adult twist. But within the series there was an episode named, funnily enough, \u2018Doom Patrol\u2019 which introduced the Titans and the world to Beast Boy (Ryan Potter) while he was holed up in a mysterious manner, being taken care of by a certain Dr Niles Caulder (aka the Chief).<\/p>\n

This manor was home to the Doom Patrol \u2013 a dysfunctional group of \u2018loser\u2019 superheroes whose powers were uncontrollable. Fast forward to 2019 and our super-losers had a series of their own developed by Jeremy Carver and shown on the streaming service STARZPLAY in the UK, which made Robin\u2019s f-bomb look like a cute curse word compared to the sea of profanity and R-rated goings-on that was about to come our way.<\/p>\n

In Doom Patrol,<\/strong> <\/em>we have Rita Farr or Elasti-Girl (played by April Bowlby) \u2013 a beautiful actress who, after an unfortunate dip in a contaminated river, found that she couldn\u2019t hold her pretty looks for long. As soon as her emotions flare up, so does her control over her features, which melt to eventually reveal a disgusting blog.<\/p>\n

We also have fighter pilot Larry Trainor or Negative Man (played by Matt Bomer when he\u2019s human and Matthew Zuk wrapped in bandages when he\u2019s not) whose skin became burned and radioactive after another unfortunate accident (this time involving radiation while flying on a mission). Not only that, but there is a mysterious being who lives inside him that flies out once he was unconscious\u2026<\/p>\n

There is also Cliff Steele or Robotman (played by Brendan Fraser in human form and Riley Shanahan in robot form) \u2013 a Nineties car racing legend who also had a liking for his nanny. When he\u2019s involved in an horrific car crash, his brain gets transplanted into that of a giant metal robot. Also along for the ride is Jane (played by Diane Guerrero) whose 64 separate personalities all have weird and wonderful (generally scary) powers of their own.<\/p>\n

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Cliff was a racing car driver before his brain got transplanted into a robot…<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Joining them is Vic Stone aka Cyborg (Joivan Wade) \u2013 who\u2019s not quite one of the loser Doom Patrol, as he\u2019s actually \u2013 as they refer to him a lot \u2013 a superhero and is usually seen with that other ragtag DC crew, the Teen Titans. That\u2019s not to say Cyborg doesn\u2019t have a few issues of his own\u2026 suffering from PTSD and with more than a few daddy issues thrown in for good measure.<\/p>\n

They\u2019re all looked after by Chief (Timothy Dalton) who has them live with him in his mansion until they come to terms with their new life. Which, as it turns out, may take a long time to come.<\/p>\n

You see, these aren\u2019t your average superheroes \u2013 they hate their so-called powers and pretty much everyone around them. \u201cWe\u2019re these messed up superheroes that don\u2019t want to be superheroes, we don\u2019t like superheroes,\u201d says actress April Bowlby who plays Rita when we speak to her.<\/p>\n

Indeed, Season One of Doom<\/strong><\/em> Patrol<\/strong><\/em> took everything we expect from a comic book show and gave it the middle finger. Its episodes ranged from the weird (a vortex emitting from a donkey\u2019s arse to suck in an entire town), to the astonishing (there\u2019s a scene where an entire town climaxes all at once due to a misplaced flex of a muscle), to the heart-breaking (pretty much everyone\u2019s backstory will make you shed a tear). It also has its own gender-neutral, living, sentient street called Danny\u2026 we said it was wonderfully weird!<\/p>\n

Not only that but the show pushed boundaries \u2013 focussing on homophobia, sexual exploitation and abuse. It\u2019s a really complex merry-go-round of heart and humour, and we love it. \u201cWe\u2019re exploring real issues like abuse, PTSD and body image,\u201d Bowlby continues. \u201cI don\u2019t think that any other show goes as wacky or as grounded as we do in the human condition. I think it\u2019s a really special thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

The first season followed the band of misfits after Chief is kidnapped by the gloriously meta bad guy Mr Nobody (played by Adam Tudyk), which pushed the reluctant heroes to not only come together as a group (not just in the aforementioned unfortunate muscle flex scene) but to grow to accept their lot in life.<\/p>\n

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Watch out for that donkey guys…<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Yes, the first series of Doom Patrol<\/em><\/strong> was a rip-roaring adventure and now Season Two is on its way and we\u2019ve been promised that it\u2019s even crazier – seriously?!<\/p>\n

\u201cSeason One was so wacky, wild and so unexpected and creative that you kind of worry about having to match that again, but our showrunners and our writing team are amazing,\u201d actor Joivan Wade who plays Vic reveals. \u201cSeason Two knocks it out the park and the feedback from the people that have seen it so far in the US has been phenomenal; everyone loves it and it\u2019s really strong and a cut above Season One.\u201d<\/p>\n

