Gus and Big Man’s journey is reaching an emotional and high-stakes end in Sweet Tooth season 3. Based on Jeff Lemire’s Vertigo comic series of the same name, the Netflix show revolves around the titular deer-human hybrid boy as he sets off on a journey across a post-apocalyptic world to find his mother. Gus is reluctantly helped by Tommy Jepperd, a former pro football player with a dark past whom Gus affectionately nicknames Big Man.

Sweet Tooth season 3 picks up shortly after the events of the season 2 finale, with Gus, Big Man, Wendy, and Bear now having a direction to look for the former’s mother, Birdie, by heading to Alaska. Along the way, they will find themselves hunted down by Mrs. Helen Zhang, one of the remaining warlords of The Three following General Abbot’s defeat, and her family, while also contending with the harsh environments along the way. Meanwhile, Birdie and Dr. Singh seem to have uncovered the origin of The Sick, though saving the world will require a heartbreaking decision from each of them.

Christian Convery and Nonso Anozie return to lead the ensemble Sweet Tooth season 3 cast alongside Adeel Akhtar as Dr. Sing, Stefania LaVie Owen as Bear, Naledi Murray as Wendy, Rosalind Chao as Zhang, and James Brolin as the narrator, with Amy Seimetz also getting a bigger role as Birdie after appearing in a recurring capacity in prior seasons. The final season of the show will also feature the introductions of Kelly Marie Tran as Zhang’s eldest daughter, Rosie, Cara Gee as Birdie’s friend Siana, and Ayazhan Dalabayeva as her daughter, half-fox hybrid Nuka.

In anticipation of the show’s final return, Screen Rant interviewed Christian Convery and Nonso Anozie to discuss Sweet Tooth season 3, how it feels to be bringing the show to a close, what to expect from Gus and Big Man’s arcs in the final season and what they will miss most from the experience.

Convery & Anozie Grew With Their Characters & Will Miss Their Sweet Tooth Co-Stars

With three seasons and nearly five years of living in the world of Sweet Tooth, Convery and Anozie couldn’t be more grateful for their experiences with the Netflix show. The former, in particular, recalls just how much he’s grown with Gus across the show, while the latter also notes the “indelible mark” it’s made on his life, particularly in the parallels it holds to his life as a father:

Christian Convery: It was a big portion of my life, I spent five years on this project with incredible people like Nonso, I got to grow alongside my character, I got to learn so much about a lot of things. Life, acting, emotions, and so did my character at the same time. Gus went through so much, he’s experienced death, he’s experienced trauma, he’s also experienced the greatness of humanity in being with Jepperd. So, yeah, I’ve grown, I’ve learned so much alongside my character, and I feel like that’s the biggest thing that I can take away from Sweet Tooth.

Nonso Anozie: Yeah, for me, I think this is definitely gonna leave an indelible mark on my life. It’s just one of those opportunities that kind of reflects a little bit of your own life. For me, playing Jepp as a father, I love being a father, but for him, struggling with the trauma of being a father, and his relationship with this little boy, that brings him back to life in the way that children do kind of bring us, and remind us what it is like to be children.

But the great thing about it is that it was always going to be three seasons, and we completed that, because I’ve been doing this for a while, and I’ve done a few shows that never got to have their conclusion. So, for this to actually know how it’s gonna end, and how the arc is gonna play, it kind of helped me as an actor, as well, learn how to take my time and build a character through the seasons. And it gave all of us time to kind of breathe into the characters that we’re playing, breathe that life into them and give them their time to grow.

When it comes to looking back on what they’re going to miss about the show, both ultimately agree that working with their co-stars is the biggest one, having built “one big family” on the set and crafting a wonderfully “collaborative experience“:

Christian Convery: Being with everyone. I am already missing everyone, we already filmed this. So, getting to be with Nonso is such an incredible experience. Everyone on set, we were like one big family, everyone was so nice to each other, everyone got along well, and it’s just such a beautiful thing to see. And, yeah, like we were saying, that collaborative experience, I’m really gonna miss it, because it was such a big part of my life. But yeah, I think I’m gonna really miss getting to be around the people that I’ve known for so long. I think it’s also incredible to see everything that we’ve done be cultivated on screen, so it’s not too hard to say goodbye.

