‘3 Body Problem’ Stars Talk Humanity & Characters in New Sci-Fi Thriller (VIDEO)
The aliens are coming. In the sci-fi thriller from David Benioff and D.B. Weiss (Game of Thrones) and Alexander Woo (True Blood), Earth’s population is under deadly threat from extraterrestrials fleeing their dying planet.
To find out more about the epic saga, based on the book series by Liu Cixin, we spoke with the 3 Body Problem cast. To see the full interview, watch the video above.
The tale begins with brilliant scientist Ye Wenjie (Zine Tseng), treated brutally as a young woman during China’s 1960s Cultural Revolution, making a terrible choice that will lead invaders to Earth. The aggressors have yet to reach our planet when we see her in present day (Rosalind Chao), but something’s strange. Science experts are mysteriously committing suicide—or are they being killed?
“Ye’s [youthful] actions are the result of trauma, hopefulness, and a desire to change the course of humanity,” Chao tells us. “At that moment, she feels like there’s no hope. She’s not been exposed to anything outside of her world, which has been torn apart. Initially she really does believe that she is helping to deliver humanity to a greater hope.”
But you know that saying about best laid plans. In the present, sympathetic smarties like tech company founder Auggie Salazar (Eiza González) live in fear they might be the next brainiac to die. Auggie is one of five Oxford scientist friends who face the problem by trying to save humankind. Among them is rich and confident Jack Rooney, played by John Bradley, who says the character is nothing like Thrones’ Samwell Tarly, the role that made him famous.
“He’s different in every conceivable way, really,” Bradley says. “I’d like to think that they’re similarly intelligent and resourceful. The defining characteristic about Sam, especially in the early seasons, was a complete lack of confidence and lack of faith in himself. He had the answers all along, but he just never felt brave enough to be forthcoming with them. Jack Rooney is brimming with confidence. It may even be slightly misplaced and undeserved sometimes. But I’ve never played a character that’s more comfortable with himself, forthright with his arguments and his opinions. There’s just something about that that I’ve found really refreshing.”
The group also includes down-to-earth genius Jin Cheng (Jess Hong), fun-loving Saul Durand (Jovan Adepo), and sensitive Will Downing (Alex Sharp). They are so likeable and have such long histories and complicated relationships with each other that we’re tempted to give the series a Friends-inspired nickname: The One With the Alien Attack.
Investigating the mysterious deaths are an unlikely duo consisting of a police detective, Da Shi (Benedict Wong, who plays sorcerer Wong in the Marvel cinematic universe) and government intelligence chief Thomas Wade played by Liam Cunningham, a Thrones vet like Bradley. He draws a sharp line between Wade and his beloved Thrones character, Davos Seaworth.
“I was seen as this loving guy who was a moral compass, as people said of [Davos],” the actor says. “I love doing all that stuff and it was nice being the conscience, in a sense, of the piece. And then to transpose that — I mean, the guys who employed me on this, they’ve obviously got some sort of sick sense of humor. They’ve brought me in as this single-minded, charismatic, no-nonsense killer. I’m going to get some strange looks from people who are fans of Davos Seaworth without a doubt.”
Watch the video above to hear more from the cast about their characters and shooting in the incredible environments built for the show — and set your countdown clock to watch this alliance try to save humanity.
3 Body Problem, Series Premiere, Thursday, March 21, Netflix
