On the episode of The CW series Legends of Tomorrow entitled “The Satanist’s Apprentice,” Astra (Olivia Swann) is finding it hard to adapt to life after Hell and being mortal in the real world, thanks to a lack of guidance from Constantine (Matt Ryan), which leads her to make a new friend that will lead her to some very dangerous consequences for her not so well thought out actions. At the same time, Sara (Caity Lotz, who also directed the episode) is trying to escape a situation in which she still doesn’t quite understand the role she plays.
During this 1-on-1 phone interview with Collider, Lotz talked about taking on such a fun episode, tackling an animated segment, the challenges of having to direct while strapped to a bed, how everything Sara thought she knew is going to be questioned this season, what makes Bishop (Raffi Barsoumian) such an interesting villain, that Beebo Christmas special, and what it’s been like to have an ever-changing cast.
Collider: I had so much fun watching this episode. It’s just so crazy, in the best way.
CAITY LOTZ: It’s such a cool one. I was so excited about this episode. It’s a really special one. Crazy is one thing our writers do very well.
Do you feel like this is an episode you could not have directed, if you hadn’t already directed another episode before this?
LOTZ: To be honest, the other episode was more difficult. The other one was hard because it was all practical. There were a lot of practical stunts with the scooters and out on locations. This one was almost a little bit more manageable, but a little bit more of a mind challenge.
What went through your head when you first read the script? Did you immediately wonder how you were going to do it, or did you immediately see exactly how you were going to do it?
LOTZ: I was definitely like, “What are we gonna do with animation? I have no idea. I have no experience with this.” I actually reached out to a few TV directors and was like, “How does this work?” And everyone was like, “I don’t know. I’ve never had to do that.” But we had such an amazing team over at Warner Bros. Animation. It was so fun collaborating with them because they really know what they’re doing. It was just a matter of sharing visions and watching them come up with some crazy stuff that I never even would’ve thought of. It was so much fun.
What most surprised you about directing animation, and what do you think would most surprise people watching it that just have no idea what it takes to do?
LOTZ: Animation is expensive. It was a really cool process. It took a long time, so we actually had to start prep early. Before we were even in prep for this episode, we already had to have all of this figured out. It was so fun because you get to design the look of the characters and the animators were just amazing. In talking with Olivia [Swann], there was a lot of stuff we wanted to make sure was there, like her freckles. Olivia has these really cute freckles, so we wanted to make sure that her character had the freckles. And we wanted to make sure to get the skin tone. There were all of elements of the outfit and the coloring. There’s so much that goes into it. I was so excited that we did this in an old school animation style. Those were the Disney movies that I grew up with, so those are my favorite. I’ve always loved things like Space Jam, where they mixed animation and live-action. We got one moment of that, in the beginning. As soon as she gets hit and turns into the animated character, you see her within the real world still for a second. That was really fun.
I would never have expected animated Disney princess Astra, and yet it somehow works.
LOTZ: It somehow totally works, yeah. All of our animated characters are so fun.
There are also moments in this episode where you have to do scenes from a bed that you’re chained to. When you’re used to being so physical on this show, is it challenging to do that, or is it relaxing to do scenes from a bed?
LOTZ: If I wasn’t directing, it would have been great. I would have just stayed there in between takes and been like, “Let me know when we’re rolling. I’m just gonna take a nap.” But it actually was more difficult than I had anticipated, acting and directing. I learned a lot, and even Jes [Macallan] said that she learned a lot of what not to do, or what she needs to do, to make it easier to act and direct at the same time. The last episode that I did, I was barely in it. I was only in like one scene. With this, I had a couple of days. It was very difficult, being chained to a bed, and then trying to get unhooked, so that I could watch the monitors and see what the shot is. It was really hard.
For me, so much of the work that I do, as a director, when we’re actually filming is that I’m sitting behind the monitor and I’m watching what we get on camera. I ask myself, Do I need to go tighter? Did this work? Was this in focus? How is this performance? But when you’re in front of the camera, you’re not able to be back there and watching it. Unfortunately, that’s just the way it is. We’re rushing. With these shows, we work at a break-neck speed. It’s not like I have time to watch playback after every single take. I’m getting better at being able to record rehearsals on my iPad because it would take a long time to have the actual playback, but on my iPad, I can do it quickly. There were all of these COVID rules too. Your stand-in cannot stand in and be with the actors because they’re in a different zone. I couldn’t even have a stand-in filling in for me during a rehearsal, so that I could watch it, just because they couldn’t be near the actors. You almost needed an acting double to just be there, so that you could watch rehearsals. That was confusing, and it was a lot.
What’s it like for Sara to be in a place where she doesn’t really know what’s going on or why, and how is that going to continue to really throw her off this season?
LOTZ: She gets thrown for a loop this season. There’s some big stuff that happens to Sara that is a giant mind F. That’s gonna keep going. It’s hard for her because Sara also doesn’t have her team to rely on. She’s on her own again. She doesn’t have Ava. Everything she thought she knew is gonna be questioned.
I think that Bishop is such an interesting antagonist because he’s not making Sara a victim, but he’s forcing her to turn into a partner, which is an interesting twist to that whole dynamic. What do you think makes him a great Legends villain and why do you think he’s a good foil for Sara?
LOTZ: He’s such a Legends villain. Raffi [Barsoumian], who plays him, did such a great job with him. He’s such an interesting villain. It’s over the top in the campy way that Legends is. That’s what makes the show so fun. And yet, it’s not mustache twirly at all. It’s perfectly over the top in a very uniquely Legends way, and I think Raffi does a great job with dancing on that line.
You’ve referred to Beebo as the star of Legends. How do you feel about his Christmas special?
LOTZ: Screw that guy! It’s funny, one of my friends texted me, “I heard you guys got a Christmas special, but you’re not in it.” We’re all really happy for Beebo. He won’t even come onto our show anymore. He’s too good. I don’t even think he makes an appearance this season.
He’s just riding your coattails.
LOTZ: Yeah, that blue furry thing.
Looking back on the first season of the show, the cast looks a lot different now than it did in the beginning. The show was set up and built that way, but Brandon Routh has left and Dominic Purcell has said that he’s leaving. What has that been like? Do you feel there are advantages to things being switched up so much, throughout the run of the show, or is it strange to not see the same people you’re used to seeing?
LOTZ: It’s all of those things. Nick [Zano] and Tala [Ashe] have been around for so long now too. They came on in Season 2. They weren’t there for Season 1, but it still feels like they’ve been around for a long time. It’s nice to have new energy come onto the show. It brings a nice, fresh dynamic. I don’t think they change it up too much, where you’re like, “Wait, what is the show? Who are these people?” It still always feels like Legends. But of course, I also miss everybody. You get really close, and then they’re gone. Sometimes I’m like, “I’ve been here for 75 years, and I’m still here.”
Legends of Tomorrow airs on Sunday nights on The CW.