‘Westworld’ actress Aurora Perino talks about this shocking twist and her character’s ‘Mad Max war dog situation’

[This story contains major spoilers for the fourth episode of Westworld season four “Generation Loss.”]

When Aurora Perino decorated Westworld’At the season four carpet premiere in late June, he was the only one of the show’s new cast to appear for the press.

In some ways, the actress, who plays a character known as C and whose connection to one of the main stories in the HBO series was revealed at the end of episode four, was a human spoiler, as were her mother’s peers. But with his introduction in episode three and Sunday night’s reveal, Perino’s larger role is now more in focus.

Living in the desert with a group of rogue humans stopping Charlotte’s (Tessa Thompson) New World Order, C searches for a way to find her father, Aaron Paul’s Caleb, and a possible weapon that can be used against the new masters. . .

With the arrival of Jeffrey Wright’s Bernard and Luke Hemsworth’s Stubbs, C defies his family’s fears of the desert and skeptically follows the host and his friend to the location where they discover the weapon that was supposed to stop Charlotte. What, or really who, is underground, revealing C’s true identity and hampering his potential role in what is now a straightforward battle for free will.

perino spoke the hollywood reporter on the show’s premiere and again ahead of Sunday’s episode on how to join western world Family, her big character twist, and what happens to Charlotte next.

What was it like to enter the world as an actor? western world Where is this approach to Russian doll storytelling?

Honestly, it was a little easier than I thought it would be because my character felt a little disconnected from this whole plot, so I felt like I could be a little more involved and it was coming from a more emotional place. than an analytics. place I think it really helped me. I felt bad for everyone who said, “Okay, this matters and this matters.” (laughs)

How much did you know about your character’s true identity on the show?

any. I didn’t know anything, I got the scripts before each episode: you shoot before the episode and then you shoot. So it was always a surprise. In my first episode, I was like, “Oh, I got to work with Jeffrey Wright and Luke Hemsworth. This is really cool. It became, “Okay cool, I don’t know who this girl is, but this is fun.” So I got four scripts while we were shooting and it was a big surprise. I had no idea. I called one of the producers and said, “Wait, am I Aaron’s daughter?”

So your characterization of him has really been established since episode four.

Yes, definitely. I had an idea of ​​what my own stories were like for me, so I wrote three and then when I got the script for four, what I already had in mind came to life. But it gave me even more of a purpose for why I do what I do, which helped me a lot for the rest of the season. It’s good to know why you’re doing this, rather than just guessing at random.

Her character was clearly young when her father Caleb disappeared, and when the episode ends, we see her present, but also the world Charlotte created. C is here without a mother. Will we have an explanation this season as to why he isn’t?

Yes, in general you will see what the situation is with all the rebels and why we are all there and what happened. You will see that something comes back.

How much does he know about his father’s fate, especially in light of the shocking “weapon” – Maeve – they discovered?

I don’t think you know anything. this is what he said [Bernard]: Nobody thinks there’s anything here, and I don’t even know if they think there’s a gun. All I know is that I think my father is there and that’s my main goal. He did not know. He’s heard these rumors, and everyone has heard these rumors. It’s like an urban legend about this place. So I think for him, he was just going there to see if his dad was there. Are you surprised to see that the gun is this woman you may have seen as a child and don’t know what the gun is? I think that’s probably what’s happening.

This episode really rocked western world The narrative style of playing with time through this Caleb reveals. Do you know When Is your character connected to other stories?

To be honest, I don’t even have an answer for you. I keep it there in the dark so it doesn’t spoil anything. (laughs)

Your band of desert rebels is really the only shred of flesh-and-blood humanity we have in Charlotte’s New World. And the show always explores the theme of what it means to be human. How do you think the Rebels will expand this season?

I think there’s a thread running through the series which is the idea of ​​free will. I think our group is really people who still have the mindset of free will and what that really means, so they don’t want to be controlled. You will see again that this is his goal. It’s just an expression of what the show has always been, now it’s a little different in terms of what free will is and who it’s for.

