SDCC 2019: Inside the Carnival Row Press Room

Love and danger fill the streets of Amazon Prime Video’s highly-anticipated new series, Carnival Row. Set in a Victorian fantasy world filled with mythological creatures whose land has been invaded by the empires of man, Carnival Row follows the dangerous love affair between human detective Rycroft Philostrate (Orlando Bloom) and refugee faerie Vignette Stonemoss (Cara Delevingne). As the growing population struggles to coexist, Vignette holds a secret that endangers Philostrate’s world during a pivotal moment in his career. Pop Culturalist was in the room with series stars Orlando Bloom, Tamzin Merchant, and David Gyasi, and executive producers Marc Guggenheim and Travis Beacham to chat about Carnival Row at San Diego Comic-Con.

Orlando Bloom, David Gyasi, and Marc Guggenheim on the power of art and the series tackling timely social issues:
“It was a great gift and opportunity to step into this show because it’s so timely. It did feel like it spoke to a lot of the issues that are relevant to what’s happening in the world today. We’re able to examine with real humanity some of the really tragic and desperate situations that are happening in the world with an objective and empathetic view.” — Orlando Bloom

“I have two kids. They’re showing signs of wanting to get into this business. I’m of African origins, so there’s the African side of me that’s like, ‘you have the option of being a lawyer, doctor, or engineer,’ and then there’s the other side of me. When you want to get into this business, the best advice that I give people is to go out and talk to people and listen to them because that helps you get a perspective on life and how humans work. As an actor, when you get an opportunity and a script that feels like it’s speaking about our world and a world that we recognize, it’s a real gift, like Orlando said. It’s an honor.” — David Gyasi

“Art has the chance to get people to look at issues and discuss those issues. I don’t know if it necessarily needs to do more than that—that is already a substantial lift. A lot of our problems that we have as a society stem from the fact that we don’t talk about things anymore. It’s considered rude to discuss politics. The nice thing about art is that it can hopefully jumpstart these conversations.” — Marc Guggenheim

Orlando Bloom and Tamzin Merchant on being transported into this fantastical world:
“When I first read the script, I was like, ‘Wow! I haven’t seen anything like this before.’ I love this fantasy world. I feel like you can explore and go places with it, but to see it physicalized and created…the tarot cards with snakeskins on the back…I geek out about stuff like that and the little details. There are jars with creatures that you could never imagine.” — Orlando Bloom

“I’ve done a lot of period dramas. I’ve never done [a project] where I’m having a tea party with a man with horns. [laughs] That, to me…it felt like a fully formed playground that came out of Travis Beacham’s head that all of us actors got to dive into.” — Tamzin Merchant

Tamzin Merchant and Orlando Bloom on what they’re most excited for audiences to see with their characters:
“I’m really excited for people to see me be difficult. As myself, I’m English; I’m quite polite generally. I loved playing Imogen because she comes out with this stuff that maybe is not okay to say. That’s such a treat. I’m excited for people to see Imogen Spurnrose being awkward in her own skin. She’s not the conventional time-period ice queen—she’s so much more than one thing. The female characters and the actresses we have in this show are so amazing and complex.” — Tamzin Merchant

“I kind of wear my heart on my sleeve. I can be guilty of over-communicating. It was really wonderful to have a character that’s guarded, holds secrets, and has an immense empathy for his environment which isn’t thrown away. There’s a masculinity that’s really nicely balanced with femininity. It was really special to have that shadowed-self explored and why he’s behaving that way.” — Orlando Bloom

Carnival Row premieres on Amazon Prime Video on August 30. Check out the trailer below!

Photo Credit: Amazon Prime Video