Marvel’s Cloak & Dagger (airing on Thursday nights on Freeform, starting on June 7th) tells the story of Tandy Bowen (Olivia Holt) and Tyrone Johnson (Aubrey Joseph), two teenagers from very different backgrounds, who find themselves with superpowers that mysteriously link them to each other. As dangers surrounding them heighten, Tandy’s ability to emit light daggers and Tyrone’s ability to control the power of darkness puts them at risk, but also teaches them that they are better together than apart.

During this 1-on-1 phone interview with Collider, actress Olivia Holt talked about how little she knew about the show and her character during the audition process, how quickly she connected with co-star Aubrey Joseph, who in her own life is most excited that she’s playing a superhero, making sure the lives of these teens feel as real and authentic as possible, whether having newfound powers is a blessing or a curse for Tandy and Tyrone, how she most identifies with her character, how physically and emotionally draining the season was to shoot, and that their journey as superheroes is just beginning.

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Image via Marvel

Collider: I’ve watched the first four episodes of this show, and I enjoyed it very much.

OLIVIA HOLT: Oh, good! I’m so happy to hear that. Thank you so much.

Obviously, we all know how secretive Marvel is about everything that they do, so when you went through the audition process for this, what were you actually told about the show and the character?

HOLT: Very little. I had a little bit of a character breakdown, just explaining what Tandy has gone through, as a kid and where her headspace is at now, and a little bit of a backstory between the two characters, but it was very, very little. They did tell us that it was based off of the Marvel comic, Cloak and Dagger, so I did read the first comic, just to understand the tone, where Tandy and Tyrone come from, and what exactly their powers are and what they can do with them. So, I did a little bit of my research before going in, but it was tough. It was easier when we were in the room with our creator, Joe Pokaski, and Gina Prince-Bythewood, our director, and they were helping us and guiding us through what was happening in the scenes and what our characters were going through because we went in a little blind.

From what you’ve said, it sounds like you and your co-star, Aubrey Joseph, knew pretty instantly, during the audition process, that you were meant to do these roles together. What was it like the first time you got to work together during the auditions, and then how did that compare to your first day together on set?

HOLT: Our audition was magical. It truly was just something that is rare. We hit it off, right off the bat. I know that both Aubrey and I felt very excited to be in that room together. It’s very rare that you instantly connect with somebody. I remember leaving that audition and feeling really good about what we did in the room together, whether we got the parts or not. That’s something that you can hold onto, forever. And then, once we ended up getting the parts and moved ourselves down to New Orleans and started the show, it just all evolved from there. I feel really lucky to have Aubrey, as not just a scene partner, but a friend and somebody who’s just as passionate about this story and these characters as I am because I feel like it just makes it that much better.

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Image via Freeform

With as popular as comic book and superhero movies and TV shows are now, who in your own life was most excited, when they found out you would be doing this?

HOLT: Probably my dad. My dad is my biggest fan, which is amazing because I’m his biggest fan, too. My dad and I have a really awesome relationship and when I told him, he was like, “What? You’re gonna be playing a Marvel superhero?!” He was over the moon excited, which makes me excited. Not only does this show entertain, and my dad will be entertained by it, but I also think it impacts people and moves people.

This TV series has been highly anticipated. How does it feel to finally be getting this series out into the world?

HOLT: It’s surreal. It’s a lot of emotions compiled into one being. It’s exhilarating, it’s overwhelming, it’s nerve wracking. I feel really, really grateful to be a part of this show, to tell Tandy’s story and to tell it alongside of Tyrone. After five months of creating this story in New Orleans and now finally, almost a year later, we’re releasing it for the world to see, it’s pretty epic. I feel like it’s gonna be a game changer, in my eyes.

I love how it’s unique and different from other superhero shows and from other teen shows. I don’t feel like there’s a show that’s been like this, and these teenagers feel very real, even though they do have powers. Was it important to you to make sure these teens feel like real people?

HOLT: I think it’s the most important, to make this feel very authentic and raw and honest. From what I experience, in every single episode, there are so many important little truths, throughout the entire season. I think it’s important for people to watch that and feel impacted by it, to wanna make a difference, and to wanna use their voice in a positive way, to the best of their ability. That, for me, was definitely something that I felt like I needed to do.

