Exclusive Interview: Pop Culturalist Chats with The Order’s Louriza Tronco

Last year, The Order became one of the most talked-about new shows on Netflix. It brought audiences to Belgrave University (the home of not one but two secret societies called the Knights of Saint Christopher and the Hermetic Order of the Blue Rose) and into a war that pitted werewolves against practitioners of dark magic. The series redefined the fantasy-horror genre and introduced us to actresses like Louriza Tronco and characters like Gabrielle Dupres.

The explosive second season recently hit the streaming platform and quickly entered the Top 10 shows in the US. We caught up with scene-stealer Louriza Tronco to learn more about her, Gabrielle’s transformation in Season 2, and what that shocking final scene means for Gabrielle’s future.

Career

PC: Take us back to the beginning. How did you discover your passion for acting?
Louriza: Oh, wow. It actually started with singing and dance. My parents saw me being this weirdo in the corner, dancing by myself or singing to myself. They were like, “We should probably put her in some classes to keep her out of trouble.” [laughs] So that’s what they did, and that led to acting classes. Eventually I became aware that people did this as a career, and I decided to go for it. I never knew it was an attainable thing. It wasn’t until I was graduating high school that I was like, “I guess I’ll go to theater school and try it.”

PC: Who or what has had the biggest influence on your career?
Louriza: I have two older brothers. They have really helped me along. They’re both in the medical field. In acting, there’s a lot of ups and downs. Every time I would come back home from a bad audition, I would call them. They would say, “Sis, you can do this. Life is hard. You can pull through.” That was really, really inspiring to me.

PC: With your theater background, how has your work on the stage prepared you for film and TV?
Louriza: I love that question. I rarely get asked that. If we’re linking it back to The Order, at the end of Season 2, my character, Gabrielle, has this Shakespearean language that she plays with as a werewolf. That was really, really cool for me to dive into. In theater school, we did everything from voice work to Shakespeare. I was like, “This is so cool that it’s blending in with a Netflix show in the horror realm.” That was a cool surprise.

PC: Having discovered your passion so early on, what’s one thing you know now that you wish you knew when you started?
Louriza: Oh, a lot. I would say the biggest thing is that there’s time. You have time. With social media, people are able to show the highlights of their life all the time. I think there’s a pressure for the younger generation to get there fast. I feel like I was part of that, in a sense. I’m naturally a workaholic. I’m somebody who needs a daily schedule. I have a go-getter type of personality. That was me from the very beginning. If I could tell my younger self something, it’d be just be a kid. Be in high school. Hang out with your friends. You don’t have to go to every acting class that there is to sign up for. You don’t have to be in every single dance number. Just enjoy life because life is ultimately going to help your art at the end of the day.

The Order

PC: Season 2 of The Order is out now on Netflix. This season we get to see a different side to Gabrielle. How early on did you know where her storyline was heading? Did that change your preparation or approach to the character?
Louriza: Actually, for this season, I didn’t know her whole arc. At our first table read for Season 2, our creator, Dennis [Heaton], came up to me and was like, “Do you want to know something about Gabrielle or no?” Usually, I say no. In Season 1, I had no idea that she was going to end up torturing people within the Order. But this time, I was like, “You’re looking at me with this look. There’s something going on.” I was like, “You’re offering it to me, so I want to know.” Dennis told me that I was going to become a werewolf, but I didn’t know how! I didn’t know what that involved. I knew that she ended up being a werewolf, but I didn’t know how. That helped keep me in the present moment for what was happening to her in each episode.

PC: Also in Season 2, we get to see a lot of her relationships develop, especially with the Knights of Saint Christopher. Did any of those surprise you? Which was your favorite?
Louriza: Oh, the one with Randall. Absolutely. That surprised me. I was like, “Wow! This is wild.” But it makes sense. Randall and Gabrielle are completely different but similar in various ways. They share the comedic moments in the script. So to put them together, I would have never thought of that. I’ve worked with Adam DiMarco before, and he’s so much fun to work with.

PC: You and your character have so many standout moments this season, and it seems like the writers threw everything at you. When you look back at Season 2, is there a particular scene that stands out?
Louriza: There were a lot. I had a lot of fun as an actor. It was really juicy when I got to play Gabrielle, with Randall as Gabrielle, in the same room—if that makes sense!

PC: I know what scene you’re talking about.

Louriza: You know! It’s hard to explain. I grew up watching Freaky Friday and It Takes Two where there’s two people, the same person, in the same room. That was mind-blowing to me growing up. To be a part of a scene like that was really, really cool.

PC: There are so many different layers to Gabrielle. Is one more challenging than the others?
Louriza: I would say a lot of Gabrielle’s sassy or bitchy moments, to be honest. I worked with an acting coach, Andrew McElroy, to help me out with that. It’s so easy to make Gabrielle unlikable in the way that she talks and the way she gets at people. It’s so easy to fall into that. But at the end of the day, it’s because she has a complicated history. She feels lonely in this world. It was a challenge because I didn’t want her to come off as this bitchy girl. I wanted to make sure it came across that there’s something else going on underneath.

PC: In true Order fashion, Season 2 ends with a major cliffhanger that involves your character. How will Gabrielle’s actions in Episode 10 impact her moving forward?
Louriza: To be honest, I have no idea what’s going to happen and if we have a Season 3, so I have no insider scoop for you. She’s killed people before, but that person in particular, it’s going to take a toll on her, whether that’s through depression, anxiety, or PTSD. It’s something she’ll have to deal with.

Pop Culturalist Speed Round

PC: Guilty pleasure TV show?
Louriza: Schitt’s Creek

PC: Favorite book?
Louriza: I really like The Hate U Give and The Power.

PC: Favorite play or musical?
Louriza: Kim’s Convenience

PC: A band or artist that fans would be surprised to learn is on your playlist?
Louriza: Mumford & Sons

To keep up with Louriza, follow her on Twitter and Instagram. Binge-watch Season 2 of The Order on Netflix today.

Photo Credit: Netflix