Image Credit: Apple TV+
The second season of Monarch: Legacy of Monsters is now available, and in this installment, the series delves deeper into the history of the Monarch organization and the links between humans and monsters, known as Titans, who threaten the entire world with destruction. The series is a spin-off of the MonsterVerse saga that began with Godzilla in 2014.
On this occasion, Ecartelera spoke with the two lead actors, who are also father and son in real life. The legendary actor from films such as ‘The Thing’ and ‘Big Trouble in Little China’, Kurt Russell, and Wyatt Russell, known for his roles in Marvel projects such as ‘The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’ and ‘Thunderbolts’. In ‘Monarch’, they play Colonel Lee Shaw at two stages of his life. We discuss the dynamic between the two characters, the emotional weight of the story, and the challenges of being part of the Godzilla and Kong universe.
For Kurt Russell, the emotional continuity of the series is clearly reflected in the characters: “The emotional continuity of the first season is reflected in the character played by Anna Sawai. Basically, it’s as if Alice fell down the rabbit hole. He starts to open up and ask questions about who these people are, what his family history is… And the character we play starts to tell you how and where all these connections happened and where they lead you.”
The actor highlights how the series combines science fiction with complex human relationships: “I feel that the emotional charge I perceived, to which the audience responded strongly, was linked to a romance that was part of a love triangle and that, years later, in a very strange and science fiction way, turns into a very difficult situation for both of them to handle.”
Wyatt Russell, who plays the younger version of the colonel, acknowledges his father’s influence on his work:
“I learned it from him. Just by watching him, really. Knowing your lines well, by heart, is something that gives you more freedom. You don’t have to worry so much about whether you have a long stretch of dialogue or something like that. That’s honestly what helps me the most. If you know your lines perfectly, everything else becomes much easier.”
A character with many secrets
Regarding Colonel Shaw’s personality, Kurt points out that his military background and experience in intelligence agencies influence his decisions: “Colonel Shaw, because of his experience and who he is—he was in the military, probably also in the CIA or the NSA… who knows where he’s been and what he’s done—has a way of dealing with things, trying to keep the world safe, while at the same time there’s another vision: to discover these monsters, understand them, and see if it’s possible to coexist with them. That’s where the clash arises.”
Wyatt completes the idea, explaining his character’s conflict of adaptation: “He’s probably lived by the motto ‘Failing to prepare is preparing to fail’. And then he meets these people who don’t prepare anything for the mission. Part of what he has to learn is to adapt a little to their flow, so he can take advantage of what they need in their studies with the monsters. But it goes against what he’s always done: prepare and execute the mission. He has to learn to go with the flow a little more.”
Kurt reflects on how the characters learn from each other:
“In this dramatic confrontation, everyone learns from each other. There are times when he is right, times when he is wrong; they are right, they are wrong… they deal with that constantly. There is no right way, nor is there a clearly wrong way.” The actor sums up the spirit of the series: “The fun thing about this series is: what if this really happened? How would we handle it? Who would be the people facing it? That’s what you see as we deal with something that’s truly ghostly.”
Ecartelera also spoke with the series’ executive producer, Tory Tunnell, who explained the secrets behind the production, including the recipe for success: “The special formula of our series is the relationship between the characters, but also the incredible spectacle,” using monsters as a metaphor: “We talk a lot about how hurt people hurt other people and can have monstrous results, about regret and the monster within.”
As for the different time periods covered in the series, Tunell talks about how the series does this in a way that allows us to get to know the characters better: “We love the context: How did these people become who they are? We tell the story of Shaw as a young man (Wyatt) and as an older man (Kurt), and people love it, so we make the most of it.” The second season of ‘Monster Legacy’ premieres on February 27 on Apple TV, with a new episode every Friday until all 10 episodes have been released.
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