Constellation’s “Complex” Multiverse Scenes Broken Down By Jo Actor

Warning: SPOILERS ahead for Constellation episode 8!

Constellation star Noomi Rapace has opened up about what it was like to film the show’s “complex” multiverse scenes. Rapace portrays Jo Ericsson, an astronaut who becomes stuck in between seeing two different realities after an accident aboard the ISS. The show features two central worlds, alongside other characters experiencing a similar phenomenon of being in between both universes. This leads to Jo in particular flashing between her new reality and the one she was pulled from.

Speaking with Screen Rant, Rapace explained what it was like to portray Jo across Constellation‘s two alternate realities. The actor explained how she needed to keep track of what Jo knew about each reality in each scene, including what she may not know because of her experiences. Check out what Rapace had to say below:

I had to, as an actress, be highly aware of what reality I was in, and what I know, and what Jo knows, but what Jo doesn’t know. So, while I was in the scenes and doing the scenes, she’s supposed to not know, but we had to act and approach it with a simplicity to not complicate it. I was talking to Peter a lot to clarify, and sometimes I wasn’t sure, because I was like, “Wait, what? So I’m Jo A now, in Jo B’s body. And the clothes in this house is Jo B, so Jo A has never worn this before, so maybe she would feel uncomfortable in this sweater. And the cups are normally here, so I would go in that direction, because in my kitchen, in Jo A’s kitchen, everything would be to the left side.” So it’s these things that in every scene, in my head, I was like, “Okay, so in her house, what would it be, and where would that be?” And then to keep it fresh all the time, the difference is [there]. But it is complex. [Chuckles]

Constellation’s Multiverse Makes It An Unpredictable Sci-Fi Story

Throughout the series, Jo is constantly trapped between her original reality and the world she is now in, seeing flashes of her initial world at random points in time. Her state of mind is emphasized by how, in episode 3, she doesn’t recognize her new world. This leads her to start investigating, finally realizing after a few more episodes that she has somehow been transported to a new version of reality. While the series indicates the CAL has something to do with this, other characters like Henry and Irena make it seem like space itself is the true culprit.

Things are made more complicated in Constellation season 1’s ending, when it’s revealed that Irena is the Valya that Alice keeps seeing in her dreams. The final shot of the season also reveals the other version of Jo who died on the ISS is still alive, despite her fatal head injury. Beyond Rapace needing to remember which universe her character is in, it appears there will be even more complexity if she portrays two versions of the astronaut in the future.

While Constellation season 2 has yet to be confirmed, the new complexity added by season 1’s ending means Rapace may have even more to keep track of should the series get renewed. This could mean even more wild multiverse scenes that go beyond any of the fear and confusion they’ve been laced with so far. Beyond Jo, though, there may also be more complex scenes for Alice and Henry, both of whom have their own multiverse connections to sort out. This means more complexity for every actor as they navigate which reality they’re truly in.