Nerdophiles had the pleasure of having an intimate conversation with the cast of FOUND at the Television Critics Association summer press tour ahead of its season 2 fall premiere.
With Sir (Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Pitch) on the loose and Lacey’s (Gabrielle Walsh, The Vampire Diaries) life hanging in the balance, everyone is upset with Gabi (Shanola Hampton, Shameless) for the choice of locking up Sir and the snowball effect it has had. With the M&A team divided, they can only agree on finding Lacey before it is too late! We sat down for a no-spoilers chat with stars Shanola Hampton, Kelli Williams (The Practice), and Mark-Paul Gosselaar on motivations and relationship rebuilding ahead of season 2.
On the most creatively challenging scene they’ve shot so far in season two. How it expanded their empathy for their character or the one they played opposite, Hampton started: “For me, the challenge lies in the lengthy emotional scenes. We had one particular scene that took about six hours to shoot. It’s tough to keep going up and down emotionally. Physically, it takes a toll. We all cry a lot on this show, and even though it comes naturally, it’s exhausting to maintain that level of emotion for hours.”
Williams jumped in: “I think the challenging part for me has been navigating Margaret’s trauma. There’s so much guilt and pain wrapped up in not finding her son. Shanola and I have such a playful dynamic off-camera, but when it’s Time to dive into these emotional scenes, it’s a different game. We’ve had to find various ways to portray Margaret’s breakdowns without feeling repetitive. Each scene needs a different emotional texture.”
On the emotional toll of portraying Sir’s complex emotions, Gosselaar shared: “Anger has been my biggest challenge. It’s exhausting to stay tense and angry for prolonged periods. The scenes with Lacey and dealing with his lack of connection with Gabrielle push Sir into a tailspin. It’s disturbing, especially the scenes involving Bella. Living with that kind of intensity is rough.”
On what’s driving Sir’s obsession with Lacey In this next season, he added: “He’s got this deep disdain for Lacey, starting from Bella’s involvement. I think Sir feels betrayed and blames Bella for the disconnect with Gabrielle. His anger and control issues are at the forefront. He’s playing a dangerous game, manipulating those around him to maintain control.”
On directing this season, Williams spilled: “I’m directing episode 13. It’s going to be interesting to act and direct simultaneously. I’ve directed before, but not while being in the scenes. Balancing the two roles will be a unique challenge.”
On crafting his episode from behind the camera, Gosselaar said: “I’m directing episode 17. I just got the script a few days ago. It’s exciting to take on this role, especially in a show where I’m deeply invested in the characters and storylines.”
On what it will take for Gabi to heal the pivotal relationships in her life after she’s revealed to have had Sir locked up, Hampton told us: “Time. The beauty of having 22 episodes is that we can deeply explore these fractures. Relationships won’t heal quickly. There’s a deepening that happens when you go through such intense experiences. Gabi’s journey to mending these bonds will be slow and painful but will lead to a deeper understanding and connection.”
Williams added,” Margaret is deeply affected by Gabi’s actions. There’s a lot of pain and betrayal to work through. But within that, there’s also a chance for growth. Their relationship will take on new forms and depths as they navigate their traumas and the overarching goal of solving cases.”
It’s clear that FOUND is more than just a show; it’s a deeply emotional journey for everyone involved, and. this conversation reveals the depth each actor brings to their roles, highlighting the emotional complexities of each character and solidifying the strong bonds formed both on and off-screen. We’ll have to see how Season 2 unfolds!
FOUND Season 1 Is Currently Streaming On Peacock, And Season 2 Premieres On October 3rd!
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