Doctor Whois officially back for a new season, and with it comes a brand new companion.
We also discussed what to expect fromAndorSeason 2 and which established universe she wants to join next.
VARADA SETHU: Oh, that’s a very good question.
Image via Disney/BBC
Something that’s in the trailer is that she says, My mom and dad are down there.
I want to go back.
So, I think shes a very family-oriented person, and she wants to go back to that life.
Image via Disney+/BBC
They’re a huge part of her world, and she wants to go back to her world.
How did you go about defining her as a character while also keeping that tether of them being related?
SETHU: I think the writing lends itself to their similarities.
Image via Disney/BBC
Belindas family upbringing is warm; theres a lot of love.
That’s what draws her back to wanting to go back to Earth.
She comes from a very caring place.
Image via Disney
I think they are both very caring.
Mundy’s got Splice that she’s attached to.
But the way I prepped for them felt very different.
I know who she is?
I’m just winging it.
I’m taking it day by day.
So, for that episode, I didn’t have it so much.
I feel like it came to me more in the second episode.
But, yeah, in the first episode, there wasn’t a lot of, I found her.
Why is everything on this planet so stupid?
could be translated in my head to, Why is everything so scary?
SETHU: Exactly, exactly.
Flood is also her neighbor, as well as Ruby’s, in this one.
SETHU: Well, she’s just an interesting recurring person.
It’s all breadcrumbs.
Shes one of the many breadcrumbs that leads to the big…
I don’t want to say anything else!
[Laughs]
That’s great.
I love the layers of Belinda.
Shes very beautifully confrontational, but she’s also very self-sacrificing, as well.
I feel like we have a pretty good idea of who she is from this episode.
Is there a moment this season that surprised you in terms of how she reacts?
SETHU: Thats a very good question.
That could be the Doctor, or that could be someone that shes talking to.
So, what always surprises me about Belinda is the strength, but the warmth that comes with that.
I’m really excited to see more of her.
SETHU: Well, it actually did involve some live-action.
We shot that scene in costume.
We wanted that to come across in our gestures.
We had we had such a great time.
I’m really excited about that.
The layers of filmmaking for that episode sound really fun.
SETHU: Oh, it was so much fun!
SETHU: Oh, that’s a very good question.
It was this sense of, I’m undertaking this massive show with such a long legacy.
How do I step into this role and this world without letting that weight crush me?
So, I think it might just be the whole season, but that first episode.
Particularly, really, once I broke the back of that, everything became easier.
One of my favorite details about his TARDIS is that there’s a jukebox.
Which albums would you want to have on that jukebox?
SETHU: Oh, how many am I allowed?
Let’s say three.
SETHU: Oh my god, this is a tough one.
Id have to have a Beyonce album.
Guns N Roses Appetite for Destruction.
SETHU: And then the third one has to be something a bit more relaxing.
You’ve got a nice range.
You’ve covered the range.This show has one of the best wardrobe departments on television right now.
What’s your favorite costume that you got to wear this season?
SETHU: I loved my yellow dress, the 1950s one.
I couldn’t stop spinning in it.
It was that skirt.
You’re also in the Star Wars universe withAndor.
Can you tease anything about Cinta and Vel in Season 2?
Are they going to break our hearts?
SETHU: [Laughs] I don’t want to say anything!
I cant say anything.
In a broad sense, what are you excited about for Season 2?
It’s so, so good.
It’s so clever, so layered, it’s so complex.
I love the tone.
I love all of the Easter eggs.
I love that it’s this show that’s been created retrospectively.
Oh, it’s such a beautiful show.
I love it so much.
And lastly, you’ve done so many cool things now withDoctor Whoand Star Wars.
You’ve even been inJurassic World.
If you could jump into any established universe, which one would you choose?
New episodes ofDoctor Whowill arrive on Disney+ and BBC iPlayer every Saturday.
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