Our super-losers faced a lot in Season One – coming out of the safety and comfort of the manor to rescue the Chief has forced them into learning a lot about themselves and their powers, which has resulted in the crew being in very different places in this series. \u201cIn Season Two it\u2019s really exciting because Rita is learning to express herself and her emotions,\u201d Bowlby tells us. \u201cShe\u2019s trying to learn to be a superhero so she starts to lead missions and she\u2019s taking lessons from Vic. Throughout the season you\u2019ll see, instead of melting when Rita gets distressed she actually starts stretching and she begins to use her anger and her emotions to grow. And become a whole person that we all are rooting for her to become!\u201d<\/p>\n

In fact, growth seems to be a big theme for the next season: \u201cIt\u2019s all about growing up really for all of the characters,\u201d Wade agrees. \u201cFor Cyborg, what growing up means to him is handling himself and handling his PTSD and having to confront everything which is holding him back as a superhero.<\/p>\n

\u201cVic is forced to confront his fears and go in to try and work out how to get a grip of who he is and what he\u2019s been through. So you go on this journey with Vic where basically he goes back to Detroit at the start of Season Two to try and find out how to tap this issue that he has. Throughout this season you see that developing and Vic\u2019s dating issues will get explored again in Season Two which is fun. He\u2019s just trying to grow up and these are the things that it means to him to take up that journey.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut what I\u2019m really excited about Season Two is really focused on Vic Stone as opposed to Cyborg. We\u2019ve seen so much of Cyborg but what we get to see in Season Two is really stripped back, human side of Cyborg and that is Vic. It\u2019s been great to perform on that level and really have access to the human side of Vic Stone.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI think the exciting evolution of our show throughout Season One and Two and hopefully Three is that we\u2019re beginning to understand that the powers that make them feel bad about themselves and they don\u2019t want at all – they start to realise that it elevates them and that they can help people and change the world and start becoming better people by actually using the gift that they\u2019ve been giving,\u201d Bowlby adds.<\/p>\n

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In Season Two the Doom Patrol are starting to grow and realise that they have plenty to offer.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Indeed, these reluctant heroes may seem light years away from the superheroes we know and love. They\u2019re certainly not clean-cut and they have plenty of flaws but they\u2019re loveable and iconic nonetheless; a feeling that Doom Patrol\u2019s<\/strong><\/em> cast clearly share: \u201cI love playing Rita because she is so complex and I think every human is so complex,\u201d says Bowlby. \u201cWe\u2019re all wounded and we have fear and we\u2019re lost and we have optimistic moments in our life, so I just try to really put the humanity in her. You have to find a way to justify the character\u2019s flaws and I think basically everybody just wants to be loved and they\u2019re hurt and they\u2019re disappointed. So bringing that vulnerability and that level to Rita, I think has really helped her to become a whole person. You don\u2019t hate her and occasionally you\u2019re rooting for her and every time she falls you\u2019re like \u201cget back up!\u201d or \u201cstay down\u201d – either way you have an opinion!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been amazing, just having the privilege of being able to play the most iconic black superhero for one was a dream for me and being accepted into the DC family,” Wade adds. “It\u2019s been phenomenal just being a part of it all and being attached to such an iconic character. I\u2019m just enjoying being Vic in Doom Patrol. It\u2019s been nothing but love and you just want to take that energy and keep working hard. Keep delivering.\u201d<\/p>\n

There is certainly is a giant, beating heart that runs through Doom Patrol.<\/strong><\/em> They\u2019re a family \u2013 a very dysfunctional one \u2013 but family nevertheless, and it\u2019s clear that this family vibe is felt behind the camera as well as in front. Speaking to the cast, it\u2019s clear they love this crazy, emotional show and each other: \u201cIt\u2019s a little like coming back to your wacky family. Everyone is there, we\u2019re all in the same situation it was just a great reunion and we just hopped right back into it!\u201d says Bowlby when we asked what it was like heading back on set for Season Two. \u201cSeason One has been amazing and incredible and we all keep in touch which is so nice because it\u2019s such a special experience that no one else has. So It\u2019s nice to call each other up.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a cast and crew, everyone\u2019s like one big family. You couldn\u2019t have asked for a more tight-knit community in terms of filmmakers which we\u2019re so privileged to be part of,\u201d Wade agrees. \u201cHaving the opportunity to do it all again is one of the biggest things worth putting your hands together for and being back with the family and knowing that we have a second chance with it all.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The Doom Patrol are just a great, big, loving, dysfunctional (VERY dysfunctional) family.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

