Pop-Culturalist.com

Josh McKenzie and Lily Santiago are two of the stars of the critically-acclaimed sci-fi mystery drama, La Brea.

Now in its final season, the end of an era begins as the survivors stranded in the past fight for one last chance to return home. After delving deeper into the mysteries of the primeval world, the Harris family must race against time to find Eve. The stakes are higher than ever as they face the most dangerous prehistoric creatures yet—with one shot to reunite and get back to the world they once knew.

Josh and Lily shine as Lucas and Veronica, two of the survivors, who have undergone the most significant transformation throughout the three seasons.

Pop Culturalist was lucky enough to speak with Josh and Lily about Season 3 of La Brea, how they’ve approached the exploration of their characters’ nuances, and more.

PC: Josh, much of Lucas’ journey throughout the series has revolved around keeping the promise he made to his mother about being the best version of himself. You brought so much nuance to that journey, which has brought up a lot of insecurities. As an actor, how did you create the space for yourself to dive into that emotional arc?
Josh: It’s been such an intense but quite nuanced journey. It’s been a combination of all the little things, plot points, and relationships that have helped. I’ve leaned heavily on the relationships with the other characters like Scott and Veronica. They helped reflect back who he can be.

Having people attracted to an outsider like Lucas, he starts to learn things about himself. Lucas is starting to see the positive qualities within himself. His journey has been aided by Scott and Veronica, and Rohan [Mirchandaney] and Lily’s fantastic acting, and how they’ve stepped into their characters. It’s a group effort.

With Lucas, it’s been about finding that core part of him that I had to be attracted to as a person because he is a very aggressive and negative guy. I had to find that light in him to emanate from. It was layers of anger, hiding that vulnerability as opposed to just playing it just as anger. It was definitely a process.

PC: Lily, Veronica has undergone such a beautiful transformation throughout the series, going from being really guarded and closed off to being more open and not being defined by her past trauma. She has become a beacon of hope for so many. With television, you’re learning so much with each new episode and script. How have you been able to bring truth to that journey? How will her pregnancy allow you to discover another side of herself in Season 3?
Lily: That’s a great question. I’ve been thinking a lot about her darkness from her past. The truth is that’s always going to exist within her. In Season 3, it’s the first time that you see her fully accept that that is the past and not who she is now. She has too much to look forward to in the future for that to rule her role. For the first time, she has hope. For the first time, she has true love. That love goes beyond loving someone else; it’s loving herself and the little human that she has mutually created. It’s really exciting to play with a person who was consumed by tragedy and let her feel the joy, take on more responsibility, and believe in herself and believe in somebody else and let herself be loved and trusted. You keep the darkness in the back, and you let it go. That allows for a dynamic character.

Make sure to follow Josh (Instagram) and Lily (Instagram). The final season of La Brea premieres on January 9th at 9/8c on NBC.

Photo Credit: Jasin Boland/NBC