'Rivals' cast tease chaos, romance drama coming in Season 2 return
Aidan Turner, Alex Hassell, Bella Maclean and more tease villains, drama and romance to come in Season 2 Part 2.
After a showstopping mid-season finale, "Rivals" Season 2 returns with even more scandalous twists as Corinium and Venturer continue their fight for corporate supremacy.
On The Red Carpet had a chance to speak with the stars about the juicy new episodes.
"It's the David versus Goliath. The good versus evil," Aidan Turner told us. He plays Declan O'Hara, the charismatic Irish journalist at the head of Venturer and the personal rival of Corinium's Tony Baddingham, played by David Tennant.
"If Tony does win, I mean. It's- It's going to be devastating," Turner continued.
"Tony is just really an unhinged man," said Alex Hassell (Rupert Campbell-Black), as Bella Maclean (Taggie O'Hara) called him "a true villain."
"He really needs help. It's classic villain stuff, like you love to hate him. Do you know what I mean? You do love to hate him," said Luca Pasqualino (Bas Baddingham). He went on to say, "Tony being the complete polar opposite of what David is as a person, it just makes him even more mesmerizing to watch and to see him just snap into character. You know, he's so lovely on set. He's so warm and, you know, generous. And to see him snap into this sort of crazed lunatic that is Tony Baddingham..."
"Especially this half of the season, it's going to be mad," said Maclean.
While the corporate war rages on, the romances prove just as volatile.
Victoria Smurfit describes her character, Maud O'Hara's, relationship with her husband Declan as "carnage. But it's carnage for good reasons."
"They're completely unfiltered, and there's so much love and affection and understanding between them, but they really do know how to fight, and they do it well. And we're just lucky as actors that we get to play all of the things," said Turner.
When it comes to Rupert and Taggie's will-they-won't-they relationship, Maclean shared this about Taggie's headspace.
"It's come to the point where they've been yearning for each other for a very, very long time, and it's not seeming to get anywhere, and she starts to look elsewhere, understandably, and whether that works out, we're going to have to wait and see. But I think it's good. I think it also shakes Rupert up a bit. It also makes Taggie question what she really wants and who she wants in a partner, and whether she even wants a partner."
"They're both following each other's advice, aren't they?" asked Hassell. "You know, Rupert is trying to be a better person and therefore is staying away from Taggie, and Taggie is trying to stand up for herself, which Rupert said, and that's taking her away from him."
As for fan favorites Freddie and Lizzie, the pair might hit a few bumps in the road.
"There's a couple of scenes where we are appalling to each other. And basically, it does go up a gear. And, you know, we agreed to do this affair," said Danny Dyer (Freddie Jones).
Katherine Parkinson (Lizzie Vereker) attributes the couple's growth to the conversation Lizzie and Monica had in Episode 6.
"There's similarities between Monica and Lizzie, and I think Monica is kind of giving Lizzie permission to grab her life and not, sort of, settle for a marriage that is beneath her. And I think that's quite powerful that it's a woman telling another woman to live like blazes. But then, the second lot of episodes, we explore the fallout of that, and you know, obviously the, the effect on Valerie and her children."
When it comes to the relationship between Freddie and Lizzie, even Lisa McGrillis (Valerie Jones) is a fan!
"I'm definitely, as a punter, as an audience, I am rooting definitely for Freddie and Lizzie. Their relationship is so beautiful, and I think they- It's- I adore them in it, but as far as it, what that means for me as an actor in the show, I mean, I don't want them to be together because I want to remain in the show!" she joked.
Emily Atack (Sarah Stratton) teased some of the twists to come.
"There are beautiful, amazing twists in store. The great thing about 'Rivals' is that, just when you think there might be some consistency of calm, something mental happens, whether that's something absolutely hilarious or completely and utterly devastating. And I think, yeah, that's the beauty. You kind of never know what's going to happen. It's quite unpredictable. And that's why it's so fun."
Watch new episodes of "Rivals" Nov. 11 on Hulu.
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