Created for television by Jonah Nolan and Lisa Joy, the dark odyssey Westworld is about what happens when the artificial consciousness that you’ve programmed begins to develop a plan of its own. Its strong, compelling, violent and provocative first season made it HBO’s most-watched freshman series ever, and its 10-episode second season is sure to be even more mind-blowing, with twists and turns that you won’t see coming.

At a press day for the launch of the new season, Collider (along with a small handful of other outlets) participated in a roundtable interview with actress Angela Sarafyan to chat about her role as Clementine Pennyfeather, how Season 2 felt compared to Season 1, reading fan theories, being a part of the Rickroll, what’s next for Clementine, how the showrunners tell them just the right amount of what they need to know, at any given time, how this show has changed her, as an actress and as a person, what this show has to say about the world we live in today, and how she’d summarize the new season.

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Image via HBO

Question: Did going into Season 2 feel very different, actually knowing the show you were making, as opposed to not knowing, at least at the beginning of Season 1?

ANGELA SARAFYAN: I guess, yes. Before, it was in your imagination, and now, you’ve seen what it looks like. For it to be received so well was such a wonderful thing. But actually, I had no idea what Season 2 was gonna look like, so the mystery continued. I had no idea where the characters would go and what would happen, and it wasn’t what I expected. It really wasn’t. I haven’t even seen Episode 1, so I can’t wait to see it. They sent it to me, but I chose not to see it because I wanna experience it with everyone else. I think that there’s something cathartic in that, where everybody in the world is watching it and you’re watching it like, “Shit, is that what happened?!” And then, you live through it, every week.

Do you read what the fans tweet about the show?

SARAFYAN: Yes! I love looking on Reddit, and everything. The thing with the posters and how they saw every single detail was just so funny. Jonah [Nolan] said he wants people on Reddit to write Season 3, and they’ll just produce the episodes.

Do you have any favorite Reddit theories?

SARAFYAN: I had a funny experience in Season 1. Terry George, the filmmaker who did Hotel Rwanda, saw Episode 1, and I happened to meet him and he said, “Oh, Bernard’s a host.” I was like, “What?! No, he’s not!” He was like, “Yes, he is!” I was like, “How do you know this?!” Jeffrey Wright didn’t even know he was a host, in Episode 1 of Season 1. There are so many brilliant minds out there that could see things, before we can even see them, as actors. Writers have very different minds, and I feel like some of the people on Reddit are the same way. They see little details to things and clues. They’re like detectives.

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Image via HBO

What was it like to get to be a part of the Rickroll?

SARAFYAN: That was really fun. Jonah was like, “Can you learn to play this?” He told me the night before. I was like, “Sure!,” and then I just practiced. I play the piano, so it was just a matter of getting the notes. That’s why you see me so focused. I didn’t have time to prepare it, so I was like, “Come on, don’t make mistakes now, Angela!”

Now that you already know the world and characters, what was the vibe like on set, shooting Season 2 compared to Season 1?

SARAFYAN: Well, there’s so many different storylines, and it’s just a matter of creating relationships. With Clementine and Maeve, it’s love, it’s friendship and it’s a person that you trust. If you love someone and they’ve died, you’re connected to them always. I loved having that and being at the Mariposa in Sweetwater, all of Season 1, and the relationships there. I didn’t see where Season 2 would go. We felt like a family, so it was just nice to see everyone because I like the people I work with. I feel so grateful, every day, that I get to work with them. It just felt good, even if we had to wake up at 3am and drive an hour out. Sometimes my call time was at 3am, so and I’d wake up at 2am and drive out to the desert, and I would just be so happy to see everyone because they’re good people. I think that comes from the fact that Jonah and Lisa are so humble and so kind and brilliant. It’s just a rare combination, so everybody under them reflects that.

What can you say about where things pick up for Clementine?

SARAFYAN: Well, maybe you might see some things in Season 2 that might reflect a little bit of the freedom the experienced, at the end of Season 1.

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Image via HBO

What can you say about Clementine’s role, now that she’s out of the Mariposa?

SARAFYAN: That’s a good question. With where things ended in Season 1, what was great about this season was that I got to play other parts of her and discover all the facets of Clementine, so you’ll get to see that. She’s not just defined by being a saloon girl. She’s more than that.

Were you able to bring any of your own ideas to Clementine, this season?

SARAFYAN: Yeah. I was able to because they give you the freedom to play. I was able to do that, both last season and this season. Some of the things that I get to do this season aren’t defined. You need to use a bit more of your imagination, so you have some freedom in that.

There’s still a lot of mystery to this show. Is more stuff revealed, as Season 2 goes on?

SARAFYAN: Yeah, I would definitely say that. I would also say that more questions come up with it. I think it was Jeffrey Wright that said that Season 1 was like a kitchen sink drama, and I would say that I concur. I don’t know how to explain how unexpected some of those things are that happen in Season 2. I needed explanations from Jonah and Lisa, in order to understand. I was like, “Okay, what does that mean?!” It’s out of anything you could imagine.

