Created by David Simon and George Pelecanos (The Wire, Treme), the HBO series The Deuce is back for Season 2, as it jumps five years after the culmination of the first season to 1977, when the Times Square area of midtown New York was at its most lurid. With the dream of a mainstream X-rated film business a credible reality, disco and punk are reaching new heights of popularity, and police corruption is at an all-time high, the Mafia is looking to reap the profits of the porn industry. The series stars James Franco, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Margarita Levieva, Lawrence Gilliard Jr., Chris Bauer, Dominique Fishback, Emily Meade, Gary Carr, Gbenga Akinnagbe, Michael Rispoli, Chris Coy, Luke Kirby and Jamie Neumann.

During this 1-on-1 phone interview with Collider, actress Margarita Levieva (who plays Abigail “Abby” Parker, the young woman that keeps things going at the Hi-Hat bar, alongside her proprietor boyfriend Vincent, played by Franco) talked about why she wanted to be a part of The Deuce, the role she originally auditioned for, building an entire world instead of just focusing on the exploitative aspects, what she’s most enjoyed about her character’s journey, getting to tell a story that spans so many years, working on a production where attention is paid to every little detail, and what she’d still like to see with her character.

Collider:  When The Deuce first came your way, what was it about the project that got you most interested, and what made you most nervous about it, especially since you didn’t know exactly what it would turn out to be?

MARGARITA LEVIEVA:  Certainly, the people involved was the first what caught my eye, initially, hearing that it was David Simon and George Pelecanos. I’ve been a fan for a long time, and I had, just before that, watched Show Me A Hero, which I loved. So, I think hearing that they were involved and that this would be their next thing, of course, got me initially interested. And then, I read the script and what I loved about the pilot and what fascinated me the most was that, even though it’s such an ensemble piece, and some of the characters only had a few scenes, and it was hard to tell who was gonna go where or how they were gonna develop, but I was still able to see, within those first few scenes, just how rich the material was and how much room they gave for development.

I had originally auditioned for Candy and while I was working on the material, I was like, “Wow, she’s only in a few scenes in the pilot episode,” and that opened up my imagination and gave me inspiration, and I was like, “I would love to work on something like this.” And then, they asked me to come back in for Abby, and that scared me, playing a 20-year-old when I wasn’t anywhere close to 20. And then, there was the subject matter. It’s interesting, I think what’s so beautiful about the show is knowing that it’s about the beginning of the porn industry, it’s about Times Square, and it’s about that aspect of New York, at that time, and yet, it never felt like it was only about that, to me. When I tell people, “Oh, I’m doing a show about the beginning of the porn industry and the sex industry,” it sounds worse than it is because actually reading the script, and then working on it, you see the genius of their work. They’re building this world and really presenting to the audience this entire world, which involves so much more than that.

When you do a show from David Simon, you know that the subject matter is going to be presented in a way that’s different from how most anyone else would do it. Having worked on a variety of different TV series throughout your career, what do you think it is that makes a David Simon production different?

LEVIEVA:  Not to downplay some of my past work – and I certainly love all the people that I’ve worked with in the past – but I definitely had a sense of going to work and feeling like I’m working with people that are at the top of their class, in every area, whether it’s a production designer or costume design, or our DP and lighting people. It really was one of those sets where, almost daily, I was aware of the fact that I was working with one of those five-star crews. Every person that shows up on this production is just working at the top of their game. That was a huge honor, and was really felt by me, as I showed up to work.

Because of the subject matter and the time period, it’s not surprising that the show does have a certain amount of nudity, but for a show that details the lives of sex workers and the rise of porn, that nudity doesn’t ever feel like it’s exploitative. It still always seems to be driven by the characters, and the characters really drive the drama of the story. So, when it comes to that aspect of the story, were you surprised at how not exploitative it actually is, in that sense?

LEVIEVA:  Absolutely! I remember, with the first season, watching an episode where there were several simulated sex scenes for porn, and within that episode there were two moments. One moment was where Darlene goes to kiss Larry Brown on the cheek, when she’s sitting in the car. And there was another moment where Paul is in a gay club, for the first time, and is just experiencing that high of being amongst his people and dancing. This one guy comes over to dance with him and just lightly brushes his lips on his neck. To me, there was such a deep awareness that I had just witnessed several full-on sex scenes with nudity, and yet those two moments were the ones that felt the most sensual. I knew, before then, that I was a part of something special, but that was one of those moments where I felt like, “Wow, I’m really a part of something special.” To do that, to me, is extraordinary. To be able to deliver such sensuality in the simple moments, and yet to tell the story of the porn, whether it’s prostitutes having sex in a way that is slightly removed and really gives us a sense of what it was like for them, which was not sexy, or attractive, or a turn on, was just extraordinary.