These were kids that seemingly had idyllic lives full of possibilities, until they both experienced tragedy, on the same night. At this point in their lives, is having these powers a blessing or a cursing for them, or will that keep shifting, as they find out more about what they can do?

HOLT: I feel like it’s gonna start shifting. At first, they’re confused. They’re genuinely curious about why it’s happening to them and nobody else. They’re teenagers. They’re young adults who have had to grow up fast, and they’re coping with a lot in their lives already, on top of finding out that they have these powers. Figuring out how to use them, when to use them, and why they need to use them, are all big questions. Throughout the season, you’ll see what it means to them to have these powers, whether they’ll use them for good or for bad, and why they now have them.

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Image via Freeform

Tandy is such an interesting character because her life is a mess and she’s just trying to survive, day to day. How do you find yourself identifying with her, and what are the biggest challenges in playing a character like this?

HOLT: Tandy is a very cynical human being, but she beats to the rhythm of her own drum. She is bold and resilient, and she’s really trying to find herself in the world. I love all of those things about her. She’s complicated, and that’s what makes her so intriguing, so human, and real. As humans, we want to connect to that. We want to connect to somebody that we feel like we can relate to. In order to play Tandy, I had to empathize with her, to a certain degree, and I do. There are certain things that Tandy and I have both gone through, that have taken a toll on our hearts and our minds. I feel so lucky to play somebody who just has this realness to her. I feel like there are a lot of similarities. There are also differences, but I feel like the differences are very minimal. There’s one big thing, and that’s the powers. Obviously, I don’t have light daggers shooting out of my hands. She just has so much hope in her veins and in her bones, and I think that is every person. I feel like every person has hope, for not just themselves, but the people around them, and for their wellbeing and their careers. They have hope to succeed and survive, and they have a fulfilled life. I think that there is that in Tandy, she just needs to dig a little deeper and find it. I think we’ll see that.

Tandy and Tyrone obviously didn’t choose each other to share this with. They just both found out that they have these abilities. How does she feel about him being the one that she can talk to about this because he’s the only one who understands?

HOLT: I think their relationship is very complicated. They are curious about each other, one second, and then the next, they want nothing to do with each other. As the season goes on, you’ll start to realize, and they’ll start to realize and recognize, that they’re each other’s better halves. They are the answer to each other’s questions. What a cool thing to have, somebody who finally understands you and understands your journey, and is okay with that and doesn’t judge you for it or want to make it harder for you. They just want to be there for you. They seem to have a very, very special relationship, as complicated as it is.

Tandy and Tyrone are still essentially kids, but they’re told that they’re going to have to fight some terrible, evil thing and, in the process, one of them will die. How much pressure is that, for these two to deal with?

HOLT: Oh, pressure is an understatement. It’s a lot. They’ve already dealt with so much in their lives, and then finding out that one of them is gonna die? They didn’t choose that life. It’s a very intense thing that they have to go through, but I think because they recognize that they are better together and they’re gonna fight it as a team. They’re not going to let anything stop them. That’s where the hope comes in. They’re just hopeful that, by sticking together, by choosing life, and by choosing to have hope to succeed, ultimately they can win, in the end.

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Image via Freeform

This seems like a very emotional show, and it also seems like it gets physical, at times. As far as the stunts go and the effects work that you have, how did you take to doing that kind of stuff?

HOLT: I was very physically and emotionally drained, when we were finished shooting the season, but for all good reasons. It was a good challenge for me. I definitely had some days that were tougher than other, but that comes with empathizing with the characters, and really feeling for them and what they’re going through. This show is gritty and cool, in an effortless way. It’s important that we speak the truth about what it’s like to be a young, white female in America in 2018, and also what it’s like to be a young, black male in America in 2018. We do talk about heavy topics, along the lines of sexual abuse, police brutality and addiction, but we do it in a way that shows that it’s important. We do it in a way that’s tasteful, but that’s real and honest, and not so preachy and in your face.

Have you had conversations about where things could go, in the future, for these characters?

HOLT: Absolutely! This was a collaborative process, the entire way. Both Aubrey and I, and the rest of our cast and crew, alongside Marvel, have had very in-depth conversations about where these kids could potentially go. We want it to feel like their journey is just beginning, not that it’s ending. They’re not finished yet. That’s something that was talked about, very in-depth, and I’m excited to see what happens next.

Marvel’s Cloak & Dagger premieres on Freeform on June 7th.