Amanda Collin stars as Mother and Abubakar Salim stars as Father in the sci-fi series Raised by Wolves on HBO Max. Collin is a Danish actress, known for her work in films like A Horrible Woman and The Exception, as well as TV shows like Theo & Den Magiske Talisman and Sjit Happens. Salim is best known for his roles in the Jamestown mini series, as well as the voice of Bayek in the Assassin’s Creed video game series. Both actors appeared in starring roles for creator Aaron Guzikowski’s Raised by Wolves season one, which debuted in 2020.
Raised by Wolves season 2 debuted February 3, and Screen Rant was able to chat with both Collin and Salim about their return to the show. Both actors discuss what it was like to re-assimilate into their roles as androids on a foreign planet, as well as discussing how much they know about the future fate of their characters.
Screen Rant: Your characters in season 2 have been re-routed a bit in terms of how they began and ended in season one. So, I’m curious what sort of guidance do you guys get outside of the scripts as to where your characters are heading.
Abubakar Salim: None. None whatsoever.
Amanda Collin: I mean, it’s a mix, right? We talk to each other a lot, actually. And, we do have people that are involved through the whole season, like Aaron [Guzikowski], of course, but he also needs to maintain his freedom to change stuff and so sometimes he’s not super clear about the path or whatever. And I think also, as in life, you never know where it ends. So, there’s a big let go and a trust in just taking each episode as it comes and trusting that you made the right decisions. And, as from what I hear, in TV, very much the way it goes. Like, you get scripts as you go, and things change. It’s an ideal world you can map everything out.
Abubakar Salim: And, I think the good thing that we’re quite blessed with is that Aaron does have a plan and he knows kind of where he wants to go with it, right? I think, even though he is also discovering new elements and bits and pieces as he brings these seasons along, he has a master plan. And, I think we, as actors, as artists, have to trust that. Very much like in life, you just have to almost trust the system and trust that you’re on this course that you’re being taken on.
Amanda Collin: But not blindly.
Abubakar Salim: No. No.
Amanda Collin: Never.
Does Aaron [Guzikowski] share any of the endgame to you guys in terms of what you’re building towards or does he keep you in the dark on purpose so that you can build from there?
Abubakar Salim: Like, he will tease elements and bits and pieces. And, I think that’s just how Aaron works. And, I’ve said this before, I do feel that he’s already provided us the tools in order to answer the questions that we have. And, I think that’s what makes him so genius, is the fact that in season one and two, the tools to answer all the questions are there. It’s just now up to us in order to find those and use them appropriately and I think that’s what Aaron has provided us. And, I think it’s just one of those things where there are elements that you have no idea about and there are elements that you do. And, what you end up finding is that you have a lot more fun with the bits that you have no idea about-
Amanda Collin: And bear in mind that it comes-as it goes with any great storyteller I also think that there’s an outline of things. I guess if you made the first Star Wars and you asked, ‘What’s gonna happen in the end?’ you’d be greatly disappointed, because nobody knew. So, you have to allow certain freedom to just take it as it comes.
As androids, you guys have a very specific emotionless, yet humanistic demeanor. How are you guys able to perfect that and then continue it on into season 2? Was it difficult to find that again and carry it on?
Amanda Collin: The suits are a great gift, even though we make fun and tease them, because they’re warm and cold and hard to pee in [laughs]. They come with this great-you have to have a certain posture in that suit, because you’re basically naked, and so you have to stand up straight and walk a certain way and I don’t find it hard to fall back in, do you Abu?
Abubakar Salim: No, I don’t think so. It just happens, yeah. Suit on, contacts in. I think it all aids it. And, I also think the beauty-the more I think about it, the more I’m like, ‘Wow, we’re so lucky to actually have found the characters in season one, for ourselves as well as with Ridley [Scott], but it was really truly for ourselves as well. And, I think by having that space and freedom to play and make mistakes and learn our own characters then, really has aided us and the characters as a whole, in general, for season two as we play along.
Raised by Wolves season 2 debuts on February 3rd, 2022 on HBO Max.
