Lore Season 2: Josh Bowman & Alicia Witt talk Jack Parsons at NYCC

While at NYCC, I got the chance to talk to Josh Bowman and Alicia Witt about their episode on Lore Season 2. Here’s the short five-minute interview to discuss preparation for their characters.

Lore Season 2 drops tomorrow and it will be the first chance to see all six new episodes. Two of those are not based on podcast episodes. One of those episodes stars Josh Bowman and Alicia Witt.

For those who don’t know, the two are in the episode “Jack Parsons: The Devil and the Divine.” Jack Parsons was a man ahead of his time. During the Lore panel, we got to see a clip from the episode, focusing on some of the rituals and drug taking that both Jack and Majorie were part of. Josh also made the comment that Jack was all about “sex, drugs, and rocket fuel,” reminding us that while he was the head of this cult/religion, he was also the man who helped to set the path for rockets and NASA.

The two sat down at NYCC 2018 to talk about the episode, which is the last one of Lore Season 2. What was meant to be a roundtable interview, turned into an exclusive five-minute snippet into preparation for the characters and what this episode means to them.

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Amazon Adviser: I was at the [Lore] panel and you were talking about how much of a fascinating Jack Parsons has. But he is definitely a little cuckoo and loves his drugs. How did you get into that mindset of this complex but fascinating character?

Josh Bowman: It started with a lot of research. I read a lot of accounts about him. I don’t know if our story required or showed much of that side of him. Our story is very much an idealized version of their story, of their love, of their relationship. It does go into his drug taking and a little bit of the rituals of the Philomena Church and sort of the sex magic.

But it’s very much about their love story. I read a lot of accounts to find out about the guy and I was like “Wow! This guy is really off his rocker.” Whether it did or did not work, [Alicia] will deny that. But he was just this eccentric and he was definitely ahead of his time.

You know those people who are too smart for their own good? I had to get into that character. He was a very smart man. He was too…people couldn’t keep up with him but [Majorie] could and that was what made them work.

Alicia Witt: Good point.

Bowman: She fueled his creativity. She didn’t put water on his fire and I think that was why their love worked. And she called him on his s**t, and you get to see that. And it’s good to this day. Girls should be calling men on their s**t.

AA: And, same question, Alicia. 

Witt: I loved in this story the question we ask is whether Jack really conjured her into his life or not. How do we conjure people into our lives all the time? I think it does happen.

Bowman: Yeah, manifestation.

Witt: Yeah, we manifest what we need at any given moment. It’s not like she didn’t exist before he “conjured” her, but perhaps he saw something to bring her into his sphere and maybe she did the same thing to bring him in.

I think we do that all the time. And the more we’re aware of it, the more it happens. So, I was really moved by the elements of the story that deal with universal themes of love and twin flames and who we’re destined to collide with. And even if we can’t have a peaceful relationship with them, they change our lives forever and that will be the last face we see when we die, whether or not that person is still there.

AA: So philosophical.

Witt: I loved the script and I can’t wait to see our episode. We haven’t seen it yet.

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AA: Really? What’s that like, doing all this press but not getting to see it yet?

Witt: It’s a little off.

Bowman: Yeah, I guess it is. We’re going off this script.

Witt: It’s a little off to how it felt to us, I think. It’s part of what we do for a living, though. We create a character and as creatives, when you’re not a producer or director on it, you surrender the final result to those who you trust to put it all together. We know we’re in really good hands.

Bowman: Yeah, from the bits we saw earlier, I’m excited to see it.

AA: What’s it like working on it as an anthology, where you’re only in the one 40-minute episode.

Bowman: It’s like a mini movie. That’s what it felt like for me, for sure. The script read super well and, I wouldn’t say it was easy, but there are easier jobs than others and this, we just jumped straight it.

Each of [the episodes] are so different and it was fun to have our own little episode. I’m sure the others are great. I did see a bit of the Burke and Hare one and that was great.

AA: That’s another one I can’t wait for.

Witt: I can’t wait for “The Prague Clock” with the tower.

Bowman: October 19, we all get to see it.

Which episode are you most excited for in Lore Season 2? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Lore Season 2 is available at midnight GMT on Amazon Prime Video.