Are they forthcoming with you guys, as far as information goes? When you do have questions, do you feel like you get them answered?

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Image via HBO

SARAFYAN: I think so. I think what they do is really interesting. Usually, you get all this information and you’re thinking about it and basing everything on it. In this case, they almost direct by not telling you everything, so whatever information you have, you start to create with that, and I love that because then you don’t realize that you have just the right amount to make the episode real, which will then inform the next and the next. There’s something liberating about that because I trust them. They won’t steer us wrong. They have a very clear vision. They’re so creative that even they, themselves, get surprised and go, “Oh, maybe we could do this.” In the moment, they’ll think of something. That’s what’s exciting. 

As an actress, what would you say is the hardest part about doing a show like this, with its size and scale, making a mini-movie with every episode?

SARAFYAN: I would say that it’s not hard for me, at all. I had such a good time, but I know it was really hard for the crew. They worked crazy hours. It’s an impossible thing, to shoot 10 movies in a short time, and they were able to accomplish that in what I think was a very successful way. Everyone seems to be very happy. So for me, it was just pure joy to go to set and to see everyone and to work, and to be in Clementine’s clothes and just to daydream about Clementine and her world. I love it! It’s like a fantasy world that you get to live in for hours and hours and hours. It was fun! Sometimes it can be hard on you, but I think when you do what you love, you’re actually fed more from that than you’re tortured by it.

What do you like about being a part of a show like this, where your character is always evolving and changing? Has it changed your approach to acting, or do you feel like you’re a different actor, now that you’ve been a part of this show?

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Image via HBO

SARAFYAN: Yes, I do. I feel I’ve not only changed as an actor, but as a person. I felt very fortunate because I was able to use Clementine to live out some dreams that I’ve had. She’s a very strong character in her vulnerability, and I got to explore that. I found that when you find the right filmmakers, they won’t steer you wrong, and that’s made me a stronger actor, knowing that I can trust them. I’ve had a few experiences like that, and this is definitely one of them.

What is your relationship like, with the rest of the cast? Are you guys as close off-set as you are on-set?

SARAFYAN: Thandie [Newton] flies in from England, Ingrid [Bolsø Berdal] flies in from Norway, and Rodrigo [Santoro] is from Brazil, so when we’re together, you hold those moments, but then they’re gone. Every time we’ve met, the cast is really nice and it’s just so loving. We care about each other, as people, as well. It’s all very, very positive and has good vibes.

What do you think this show has to say about the world we live in today, especially with how artificial everything is now?

SARAFYAN: Even in Season 1, it was a real reflection of where we’re going in the world and society, with technology and with artificial intelligence. I was watching a panel with Elon Musk and he was talking a little bit about that. Living to progress, in a good way, is the idea. The themes in Westworld are very violent and show humanity’s side of destruction, but at the same time, there’s this drive to grow and to find your voice. With Clementine, specifically, I found that, in Season 1, she was finding her strength, as a woman, even though she was set up in a laboratory. She literally fought back. And with what’s happening with the Women’s March and this unity with women, I find that very moving because it’s for the women who can’t walk, whether it’s because of domestic violence or emotional abuse, or whatever, for men and women both. I don’t think it’s just women getting oppressed, even though it’s well-known that it’s that way. I think bullying goes both ways. And the show, in a strange way, has women as the leading characters and the heroes. We’re the ones starting a revolution. With that diversity intact, and with our cast and everyone that works on the show, there is a growth, and Season 2 continues that same conversation, even further. That’s why I love to do the show. We’re at a place in life where we’re marching for our rights and fighting for a better world.

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Image via HBO

Characters like Maeve and Clementine, who are saloon girls, are essentially in the sex industry within the game. How does that factor into their feminism?

SARAFYAN: It’s interesting because, in that time, being a prostitute was being a woman who works. She would actually have a higher rank. It wasn’t looked down upon, like being a tired, drugged up prostitute is. It was more like she was a working woman. If you watch Once Upon a Time in the West, that’s who she is. They are leaders. I looked at it from that point of view and I thought, “Being a feminist doesn’t mean hiding your femininity. It means saying, ‘Yes, I’ve got curves, I’ve got boobs and an ass, and I like it.’ It’s saying, ‘I will enjoy what was given to me, and there’s nothing wrong with that.’” When I was 15, my body started changing and I remember walking down the street, and some guy honked and whistled. That was my first experience. I remember turning around and yelling, “I’m 15!” And he was like, “No, you’re not!” And I was like, “You’re a loser!” in my head. I understand how that could make you closed off, but Maeve and Clementine would tell you to celebrate it. I found that in Season 1.

From your perspective, if Season 1 was a coming of age for these characters, is this more of an expression of, “I’m here and I’m moving forward”?

SARAFYAN: It’s more of a, “Now that we’ve found our freedom, let’s see what we can do with it.”

Westworld Season 2 premieres on HBO on April 22nd.

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