However, with the show having some of those wackier elements, being on set is also a rather strange affair\u2026 \u201cThere are things every day where you read a script and you\u2019re constantly shocked at what or how things are going work,\u201d laughs Wade. \u201cAnd then you get on to set and you get told that there are going to be sex ghosts and you\u2019re like \u2018what do you mean?’ and they say \u2018okay in this scene, just imagine that there are people up there just doing doggy style\u2019 [haha]. Yeah in Season One there are talking butts and in Season Two there are sex ghosts. We\u2019re in a world of craziness. That\u2019s what\u2019s so exciting. Every time you go on set, you just don\u2019t know what to expect. It\u2019s really a playground and it\u2019s a great opportunity for us to be as creative as we can and let our imaginations have no limit because this is that kind of show.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo you kind of walk on set with a little trepidation, like: \u2018What is behind door number one?! What do we have here?!\u2019\u201d Bowlby laughs. \u201cWe do the best to prepare and then the day comes and you don\u2019t know what\u2019s going to happen because there are men flying from the sky and there\u2019s a smoke machine\u2026 you just don\u2019t know! I think one of the things that makes the show so much fun is that you really don\u2019t know, every day is completely different.\u201d<\/p>\n

Season One ended with the majority of our crew being shrunk after leaving Mr Nobody\u2019s vortex so they begin Season Two with an air of The Borrowers<\/em><\/strong><\/a> \u2013 if the Borrowers said fuck a lot obviously\u2026 \u201cIt was exciting to walk on the set and see the miniature everything, well miniature to us I guess, we\u2019re miniature but everything on the set was super large because we\u2019re shrunk,\u201d Bowlby tells us. \u201cAnd there\u2019s a giant pancake and what does it taste like? Is someone gluten-free, can they eat it? So that was super fun.\u201d<\/p>\n

Speaking of special effects, with episodes featuring giant pancakes and…er… sex ghosts Doom Patrol<\/strong><\/em> has certainly crafted a unique look. Furthermore, with characters such as a half-man, half-machine and a Hollywood starlet who can also turn into a hideous blob, the makeup department needs to be top-notch too.<\/p>\n

\u201cDuring Season One it took me an hour and a half to get everything done,” Wade tells us, describing his routine to become Cyborg. “This is make-up, not the suit. The suit is a whole different process. So it used to take me about an hour and a half by the time I got my hair cut and then get my makeup and get my mask applied. Then on top of that, I\u2019ve got to get into the actual super suit which takes me another 20 minutes, maybe half an hour, depending on how full it is. I think the full version of the character takes about 40 minutes on top of that. So yeah it\u2019s a process!<\/p>\n

“But since Season One we got it right down so just my face mask alone used to take me 45-50 minutes but now it takes me like literally 15-20 minutes. I\u2019ve got an amazing super-suit team – that definitely helps. But yeah the suit is phenomenal. Our super suits team Laura Jean, LJ who creates all the super suits she\u2019s phenomenal, and she\u2019s done and amazing job to create such an awesome suit.\u201d<\/p>\n

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It takes a lot of work to create Cyborg…<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It’s not just makeup that is put into full force: \u201cMost of the melting is CGI,\u201d says Bowlby. \u201cBut there was a time in Season One when her neck blobs out. The blob was something they had to make and create and then glue onto my neck and they took a plaster of that. That took about two hours to put on. It\u2019s not as intense as some of the characters on our show have to be in makeup but it was a little bit of time!\u201d<\/p>\n

When Rita isn’t… you know… melting… she’s a glamorous Hollywood starlet, which means that Bowlby had to undertake that oh-so arduous job of watching old movies and TV shows to get that classic Hollywood accent down. \u201cThat\u2019s the joy of my job. I get to watch old movies and study the greatest actresses ever! So Bette Davis was a big one. Katherine Hepburn… and there\u2019s a great film called The Star<\/em><\/strong> <\/a>with Bette Davis – that was incredible. I watched Sunset Boulevard<\/em><\/strong> <\/a>with Gloria Swanson. Even Meryl a little. I also watched The Twilight Zone<\/em><\/strong><\/a> to get an odd, creepy neurosis kind of feeling!\u201d<\/p>\n

Like many DC shows, Doom Patrol<\/strong><\/em> comes with a rich legacy. First appearing in My Greatest Adventure #80<\/em><\/strong> back in 1963, Doom Patrol<\/strong><\/em> was created by writers Arnold Drake and Bob Haney, and artist Bruno Premiani. Since then, they have have appeared in a plethora of media platforms and in different incarnations of multiple comics. In fact, they have never been out of print for more than a few years since their introduction.<\/p>\n

