‘Heels’ Stars Stephen Amell, Alexander Ludwig & More Talk What’s in Store for Season 2
Preview
[This interview was conducted prior to the SAG-AFTRA strike authorization.]
Season 2 of Starz‘ Heels sees brothers Jack (Stephen Amell) and Ace (Alexander Ludwig) at the center of a small-town wrestling promo with the potential to go national if their inner turmoil doesn’t get the best of them.
Following the end of the first season, Season 2 finds the brothers looking to find themselves after their father dies and passes down the Duffy Wrestling League promotion to his sons. After betraying his brother in the ring, Jack must make amends with his brother and his wife, Staci (played by Alison Luff). They also must question if they’re living up to the legacy of their late dad.
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“He has this come to Jesus moment at the end of the first episode, where he’s just had this incredibly successful day,” Amell told TV Insider. “It should be incredibly successful personally, and professionally and emotionally, and spiritually, and it’s none of those things. Because his brother’s gone, his wife has gone, his son has gone, his mother doesn’t want to talk to him, his dad’s dead.” There is one silver lining, though, “at the very least, he admits that he’s wrong. And that’s a nice start.”
But even though we can expect to see Jack right some wrongs, Amell warns, “Sometimes the best-laid plans — you still fall victim to other people and what they’ve done.”
Meanwhile, younger brother Ace is forced to look at himself in the mirror this season and decide if he’s the person he truly wants to be. “The season’s about him picking the pieces back up and putting himself back together any way he can,” Ludwig said. “And finally, you begin to see Ace, perhaps in the shoes he was always meant to be in. And you get an inkling of what this promotion could be on a national scale, and what these brothers could be if only they can work together.” He also noted how “this season is really kind of just women really leading the charge.”
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Mary McCormack, who plays Willie Day, seconded that notion, especially after Crystal’s (Kelli Berglund) unprecedented win to become champion. “I think she’s so invested in Crystal’s success […] [because] subconsciously, she needs her not to fuck up because she needs her own dreams fulfilled, which is pretty messed up,” she says. “It’s like a stage mom or something,” considering Day may have once wanted to be in the ring herself.
Allen Maldonado also teases Rooster Robbins’ arc after leaving DWL for the competition. “This season is him taking control of his own destiny and really being determined and focused on that. It’s championship or bust, and nothing else matters. So that sort of determination, I think, fits better in Dystopia rather than DWL.”
Meanwhile, Bobby Pin (Trey Tucker) and Diego Cottonmouth (Robby Ramos) are caught in the middle of other people’s drama at DWL. “[Bobby] really cares about Crystal, and I think that he has to–especially having been injured in Season 1–figure out what’s his place, not just in this group of wrestlers, but in this group of friends and specifically with this girl,” Tucker said. Although Crystal is enthralled being champion, she has a connection with Ace that appears to be swelling this season.
“Diego, this season is getting to see the underbelly; what happens when your dreams don’t become a reality or when they do become a reality,” Ramos divulged about Diego and his time with Wild Bill (played by Chris Bauer). “And what kind of sacrifices do you have to make to get to those dreams?”
Heels, Season 2 Premiere, Friday, July 28, 10/9c, Starz
