Exclusive Interview: ‘The Season’ Stars Justin Chien and Chris Pang on the Choices, Relationships, and Insecurities Driving Their Characters

Against the glittering backdrop of Hong Kong’s elite boating scene, The Season invites audiences into a world of privilege, ambition, and carefully curated appearances. What begins as a sun-drenched summer getaway gradually reveals something far more complicated as loyalties fracture, hidden agendas emerge, and long-buried insecurities rise to the surface. Stylish and emotionally charged, the series understands that the most compelling battles are often the ones taking place beneath the veneer of wealth and status.

Among the ensemble, Justin Chien and Chris Pang deliver two of the series’ most compelling performances. As David and Andrew, respectively, both actors bring remarkable depth to men who are constantly negotiating how they are perceived by the people around them. Beneath David’s charm lies a desire for acceptance, while Andrew’s confidence often serves as a shield for his own feelings of insecurities. Throughout the season, Justin and Chris peel back those layers to reveal the vulnerability and humanity driving their characters’ choices.

Pop Culturalist recently spoke with Justin and Chris about bringing David and Andrew to life, exploring the nuances that shape their characters, building meaningful relationships both on and off screen, and the emotional journeys at the heart of The Season.

PC: Justin, what I found so interesting about the series is how every character comes in with their own motivations, and how those often conflict with what others want from them. What are David’s intentions, and what’s the biggest thing helping or hindering him from getting what he wants?
Justin: That’s a great question. I think what David wants most is to be accepted and respected by the people around him. He wants to find love again. At the start of the show, he’s just gone through a divorce, and the biggest thing standing in his way is himself. David is often his own worst enemy. Even though he has this shiny, charming exterior, he’s struggling with a lot of emotional brokenness that he doesn’t really know how to address. At times, being around these other characters puts a Band-Aid over those issues, but eventually those problems build up until they come to a head, and he has quite an extreme reaction to them.

PC: Chris, there’s so much duality in these characters and the masks they wear. Andrew, on the surface, feels like one of the more straightforward and authentic people in this world, someone who’s comfortable with who he is and what he wants. How did you approach uncovering the layers beneath that confidence, and what does being with Madeline reveal about Andrew that we don’t necessarily see elsewhere?
Justin: Spot on.

Chris: He watched the show.

Justin: You watched the show and you thought about it. Spot on.

Chris: Great analysis. Andrew is quite an abrasive character. Like you said, he is who he is. He’s very unfiltered and completely unapologetic about it. He exists with this alpha, larger-than-life personality. When we first meet him, he’s kind of a dick, but a lovable one. As the story unfolds, though, that facade starts to crack and we begin to see the person underneath.

The difference between him and most of the other characters is that he actually gets to share what he’s going through with someone. He gets to talk to Madeline about it. Most of the other characters are carrying secrets or dealing with things on their own, and we only see that in their quiet moments. Andrew gets to share those vulnerabilities with Madeline, which is so beautiful. Those are my favorite parts of his journey.

Justin: Mine too.

Chris: As for how I prepared for it, we’re always trying to understand a character and get into their head, right? What Andrew is dealing with really comes from insecurity and this feeling that he doesn’t belong. He’s a bit of an outsider. Because of where his money comes from and where he sits socially, he doesn’t feel worthy. He doesn’t feel like he belongs.

That’s something I’m quite familiar with. I grew up in Australia looking like this. I don’t look Australian. I often felt out of place and like an outsider. I had that experience of being othered. Growing up, I was trying to figure out who I was and navigate all of the insecurities that come with that. I was able to bring a lot of those feelings into Andrew. It’s something we all experience in different ways, and it’s really what drives him. At his core, he’s just a little boy who wants to be loved.

PC: There’s a line that Christopher Hext says about life being a series of choices and making the best one you can in the situation you’re in. As the season unfolds, we see how those choices shape every character’s path. Was there a creative choice made during production, by you, a castmate, or even the writers, that had a particularly meaningful impact on the way the story ultimately came together?
Chris: I like these questions.

Justin: These are great questions.

Chris: When we first read the scripts, they were already very mature. They were in such a good place that there wasn’t much we felt needed to change. That’s what I loved about jumping into this project. I read the scripts so quickly because I needed to know what happened next. I think that’s something audiences will feel when they’re watching it. The story just keeps building and getting better and better.

The conversations we had were less about changing the story and more about exploring the characters. For me, it was talking with Yalun [Tu] about how to strike the right balance with Andrew. Because he’s so abrasive, says all these inappropriate things, and can be pretty despicable when you first meet him, it would have been very easy for him to become completely unlikable. Our job was to make him the character you love to hate. He’s an idiot, but there’s something charming and endearing about him. That was a decision we made early on that really shaped who the character became.

Justin: For me, it wasn’t necessarily something that changed the storyline. I prepared for a month before the project began. I had this idea of who Carrie was, who Cola was, and who the Hexts were. But once I met everyone and spent the time we did building those friendships off camera, things started to change.

It affected the story because it deepened so many of those relationships. Suddenly, scenes started to take on a different color. I found myself feeling things I wasn’t expecting to feel, and I was taking some of those residual emotions home with me at the end of the day. Ultimately, that was for the better. Even though some of those emotions and some of those nights were uncomfortable, I’m hopeful those experiences added a layer of depth and specificity to the scenes that I hadn’t originally anticipated.

I have to credit my castmates for being such wonderful scene partners, including Chris and Celina [Jade]. Their generosity helped all of us make the story better.

Make sure to follow Justin (Instagram) and Chris (Instagram). The Season exclusively streams on Hulu in the US on June 17, 2026 with all six episodes being available at once. The series will also be available on Hulu on Disney+ for bundle subscribers.

Photo Credit: Hulu