In the season finale of the Fox series Lucifer, called “Take Me Back to Hell,” Lucifer Morningstar (Tom Ellis) was framed for murder and had to work with Detective Chloe Decker (Lauren German) to clear his name and prove the identity of the true killer. In doing so, he had to revisit a familiar location , which resulted in a very interesting message about a family member.
During this exclusive interview with Collider, actor Tom Ellis talked about his initial reaction when he read the season finale, the rich material they’ll get to explore next season, as a result, meeting with the writers soon to discuss possibilities for Season 2, getting to explore a more unified bond between Lucifer and Amenadiel (D.B. Woodside), the importance of only giving glimpses of Hell, and continuing to deepen the mythology.
(Be aware that there are spoilers discussed, if you have not finished the season)
Collider: The finale doesn’t really end so much in a cliffhanger as it does in a shocking reveal. What was your reaction when you learned about that last moment and how you would be leaving things, at the end of this season?
TOM ELLIS: I was reading it and I thought the finale was fantastic anyway, but I got to that last scene and I was like, “What?!” And then, I thought, “God, I really hope we get a Season 2 because I really want to explore this!” I was excited that that’s how we left it. It leaves us with a lot of rich stuff for next season.
Have you already had any conversations with the producers and writers about where things would go in Season 2, or are you anxiously waiting to find out about that yourself?
ELLIS: Not yet. Our writers haven’t started back yet. We’ve all had a step away from the show for a bit. I’ll meet up with the writers soon, in the next few weeks, to talk about Season 2. On the back of how we left things, I’m very excited about that. We’ve got everyone on board who was there the last time, and I think they did a great job. It’s always nice to get another go at something. You can address the things that worked and you can iron out the creases of things that didn’t work so well, and you can see what people have responded to with the show. It’s a much more informed place to start from. I’m looking forward to it.
In the first season of a show, you’re just trying to find your footing, figure out what the character is, and find out what the relationships are. Does it make you that much more excited to go into Season 2, knowing that you can delve more deeply into what you’re already established?
ELLIS: You set up your world, which is a big part of your first season. Watching the show back, I feel like it really gathered momentum and we hit our stride. To not have been able to come back and do it would have left us with a feeling of, “Ugh!” It’s great because we know so much more now, and we know why people want to watch it. Of course, I have to be invested in it, but you wonder whether other people will be. The fact that they have has given us new energy to attack the next season with.
It was so much fun to see the role reversal between Lucifer and Amenadiel, when Amenadiel needs his brother’s help. Did you enjoy getting to explore that?
ELLIS: I really, really enjoyed the opportunity for D.B. [Woodside] and I to unify. It’s a bit like the U.S. and the U.S.S.R., unifying so tentatively while still being highly suspicious of each other. There’s a lot of fun to be had in those moments. We also fueled those moments by constantly talking about the fact that these guys used to be brothers and used to get on. They grew up together and there was a sibling rivalry there, but there always is. There’s also an affection there, at the heart of it, and ultimately, they hate to admit that. Our scenes are quite fun.
Do you personally root for getting to explore Hell a little bit more deeply, or do you think that’s one of those things that it’s best to just give little glimpses of?
ELLIS: That was a surprise for me, and it was great that we got to visit Hell briefly. Up until that point, I’d always been of the mind that suggestion is often far more powerful than actuality. I think about the movie Jaws. They had this state-of-the-art animatronic shark, but it kept breaking down, which kept delaying the filming. So, they had to use it very sparingly, but it became why the film was so good because you never saw the shark. You only heard about it and it was suggested. So, the power of what Hell could be is better by not spending lots of time there. The first season of the story was about someone going to a different place, and not about the place they’d come from. But the way we left it, it opens up the door for exploring that notion now.
We’ve spent a season wondering what Lucifer and Amenadiel’s father might be like, and now there’s the idea of possibly learning about what their mother might be like. How cool is that?
ELLIS: I know! It was the last thing I expected because all the talk had been about dad and other angels. The last thing you think of, in that equation, is the mother. So, who she is, what that means and how that infuses the mythology we’ve created on the show will be really fun to play out.
Lucifer will return for Season 2 on Fox.
