The awakening of Dolores
> Actress Evan Rachel Wood talks about what drives her increasingly conflicted character in the second season of Westworld
EMMY-WINNING drama series Westworld is back for its second season, after fans had been patiently waiting for more than a year. Westworld, which is inspired by the 1973 film of the same name and debuted in 2016, is a dark odyssey about the dawn of artificial consciousness, and the evolution of sin.
The story revolves around a theme park which houses highly-advanced androids, known as hosts, who are also programmed to help their human ‘guests’ fulfil their wildest fantasies. Things change dramatically after the hosts start gaining sentience.
The first season ended in a cliffhanger, with oncesweet-natured host Dolores Abernathy killing theme park founder Robert Ford (Anthony Hopkins), and starting a bloody revolution, aided by the consciousness of a brutal killer named Wyatt.
The 10-episode second season premiered yesterday on HBO (Astro channel 411/ 431), with same-day primetime encore at 10pm. It is also available on HBO On Demand (via Astro GO).
Returning in season two are Evan Rachel Wood, Thandie Newton, Ed Harris, Jeffrey Wright, James Marsden, and Tessa Thompson.
In an interview transcript provided by HBO Asia, Wood ( right) talks about her character Dolores’ evolution in the second season.
Where do we find Dolores at the beginning of this season? “We’re not picking up exactly where we left off, but we’re definitely going to see the aftermath. And what we see is that Dolores is finally making decisions for herself.
“I think when she killed Ford, that was the first real choice that she’s made, and now, we’ve also learned that she’s been harbouring this other character, Wyatt.
“So when I finished season one, I just couldn’t wait to get back to season two to find out who that was, who was Wyatt.
“Now, we’re seeing all the different layers of her – she’s not just one thing any more, she’s got access to every side of herself, all the different personalities.
“She has Dolores in her that only sees the beauty, and then there’s Wyatt that only sees the ugliness.
“They’re constantly at war, and she’s very selective about when she brings each character out, for different situations.
“I think she’s only really ‘Dolores’ when she’s with Teddy now. And she’s ‘Wyatt’ when she has to rally troops, or when she has to get something done.
“But then, there’s also another side of her, that she’s creating, which is just herself. Which is what she’s never been able to do – to really define herself.”
The show was far from simple last season, but it sounds even more complex this year. “That’s what was really hard this season – all of the characters are almost pulsating. They’re themselves, and then, they kind of push the boundaries a little bit, and push the boundaries a little more.”
You have said that playing Dolores had changed you fundamentally. In what way? “In every way. I get really into roles ... And Dolores’ are so profound and so rooted in reality and in metaphor for so much more. “I think everybody can relate to Westworld, maybe in different ways, and it might represent something different for everybody, but, for me, it was finding a power that you’ve had all along, that you just didn’t know you had access to. Or you didn’t believe that you had, or you had been programmed to give up.
“She changed that for me. She made me ask more questions. And it’s cheesy, but she made me believe in myself more. I look at her as a separate being from myself, so I draw upon her for strength.
“So, when I marched in the women’s march, and when I testified in Congress, I wore a locket with Dolores in it each time, because it reminds me that there’s a piece of me that’s … really … I don’t know what the word is for it. There’s a piece of me that’s created by her, I suppose.”
When you’re so invested in a character, what are the potential pitfalls? “The hardest part about this show is that we’re all always so excited to jump back in, but then we remember, oh, right, this never ends well for anybody on this show.
“And we’re so invested in the characters now that when bad things happen to them or when something goes wrong, it really is gut wrenching for us to have to do.
“Loyalties shift on this show so much and we’re not even aware, that one day, you’re like, oh right, you guys are against each other, and you’re like, what? What happened, I don’t like that!
“It feels like a violation, because you’re so invested in everyone.”