#SDCC16: Lucifer Cast Talks New Characters in Season Two
April Marie
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San Diego Comic-Con 2016 brought a lot of information for the Fox show “Lucifer.” After learning Tricia Helfer would portray Lucifer’s mom and Aimee Garcia was being brought on to play a new, “quirky” character, we had a lot of questions. Of course Mom was a hot topic on everyone’s lips, except for Aimee, who was just excited to tell us all about her new character and what she’ll bring to the show.
First at our table, however, was executive producer Joe Henderson. He remarked on how the show isn’t really what people were expecting, differing from the comics by the same name:
Joe: I’m a huge fan of the comics. I wasn’t there for the pilot; I came on after. And I was like, “This does not sound like a good idea.” But then I realized, “Oh, it’s awesome; it’s its own thing.”
He talked for a bit about the tone of the show:
Joe: We found a sense of balance between things. We’re not a hugely supernatural show, which makes us feel very different than a lot of other shows on the air. There’s an element of the fantastic, but it doesn’t override too much. That really lets us be playful and sort of dip our toes into it. And then in cases like the finale, we can jump into the water.
When asked how the introduction of a mother character was going to affect “Lucifer,” Joe compared the new season to the first:
Joe: Season 1 was brother vs. brother and brother against that distant father figure. Now it’s brother with brother, trying to find mom. There’s this question of “Where is mom? How does this all fit together?”
He went on to describe how the concept of Tricia Helfer’s character came into being:
Joe: Early on we decided to ground everything. Everything has to be relatable. This isn’t a story about God. It’s a story about father and son. And his brother who’s always trying to be the best son ever and never gets the love he wants. So then we started talking about other familial dynamics, and the question came up, “Where’s mom?” Then it was like, “Wait, there is no mom. Well, what if there was a mom?” So what would that dynamic be? We found this rich opportunity to play with different dynamics with Amenadiel (Lucifer’s brother) and Lucifer. Can you imagine mom meeting this girl Lucifer’s been spending a lot of time with, who happens to be this celestial goddess?
Next to sit down were Tom Ellis (Lucifer) and the aforementioned Helfer. They spoke first about the introduction of Charlotte, Lucifer’s mother, and how the two characters would react to each other:
Tricia: There’s a lot of animosity, but it is still very much a mother/son relationship. We’ve got our own stuff that we’re dealing with. It may be heightened compared to normal families.
Tom chimed in with his own thoughts:
Tom: It’s very much unresolved where they were, and that’s where we pick them up. Their relationship needs to be healed.
Tom continued by explaining the switch Joe mentioned of brother vs. brother in the first season to brother with brother in the second:
Tom: We start the [second] season with Lucifer and Amenadiel searching for mom. They have to team up once again because she’s out in the world, and she’s not the biggest fan of humans. So you know, we have to get her back. Amenadiel and Lucifer have found a way to work together; it doesn’t solve all their resentment. But when they have their fight in Episode 12, it’s a grown-up version of a pillow fight they had in their room when they were five-year-olds. We wanted to make everything relatable.
Tricia mentioned a crucial fact of life in any family dynamic:
Tricia: You know each sibling will have their own relationship with their mother or their father.
Tom excitedly added:
Tom: There might even be favorites! You never know!
Next to sit with us was Aimee Garcia, who will be playing newly added character Ella Lopez. A forensic scientist who loves her job, Ella is stacking up to be an interesting addition to the show. Aimee had plenty to say about her right from the moment she sat down:
Aimee: I hope you guys love her, I really do. Honestly, I love that she feels like the modern woman. She’s sometimes goofy, she drums to her own beat, she’s fun, she’s cool, she loves everybody, she has no beef with anybody. And I love that she’s so confident in who she is. She’s a physicist, and she’s a chemist. She’s smart, but she’s also goofy. She loves everything from The Shining to Nickelodeon shows. She’s the best. I feel like especially as a woman of color, you don’t often see a super professional, smart, scientifically brilliant woman, much less a woman of color. So I was so giddy.
When asked how she prepared for the role, Aimee happily mentioned a lot of research:
Aimee: I researched a ton. I’m super thrilled. I interviewed a bunch of scientists. I watched a bunch of films. Technically I should have a hazmat suit, and I was like, “Guys, do I have to wear a hazmat suit?” I didn’t want to have to come in all Contagion style, like an astronaut. And they were like, “No. It doesn’t look good. You’re not going to have to.” But I did interview a bunch of scientists. I watched a bunch of YouTube videos and documentaries. I was interested in how people collect evidence, like how do they do it. I really dove into it.
Aimee then talked about how her character reacts differently to Lucifer than many of the others. She shared a candid moment with Tom that ended up making it into the show:
Aimee: [Ella] doesn’t treat Lucifer, like, “Oh, he’s so tall and handsome. Very attractive.” She just comes in and invades his personal space constantly. She’s constantly hugging him and touching him. On my very first day I thought, “You know what; I’m gonna hug him. And I’m not gonna tell him for when [Ella and Lucifer] meet for the first time.” ‘Cause I’m a hugger; I’ll be like, all up in your business. So I said I’m gonna hug him and not tell him. So when I’m like, “Hi, I’m Ella Lopez!” I just hugged him, and he had to continue on with the scene just uncomfortable and confused. And then they said “Cut!” and I thought, “Am I gonna get fired?” And they loved it! And I loved it.
In case we hadn’t gotten a good sense of the type of person Ella is going to be, Aimee explained just a little further:
Aimee: If the camera’s still rolling, I’ll just be like, “Boom,” and bust out my dance moves. You’re not gonna see Maz (Mazikeen, played by Lesley-Ann Brandt) do that, you’re not going to see Chloe do that. Or [Ella] will sing, break out in song at a crime scene. She’s just this enigma. She’s also a woman of faith and a scientist, which is so interesting to me. She loves humanity. And she’s the polar opposite of Lucifer. But similar in that they like to play; they love to have a good time.
The last person we had a chance to speak with was D.B. Woodside, who plays the character of Lucifer’s brother, Amenadiel. He spoke about the brothers cooperating this season:
D.B.: There’s always the big brother/little brother sibling rivalry. You know, I have an older brother. I love him, he loves me, we respect each other, but there’s still that tension. I think that tension is always going to be there [for Lucifer and Amenadiel], but it’s so nice to see them working together and not smashing each other’s heads in every chance they get.
When asked how the two brothers will react to their mom being brought into the picture, D.B. talked specifically about Amenadiel’s point of view:
D.B.: They definitely have their own points of view on their mom. Amenadiel was always the son that was looking for dad’s respect and dad’s acknowledgment. I think he’s always known that mom’s loved him, but I don’t think he’s ever focused on it. So now we’re going to get to see the chance for him to form that relationship. I think mom’s love is more tangible for Amenadiel, something that he’s been lacking for an extremely long time.
As a closing question, someone at the table asked D.B. what costume he would wear on the Comic-Con floor if he had to choose one. His answer was immediate and definitive:
D.B.: A Green Lantern costume. I am really pushing for that role.
Would you like to see D.B. Woodside take on the role of the Green Lantern some time in the future? Are you looking forward to seeing how Charlotte’s presence changes “Lucifer” in Season 2? Has Aimee’s excitement over her role of Ella made you look forward to seeing the character more? We’d love to hear all about it in the comments!
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