EXCLUSIVE: Lily Santiago, Josh McKenzie & Rohan Mirchandaney Talk the Final Season of ‘La Brea’
La Brea returns for its final season tonight, January 9. In honor of its final chapter, BB had the amazing opportunity to chat with stars of the series Lily Santiago, Josh McKenzie, and Rohan Mirchandaney ahead of the premiere.
What can we expect from your characters in season three:
Lilly Santiago: “We got dinosaurs and they’re scary. We are having to deal with a new environment, a new threat. We are forging new relationships. We’re building old ones. We have a child on the way. There’s new connections that have to be made and new safety measures that have to be put in place in order for us to start making this place a home if this is where we ultimately are going to end up. And if not, how the heck are we going to get out of here? I think at all times, as always, the stakes are really high. And now specifically for Veronica, she’s never cared about herself or anyone else really, as much as she’s now caring for herself and this tiny human. It’s nice. She’s got a lot more joy, even though the death stakes are higher than ever.”
Josh McKenzie: ” Lucas obviously has a child on the way, and that’s a very scary thing for him, scarier than the dinosaurs. And the dinosaurs obviously offer the greatest threat. He matures into a very protective leader figure, overly protective at times. So he’s grappling with what it means to be a father before his child is born, what it means to be a leader of a group of people who are under constant threat of death and maiming. And that’s a big journey for him considering he used to only really look out for himself and has not had the best role models and parents. So that’s his journey throughout the season. There’s also conflicts between him and Veronica as well because they have different ideas about how they want to parent. They have different ideas about how they want to fit in in their new environment they find themselves in. There’s a lot of collaborating with other tribes and connecting with new groups of people. And also Lucas experiences a lot of joy and hope for the first time, which again, is a very scary thing for him because it’s a very foreign feeling. He’s used to a very dark underworld. Yeah, that’s about all I can give away without being too specific.”
Rohan Mirchandaney: “For Scott, Scott goes through a lot this season. We get to see a lot more of his relationship with Petra. We learned a lot more about his backstory about the people in his lives outside of 10,000 BC. And this season was a real good opportunity for Scott to spend more time with Ty. That happens quite a bit in episode four. And also with Levi. Scott gets to spend a bit of time with Levi, which hasn’t really happened one-on-one in previous seasons. So it was really nice being able to play with all these other characters that we’ve got to know and love for the first two seasons. We see Scott emerge into the best version of himself. He’s stronger internally and externally and a lot more connected to the environment, the people. And more than anything he needs to uncover secrets. A lot more secrets come up, a lot more twists and turns. And we also find out that Scott’s a lot more connected to the sinkholes than anyone thought possible initially. And that was really exciting to learn about and to play with and explore. The season’s been absolutely great.”
With this being the final season, are you guys satisfied with your character’s journeys:
Josh McKenzie: “Satisfied with the character’s journey. Yeah! All the pressing questions and most urgent character arc, I guess they’re all tied up in a very satisfying way. Obviously we would love more. Lucas does this 180 and becomes this very responsible person, which almost feels like it’s start of a chapter. It wraps up the story of La Brea obviously, in a satisfying way. But it definitely feels like now a new life can begin. It’s like a little death and a little rebirth.”
Lilly Santiago: “I’d say I’m satisfied in the sense that, Veronica for the first time in the series, she really wants something, whether it’s to have this child and to be happy, or whether it’s to also be a leader or to be respected in the community. She’s finding new things that she wants and to have these instead of just hiding things all the time. So I’m satisfied with her arc in the sense that she’s a completely different person at the end of this show than at the start of it. And I like what her new life looks like. And it’s bittersweet to have to say goodbye just as you’re like, ‘Look at this development’.”
Rohan Mirchandaney: “I’m coming at this, looking at it through two lenses. One as an actor and a creator and a storyteller, yeah, I really am happy and content and satisfied with Scott’s journey. But coming at it as a fan and as an audience member as well, I think there’s a bit more that I’d want see. The show leaves us in a really content place, a really satisfying place. But from an audience perspective, I know there are more secrets always to be uncovered, especially in the world of La Brea.
Have you ever discussed who of the cast would survive the events of La Brea, if they were happening in real life:
Josh McKenzie : “Without a doubt, Jon [Seda] would survive. There’s just no doubt in my mind that he wouldn’t survive. Nick [Gonzalez] would probably get eaten pretty quick. Two days without his athletic greens, I think he’d struggle. I love you Nick. Eoin [Macken] probably wouldn’t get eaten, but he’d probably step on something. He’d be writing poetry or something and fall in another hole. Who do you reckon would survive alongside Jon?
Rohan Mirchandaney: “Zyra by far.”
Lilly Santiago: “She kicks ass. I think I’d be dealt with soon, sadly.”
To wrap up, in one work how do you sum up the final season:
Lilly Santiago: “Re-energized.”
Rohan Mirchandaney: “Explosive.”
Josh McKenzie: “Bittersweet.”
La Brea season 3 premieres tonight, January 9 at 9pm ET on NBC!
*This interview has been edited for length and clarity
Photos by: Jasin Boland/NBC