The HBO drama series His Dark Materials is back for Season 2, with a new world and higher stakes as Lyra (Dafne Keen) has followed Lord Asriel (James McAvoy) across a bridge into the unknown and on a dangerous path. Once in this mysterious abandoned city and alongside her new friend Will (Amir Wilson), Lyra tries to stay far enough out of the reach of Mrs. Coulter (Ruth Wilson) to fulfill her destiny.

As part of the virtual press junket to discuss the second season, Collider got the opportunity to chat with Amir Wilson about wanting to do justice to this story for the fan base for the book series, what helped him get into this world, adding his character in at the end of the first season as a special treat, the deeper and darker second season, the relationship dynamic between Will and Lyra, and his desire to take things as they come and not think too far ahead.

Collider: This is a series that has so many fans and so many people love this property, which gives the show a built-in audience. How does that make being a part of the show the best job because of that, and how does that also make it scary and challenging?

AMIR WILSON: I’d say being a part of a show that has such a big fan base is such an honor because if you do it justice, it feels so good to know that you’ve fulfilled the character right and done it right. There is the challenge of worrying whether you’ve done it right, or if people might like what you’ve done, or if you’ve stayed very true to the books, but I feel like we’ve done all of that. It’s been good.

This is dense, challenging, complicated, complex material. What was the way into the story for you? What was it that really helped you in understanding this world, as it was all being established around you?

WILSON: For me, personally, like when reading any book, you have an image in your mind of what it looks like. Your imagination naturally creates something in your mind. But I think [production designer] Joel Collins did an amazing job of creating these amazing sets, and the whole art department created these amazing sets, and when we were on set, that helped me, as an actor, fulfill that even more because it felt like I was really living the life of Will. For me, that was really helpful.

The first season of any show, you have to figure out who your character is, where they fit in the world, and what the relationships are. What was the biggest relief in finishing the journey of Season 1 and what was the most exciting part of seeing how the fans reacted to it?

WILSON: For me, the process of Season 1 and 2 was less separate because I filmed my part in Season 1 right before we started filming Season 2. It was nice because Will doesn’t appear in the first book. Will’s backstory appears in the beginning of The Subtle Knife. That’s when we first meet him. They added in Will at the end as a surprise for the fans and it was nice that all the fans received it really well and everyone liked it. It really made me feel good.

How do you feel this season and the book that it’s based on is most different from the first season? How would you describe the mood and tone for this season, especially as it pertains to your character?

WILSON: I think Season 2 is a lot darker than Season 1. There’s more of a deeper meaning behind it, just in general. There’s a lot more going on. We get to introduce a new, different world, which brings a whole different factor to the story.

What did you enjoy about the relationship between Will and Lyra? How did that compare to meeting each other and developing a working relationship with each other while exploring this dynamic between your characters?

WILSON: Will and Lyra are polar opposites, in terms of how they are as people. The fact that they are different helps them help each other to do what they need to do, in terms of their goals and what they’re trying to achieve. And of course, the chemistry matters a lot when filming, and it’s good that me and Dafne [Keen] got along as well as we did. It would have been hard, if we didn’t get along.

One of the things that makes this show different and special is the relationship between human and daemon. What is that like for you to work with, when you have scenes with Lyra and Pan?

WILSON: It’s cool. It feels like there’s another actor there. We have these amazing puppeteers on set that play the daemons, and they’re so good at what they do. It always becomes seamless. When you see the final product, it’s really weird because you’re like, “How did what we were looking at on set become that?” It’s crazy for me.

A theme in this series is that people are afraid of things they don’t understand. Do you feel like that is something that is a very relatable sentiment in the world, in general, and not just in this fantasy world?

WILSON: Yeah, definitely. When you haven’t experienced a struggle yourself, you can’t relate to it. Everyone is afraid of things they don’t understand, but unless you try to educate yourself, you’re never gonna achieve anything. Me, as a person, I’ve questioned things that I don’t understand, but after, I educate myself on something and I’m able to put myself in other people’s situations and get an understanding from that.

When you do something like this, where there are more books, are you already thinking ahead to what Season 3 could be and what you could get to explore, or do you try not to think that far ahead?

WILSON: I’m personally not thinking that far ahead. I’m taking it as it comes. I’m just chilling and enjoying myself.

His Dark Materials airs on Monday nights on HBO.