Tonight 12 Monkeys returns to Syfy with all-new episodes. In preparation, stars Aaron Stanford (James Cole), Amanda Schull (Cassandra Railly), and Emily Hampshire (Jennifer Goines), along with Executive Producer Terry Matalas, recently talked to the press about season two.

This season a lot changes as the focus shifts from being just about the virus, to also about protecting time. Matalas talked to SciFi Vision about the bold move to shift the focus.

“It was always the plan since season one. It’s the reason we introduced the Army of the 12 Monkeys, the way they are, and have their connection to time travel, their ambitions to use the machine, the witness seems to know the future, and there’s this thing, the Red Forest, and the house made of cedar and pine.

“So we’ve always kind of set these things up to be part of the show. And we do get back to the virus in the episode [later in the season]. It is a component of the show, but it is part of a much bigger conspiracy.

“But we never thought it would be a fulfilling show to go from lab to lab every week looking for virus. We’re not the time travel show and not the virus show. So it was something we knew from day one we had to do.”

The actors then talked to the site about how that affects their characters and shifts goals this season.

According to Stanford, “First of all, obviously it raises the stakes. If the death of seven billion people is only the beginning, and the conspiracy goes even deeper, then obviously it’s a pretty big deal.

“And I think also, it knocks us completely off-balance, because suddenly we have to question everything that we thought we knew. We thought we were coming to some sort of a solution. We thought we were finding answers to some of these riddles. And once we got close, they all ended up spinning off into infinite new questions and riddles. So it just makes the journey that much a longer and more difficult.”

Schull added, “I think I’ll tag team on Aaron that having all these other questions asked, and all these other puzzles and riddles introduced, it opens up our world and our scope and our capabilities, and it gives us a lot of freedom, and it gives us so much more story that we can expand upon.

“And as an actor, that’s so exciting to not be able to predict where or when you’ll be from one week to the next, and to have each script be its own entity, its own world that you can just dive into from episode to episode, what a beautiful gift to be able to be comfortable in the bones of your character but then get to expand on this incredible methodology and go on a journey every seven days. It’s a really nice treat.”

Hampshire continued, “I mean for Jennifer, it’s definitely - the virus and stuff in season one was something outside of her that she was kind of a part of. And season two, I think this is the way into Jennifer and how she is really connected with the methodology of the show in such a much more profound way than we thought before and that she is connected deeply into time.”

Hampshire also talked to the site about loving playing the different sides of Jennifer Goines, and not being able to choose a favorite. “What I enjoy the most about Jennifer, is that I do get to play all the sides of her and all the different versions of her.

“And I love that each episode or each new kind of version of Jennifer, it reminds me of like being a teenager when you’re trying on roles to figure out who you are. And I love getting to go through all that. It’s weird, because when I think I don’t like one, I then by the end of the episode, or later on in the season, end up falling in love with that.

“Or like even playing old Jennifer; first I was kind of like I wasn’t sure. I liked to play young Jennifer better, because I was used to it. And then playing old Jennifer, I felt like I didn’t know what I’m doing. And then ultimately in the end, I ended up loving old Jennifer so much.

“So I really can’t pick one. And when you say like seeing [different sides of] Jennifer to me, there’s always just Jennifer pretending to be another part of herself.”

Lastly, the actors talked a bit about the role of Deacon (Todd Stashwick) expanding this season, and how his character affects everyone.

According to Schull, “I think Deacon’s role [puts] a real wrench in some plans that a lot of different characters thought they had figured it out.

Ultimately, I think he makes – well, I don’t want to say the biggest, but a very large – he makes a very large impact on Cassie’s character. And this is because she didn’t know him at all. She has no preconceived [notions], ideas of who he is or what he’s done. And she’s thrust in to this world where he is very comfortable and very capable. And he provides her a bit of an education.”

Stanford added, “Cole doesn’t like it one bit. He has a history with Deacon, and I think he feels he knows him better than anybody else on the team at this point. And he doesn’t trust him and knows that relationships with him usually lead to no good.

That being said, they do have some interesting moments with each other where there might be some sides to Deacon that are revealed that Cole was not formally aware of.”

Be sure to tune in tonight to Syfy for the season two premiere of 12 Monkeys.


**Transcript will hopefully be forthcoming**