This legacy is certainly not lost on the series\u2019 cast, who take it very seriously: \u201cI think it\u2019s different for any actor that comes into any role; there\u2019s going to be a level of pressure to deliver a service and you are just making sure you are giving the people what they want. Let alone being given a character that already exists and already has so many different iterations and is loved by so many! They\u2019re huge shoes to fill and so I definitely felt that pressure of delivering to an audience, and to a fan base that already had a pre-conception of what that character should be and how they want that character to be. But that kind of gave me the energy and gave me the motivation to make sure that I deliver on that.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the same time, you have the pressure but you can\u2019t attach yourself to it too much otherwise it\u2019ll drive you crazy and you just have to know that you\u2019re putting your best work out there. I\u2019ve got to deliver on what I know and being the best version of the character I can be and work as hard as I can, because there\u2019s nothing more you can do than that. That pressure was definitely felt but I felt like it was helping me.\u201d<\/p>\n

With legacy also comes a wealth of different takes on Doom Patrol,<\/strong> <\/em>which can be useful when researching a role: \u201cSo I was a huge fan of Teen Titans<\/em><\/strong> <\/a>from when I was a kid \u2013 the 2003 Cartoon Network [show]; I watched that religiously. That\u2019s when I first came across the Teen Titans and Cyborg. I read a lot of comics also and when I got the role I went back and read everything from all the Cyborg comics, to the New 52, to the Teen Titans – everything he had been involved in just to understand all the different iterations of Cyborg. [I also watched] the live action version, like Ray Fisher playing him in Justice League<\/strong><\/em><\/a>. So I looked at all the versions and just took everything that resonated with me when I was watching the show and what I wanted to see from Vic and how I most related to Cyborg. I wanted to take those elements from all those iterations and pair it with what I was already going to transfer to the table and therefore creating this version of Vic Stone in the DC Universe Doom Patrol<\/strong><\/em>. So yeah I\u2019ve read and seen pretty much everything from Teen Titans<\/strong>, Teen Titans GO<\/strong><\/em><\/a>, to the comics.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Rita has evolved a lot since Season One.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cThe only thing I knew [when I got the part] was that I would get to play Elasti-Girl, which in my mind I\u2019m thinking \u2018oh great a superhero, how fantastic and she\u2019s stretchy\u2019,\u201d Bowlby adds. \u201cBut then we went in so many directions in the sense that we went down the Grant Morrison road. So I read the comic books and when I read the Grant Morrison version of Doom Patrol<\/strong><\/em> I thought: ‘Well how are they going to\u2026? Well this can\u2019t possibly happen…!’ I don\u2019t know – sex men and Doctor Time and what! And Danny The Street. How do they make this street become an alive character? But they did! So it was just a real unexplainable adventure that I got to walk through.<\/p>\n

“It was completely different than anything I\u2019ve ever done. I will never do anything like this because it\u2019s its own magical world. It\u2019s really special and there’s nothing like this on television. It\u2019s magical don\u2019t you think?\u201d<\/p>\n

We certainly do! Awesome effects, loveable characters, talking butts and a sentient street?<\/a> Doom Patrol really did bring the crazy Season One and with a weirder Season Two, it looks like our band of super-losers are here to stay and we couldn\u2019t be fucking happier.<\/p>\n

The first three episodes of Doom Patrol Season Two are available now on STARZPLAY<\/a>.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

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Season One of Doom Patrol took audiences on a crazy thrill ride of madcap episodes, authentic trauma and a street named Danny. So what does Season Two have in store? We spoke to actors April Bowlby and Joivan Wade about giant buttons and sex ghosts\u2026 yeah, we think Season Two is going to be an absolute riot\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":52,"featured_media":113670,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"MSN_Categories":"Uncategorized","MSN_Publish_Option":false,"MSN_Is_Local_News":false,"MSN_Is_AIAC_Included":"Empty","MSN_Location":"[]","MSN_Add_Feature_Img_On_Top_Of_Post":false,"MSN_Has_Custom_Author":false,"MSN_Custom_Author":"","MSN_Has_Custom_Canonical_Url":false,"MSN_Custom_Canonical_Url":""},"categories":[7,207],"tags":[6399],"acf":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.scifinow.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/DP-Main.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.scifinow.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/113662"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.scifinow.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.scifinow.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.scifinow.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/52"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.scifinow.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=113662"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.scifinow.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/113662\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.scifinow.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/113670"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.scifinow.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=113662"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.scifinow.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=113662"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.scifinow.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=113662"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}