Mumbai, July 22: Actor David Gyasi, who starred opposite Keri Russell in “The Diplomat”, says the show writers are working on creating a great season for viewers who loved the Netflix series.
Gyasi plays Austin Dennison, UK Foreign Secretary, to Russell’s Kate Wyler, the newly appointed US ambassador to the UK. They must work closely to find those responsible behind the attack on a British aircraft carrier in the Persian Gulf that has killed 41 sailors in the series, which premiered in April last year to great reviews.
Asked about the pressure to do better in the next season, Gyasi told PTI, “We are fortunate that the writers are in the writing room so the pressure would be with them but we obviously get to see the scripts and I’m like, ‘Oh my lord, this is really good’.”
The actor, 44, said while he cannot reveal much, he is looking forward to the second season like the fans of the show.
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“I’m just excited for people to see season two, if you liked season one, you’re going to love season two,” he said.
Gyasi, who featured in films like “Cloud Atlas”, co-directed by the Wachowskis and Tom Tykwer, Christopher Nolan’s “Interstellar”, Alex Garland-helmed “Annihilation”, has worked as a voice actor for audio series, “Impact Winter” season three.
The series, a dystopian drama about survival, is set in a near future where a comet impact has blotted out the sun, enveloping the Earth in perpetual winter. Vampires have emerged from the shadows to rule supreme. Season two came out in 2023 while the third season premiered on Audible on July 18.
The actor said he has always liked how “science fiction allows for metaphor” to talk about situations in the world without alarming people.
“If you get it right, maybe you can incite discussion and debate and think about how that relates to our world, and what can we do in our world to make it better or peaceful or prevent that sort of hate or exclusion from happening.
“Through studying, reading, and meeting different types of people, I’ve often found that (I) often searched for work that somehow taps into what I’m experiencing as I walk around the world and what I see and weirdly science fiction kind of does that a lot.”
Giving the example of “Interstellar”, Gyasi said the film talked about environmental neglect and the potential consequences of our actions.
“‘Interstellar’ was about ‘How are we going to save the people on Earth?’ It starts with a sort of crop destruction and focuses on the environment and how we’ve not treated the planet so well. So, we’re in a situation where a group of professionals must travel to find a solution.”
As the world grappled with COVID-19, the dystopian theme of “Impact Winter” resonated deeply with audiences, said the actor.
“If we’re not careful we could head to environmental issues, and then people hating one another, wars creeping up all over the place, and rise of segregationist rhetoric that is around. ‘Impact Winter’ taps into that sort of zeitgeist at the moment and perhaps it’s a testament to that timing,” he said, crediting writer Travis Beacham for creating an interesting series.
The actor said working on 2012’s “Cloud Atlas” was a dream job and a “real affirmation” from Hollywood that he could be a part of the industry.
But just before his next big project, “Interstellar”, came out, he was without any work for a year as he was recovering from an injury.
“(Then) This kind of juggernaut of a movie comes out and does really well and I get to experience that and work with one of the greatest filmmakers of our time. To get up close and personal with his (Nolan) work ethic, with his approach to family, which I found really key and interesting because his work ethic professionally is so high… I don’t think I’ve seen it before,” he said of his experience working on the 2014 movie.
Gyasi said as someone who is very close to his family, it was a learning to meet a person like Nolan, who is focused on work while also being close to his family.
“… I thought that was an interesting set of priorities. I learned that and it was encouraging. I’m a huge fan of my family and I want to go on adventures, and do all of these things. I’m dedicated to my work as well. So, it was nice to see the two things run alongside each other and complement one another,” he said.
The actor, who also has a production company, hopes to get behind the camera in the near future.
“I’ve not directed yet. We’ve produced a couple of things but I’ve not directed yet largely because I haven’t had the time and also there’s been some stimulating acting projects that I’ve been involved with recently and currently involved. I don’t have the space in my head to direct just yet, but I could see it coming over the next couple of years,” he said. (PTI)