Nonso Anozie: Yeah, to have something that you’re always going to be able to keep with you, in the sense that we’ve got this wonderful gem of a TV show that so many people around the world love. I can’t go anywhere without people saying, “Big Man!” It’s crazy, it’s crazy. [Laughs] But I miss Christian, I miss all of the actors, I miss all the crew, I miss New Zealand. New Zealand is a beautiful country, and they’ve got beautiful people rich in culture. In season 3, we film a lot more studio-based [locations], but in seasons 1 and 2, we’re outside a lot more. It’s just such a beautiful country, I’m going to miss it, I will be back again one day. But I will definitely miss those relationships and miss the experiences that we’ve had.

Gus & Big Man’s Season 3 Arcs Are The Most “Intense” & “Vulnerable” Yet

While the first two seasons of the show featured some darker moments, Sweet Tooth season 3 proves to be the most mature yet, with Gus having to properly confront the nature of grief and Big Man also struggling with his mortality and whether he can help the young man complete his journey. Convery and Anozie praise the “beautiful” writing they were given to explore these arcs, while also being thrilled to explore different sides of their characters:

Nonso Anozie: I think that’s the beautiful thing about the writing of this show is that they kind of give me these beautiful scenes to play where I get to explore what it’s like to go almost as far as you think you can go as a character, and then feel like you’re going to give up, because he feels almost in three or four times this season, it looks like he is going to be able to make it.

And you can see that in his eyes, you can hear that in his voice. I wanted that to be able to come through, and I think playing that was such a joy. I love playing the strength, I love the fight scenes, I love all that stuff. But I love the vulnerability and I love the humanity of characters, and I want to make the audience feel that struggle and that conflict within the character. So, it was a joy to play.

Christian Convery: I mean, first of all, the writing and how they explained it to the audience is so beautiful. And it also really helped me understand, because everyone on the show was so open and collaborative. So, I would talk to Jim, I talked about our experience, and Gus’ arc, and his journey through these different emotions. Dealing with that mortality, it was a new concept for Gus. Well, it was already there with Pubba, but he got to see so much more of it, and he had to deal with it, and he had a lot of conflict and struggle, like you were saying.

But I feel because Gus is so motivated by his optimism, and his hope to save his friends and find his mother, that he pushed through. And I think it was so great to have to adapt on the screen, because it’s so complex, the feelings that he’s dealing with. And getting to portray it on screen was an incredible experience for me. I really enjoyed it, and getting to see Gus’ journey is so emotional and captivating at the same time.

In looking at their favorite scenes in the final season, the duo remain mum on specifics in order to keep audiences surprised, but do promise an “impeccable climax” to come:

Christian Convery: I’m just looking forward to everyone seeing this whole new theme, intense. It’s a much darker turn compared to the last few seasons, and getting to see everything that we’ve portrayed on screen build up to this thrilling and impeccable climax. That’s the sequence I’m really looking forward for people to see.

Nonso Anozie: In season 1 and 2, I think a lot of people got used to see me doing a lot of the fighting, but I think season 3 might do considerably less, but I feel like everybody else jumps in. And there’s some really great fight scenes in it, I don’t want to give away too much. But I would say that the scene you should really look forward to is The Cave.

About Sweet Tooth Season 3

Having defeated General Abbot in the battle at Pubba’s Cabin, Gus (Christian Convery), Jepperd (Nonso Anozie), Becky (Stefania LaVie Owen), and Wendy (Naledi Murray) embark on a journey to Alaska in search of Gus’s mother, Birdie (Amy Seimetz), who has been working to uncover the mysterious origins of the deadly Sick. Along the way, they are joined by Dr. Singh (Adeel Akhtar), who may have his own dangerous beliefs about Gus and his role in reversing the virus. Meanwhile, a new threat emerges in the form of Helen Zhang (Rosalind Chao), her daughter Rosie (Kelly Marie Tran), and the ferocious Wolf Boys, who seek to restart human birth and view Gus as the solution to their plans.

As they navigate through perilous terrain, Gus and his group of friends find refuge at the Outpost in Alaska, where they meet a new ensemble of characters including Siana (Cara Gee) and her hybrid daughter Nuka (Ayazhan Dalabayeva). With the clock to find answers running out, alliances are tested and destinies intertwine, all leading to a thrilling climax that will determine the fate of humanity and hybrids. Based on the DC comic book series by Jeff Lemire, Sweet Tooth is executive produced by Jim Mickle, Susan Downey, Robert Downey, Jr., Amanda Burrell, and Linda Moran. The series is produced by Warner Bros. Television.

Source: Screen Rant Plus