Exclusive Interview: Cooper van Grootel and Marianly Tejada Talk One of Us is Lying Season 2, What’s Ahead for Natewyn, and More

Cooper van Grootel and Marianly Tejada are two of the stars of the must-see series, One of Us is Lying.

Following the heart-pounding conclusion of Season 1, the Bayview Four have a very deadly secret. In Season 2, we’ll see just how far they’ll go to protect their secret, themselves, and each other.

Pop Culturalist was lucky enough to catch up with Cooper and Marianly to talk about One of Us is Lying Season 2, exploring their characters’ vulnerabilities, and what’s ahead for Natewyn.

PC: Throughout the first season, we see your characters go from playing versions of themselves that the world wants to see them as to their authentic selves. One of the benefits of television as a medium is the opportunity to build on these stories. As you headed into Season 2, what were you the most excited about further exploring with each of your characters?
Cooper: Wow, that’s such a great question. In Season 1, Nate is very fearful to dive into his emotions and be…

Marianly: Vulnerable.

Cooper: Yeah. That’s foreign to him. Using film and TV as a medium to explore that…it’s almost like a therapy session to come to set and be able to embrace vulnerability and explore that side of me through Nate, which is really, really cool. I’m excited for audiences to see the Bronwyn and Nate dynamic and how they deepen that love and work through conflict and complications that they have and embrace their vulnerabilities. I’m excited to explore that softer side of Nate.

Marianly: Bronwyn is way freer in Season 2. That was fun to play because I could be freer in her skin and be a bit more unpredictable and less in control of the entire situation. She’s very much by the book in Season 1. She’s forced to break out of that box that she made for herself and the one that her family made for her too. That was my favorite thing to explore with her.

PC: Perfect segue to this next question. Bronwyn is very much trying to hold everything together. In Season 2, there’s more freedom. She’s exploring her vulnerabilities, which you bring so much depth to. How did that preparation change heading from Season 1 into Season 2? How did you create that space for yourself to dive into that arc?
Marianly: It all starts with the writing, so props to the writers. It challenged me as an actor. I was like, “Oh my God. These are hectic situations, to say the least.” I tried to give myself that space to really feel what it’s like to be in her shoes in those particular moments. I was also led by really great directors. I credit Michael Weaver a lot this season. He directed Episodes 1 and 2. He also produced this season too. He would not move on until he had what he needed.

He was so efficient. I remember I was like, “He moves so quickly in certain scenes.” But when he has to get something out of a scene, he will not move on from that scene until he gets it. He really established that from the beginning of the season, and he created a safe space where we could focus on what we were doing in the moment. It was a team effort. Thank you for saying that because it does take a village. I try to do my part and learn my lines and prep and be accessible as a human to give life to this character.

PC: Cooper, this project came to you when you were uncertain about your acting career and how it was going to pan out. What has it meant for you to see the response? What have you also learned about yourself and your craft playing Nate?
Cooper: That’s a great question. There is always going to be uncertainty in this career. It can be very inconsistent, and there are a lot of times when you have to be okay with knowing that the next project will come. I’m so grateful for the opportunity to be able to play Nate, and props to Karen McManus who wrote such a wonderful story. Also, everyone else involved with this project.

I’ve learned a lot about myself through Nate. I’ve learned to break down my walls and to live in my truth and be authentic to myself whenever I can. He’s doing the same. I was able to draw a lot of parallels between my life and Nate’s.

PC: Your characters left audiences heartbroken at the end of Season 1. What can you tease about what’s ahead for this fan-favorite relationship in Season 2?
Cooper: There is a lot of push and pull between the characters. You have to wait and see. There’s a lot more tension and friction.

Marianly: We’ll definitely keep you on your toes!

PC: What was your favorite scene to film in Season 1? What was the most challenging?
Marianly: I really loved Episode 6—the homecoming episode. Some of my favorite scenes were in that episode because everyone was dressed up and looked so nice. At that point in the story, the stakes were getting higher and higher. We finally see Bronwyn and Nate kiss for the first time and give into their feelings for each other. Then any scene that I have with Melissa [Collazo]. I love those.

Cooper: I would say one of my favorite scenes from Season 1 is when Nate comes to Bronwyn’s house and they have a discussion about Simon’s laptop. He finds out that she took it. We had to reshoot that scene. We shot that scene in the pilot, and then we came back to it. Props to John Scott for being a great director and allowing us to feel that scene and explore it. I feel like that’s one of my favorite scenes in all of Seasons 1 and 2. That scene had all these different levels of intensity and chemistry. That was a great scene to work with Marianly on. It flowed. It felt like the cameras weren’t there. It was so much fun.

Make sure to follow Cooper (Twitter/Instagram) and Marianly (Twitter/Instagram). Stream One of Us is Lying on Peacock today.