What did you most enjoy about the journey that you took with this character, over the course of the first season, as you learned about her, and then how did that change, or did it feel any different, walking into this season, now that you had that season behind you?

LEVIEVA:  It’s just been such a gift to be able to grow with the character, for that many years, especially because Abby started out in the first season pretty young and just out of school. A lot of times, when I talked about her in the first season, I felt like she was really the new kid. She’s in New York for the first time, and she’s looking out into this world that a lot of the characters have already been living in for some time, but it’s really fresh for her. Even though she is smart, confident, independent, and strong, this environment was still just very new for her. And so, in the first season, I felt like a lot of time, Abby was just testing the waters, dipping her toes into different things, trying to figure out what her voice and perspective was within this world, and how she was gonna go about living in this world. I feel like the second season has been a real opportunity to establish Abby in the world and really show what the last six years have done to her life. She’s participating now, in a way that is real and more rooted. She’s obviously still figuring out her way, but at the same time, there’s a distinction to the things that really ignite her, interest her, and give her purpose. I feel like, in the second season, we get a real sense of what Abby’s purpose is and what it is to come, as she moves foreword in life. In the first season, we were presented with all of these interests. She was interested in music, in art, and in helping people. I feel like, in the second season, she really gets to finally do it.

When did you find out just how many years the series would jump, between Season 1 and Season 2, and did you have any conversations about what she might have been up to, in that time?

LEVIEVA:  When I signed onto the project, I knew that the series would take place over three seasons and that each one would be separated by six or seven years. That was another piece of the project that really excited me, personally. And as far as having conversations about what Abby’s been up to the last six or seven years, that’s been the thrill. The gift of the job is that the material has given us room to really improvise and decide for ourselves. There’s no written backstory and there’s no specific conversation, as to exactly what she’s been doing. I’ve had to do that work on my own, and that involves a lot of research, a lot of watching, reading and experiencing of stuff, and trying to figure out for myself what has the last years looked like for Abby. Because the script has these benchmarks, I know if Abby is bringing in music aspects, that’s something she’s been doing for awhile now. What does that involve? Does that involve going to bars downtown, to going to different clubs to find musicians? Is it on the street? Those are all the questions and the answers that I had to find for myself, which for me, is one of the most interesting parts of my job.

Clearly, the research side of it is important to you, so I would imagine it’s really fun to dig into that kind of stuff. As the same time, what does it add to then get into the hair and makeup and the wardrobe, get on these sets, and be surrounded by everybody else looking like that?

LEVIEVA:  I know that I’m gonna show up and these guys will have a point of view that I can trust and lean into with them. I loved Abby’s wardrobe in the first season. I was really excited by the change in the second season. For the hair, we had a bunch of conversations. She was one of the few characters that had an opportunity to really make a big change because young women, going through their 20s have an opportunity to make a really big change. That was something that I was looking forward to doing. So, I feel like a lot of my research is the inner world and the details of Abby’s life that I make up for myself, but then for the outer world, I can really trust our team and the people involved to show up and bring something that really allows me to embody her in a way that’s authentic.

This set seems like it would be so much fun to be on, just because every detail is carefully thought about.

LEVIEVA:  I’ve been on set so many times when we’ll be shooting in the streets and I’ll look over and (executive producer) Nina Noble is like, “That sign over there, down two blocks, does not match the time period.” Everyone is laser focused on delivering the most authentic material. That’s what feels so special. I’ve been on jobs where it’s somebody’s department, and that’s the only department that handles that. With this team, it feels like George [Pelecanos] is always paying attention to the music, so if we’re in an apartment and a record is laid out for a character, he’ll come over and say, “Hey, that record wasn’t out until a year later. We should get rid of that.” The attention to detail is pretty phenomenal. Walking onto set with all of the cars and the recreation of the time is definitely surreal, and it’s so helpful in being able to just go back there and be like, “I’m really living in this time.” Although I’ve created this world for myself internally, I’ve also had the gift of having it externally presented to me, in a way that I can just be in it.

Aside from the writers, you probably know your character better than anyone, so if you had your way, what would you like to see for her? Have you thought about what sort of journey you’d still like to see her go on?

LEVIEVA:  Yeah. I’m definitely looking forward to, if we’re fortunate enough to go into Season 3, and cut to another six or seven years later, because I feel like we’ve been sprinkled with so many potentialities of Abby and little markers of where she is going. I would love to see where she goes with her activism and with her deep desire to create change, to help and serve the people of her community, and to serve women. I would really love to see where that goes, as we move forward in time.

The Deuce airs on Sunday nights on HBO.