C meets his group’s characters Luke and Jeffrey for the first time, and despite this tense introduction, he’s the most reliable of them all. What does that say about who your character has become in this new world?

When I read three, I hadn’t read four yet, so I think I was confident, but not that much. Once I read four, I thought, “Well, you do everything for love, don’t you?” We all do things that are maybe not the most sensible, and I think he really kept who he was as a kid, which is really hard. But at the end of the day, you have Bear-Bear and Bear-Bear needs lighting. There’s a part of him that’s still a kid because he had to grow up so fast and I think that’s why he wouldn’t say he’s so open to what’s going on, but he really wants something. And I think when you want something so bad, sometimes you do things against your better judgment. I think maybe it’s there. His team doesn’t want everything the way he wants it.

When his character decided to trust Bernard, it was obviously a big deal, as everyone basically said, “We have to get them out immediately.” In general, you cannot always trust who watches or who watches and who controls the broadcast. So does your character really trust him and how does he fit into your plans?

The point at this point is that nobody trusts Bernard, I really don’t trust Bernard. I just want something from him. So I think it’s going to be interesting to see how that plays out across all the rebel groups, with him and me.

I saw your band, Jeffrey, your new cast, taking a selfie on the carpet a few weeks ago, which is really cute. I imagine they are all very related. What was it like working with Jeffrey, working with the rest of the original cast and the new crew?

He was really good to me and I felt like he was my best friend on set. He really supported me, which was nice when you came to the show. I think you know everything very well. He just comes in and knows what’s going on and does it. You feel like you can follow his example, which is good. I think I work with all the people at OG, let’s put it this way (laughs) — it was really amazing and everyone was so welcoming. But it was nice to have a team of rookies, because we’re coming to terms with the fact that none of us know anything, and we’re all like, “Is this cool? Are we doing it right? It was fun. Like a big, big family.

Can we expect you to work with the cast outside of the desert?

I really got to work with Jeffrey and Luke and it’s been amazing. So my other two, obviously, as you saw in the selfie, they look like Daniel Wu and Angeline Morningstar. I think they are just great. I had a great time with them. We used to hang out a lot, it’s really hot and in the desert and Morningstar and I have to kiss when it’s 100 degrees. We’re so sweaty and gross and we’re like, “Okay, let’s go in,” and now we’re best friends. I see him every time he comes to Los Angeles or I’m in New Mexico. We’re going to have a really fun ride together on the show and I’m excited for people to see that.

His group, unlike the rest of the cast, works in a very dry outdoor location. It’s not a cold, rigid situation. How was it being outdoors?

I was really expecting a definite situation (laughs), but for me it still added up a lot Mad Max A dog of war situation where it’s like we’re here trying to get around this thing and fight it. I think it honestly helps that we’re hot and sweaty. You feel very uncomfortable and you feel stuck there. In the meantime, just walk to your trailer after that. (laughs), but you really get the feeling that you’re really involved and maybe experiencing what it would be like to live that way.

He also mentioned Morningstar as C’s partner. The show likes to explore, even through Caleb and Sis’s family relationship, how characters are forced to make choices and what’s at the core of their humanity. Does the romantic relationship between your two characters also influence this?

I don’t know if he investigates much. When I first read it, I thought, “Okay, it’s like this kind of relationship,” but I think as it goes along, we’re each other’s yin and yang. We’re both on each other’s level because I think we’re ready to go at any moment. I think that’s what unites them. They have a very sweet relationship.

What are you most excited for viewers to see with C, and what can they expect for the rest of the season?

I think about seeing the progress of what he’s trying to accomplish and where he ends up and what he’s really fighting for. I’m really excited to see his humanity because I think when you look at him, you wonder why he acts the way he does. We’re going to have a big, big adventure with him and I think it’s going to be a lot of fun. I’m going to explore a lot of things that I haven’t explored in any other character before.

The interview has been edited for length and clarity.

western world HBO airs new episodes every Sunday.