21-05-2025
‘Nine Perfect Strangers' Season 2 cast members share insights on the psychological drama series everybody's talking about
Above The official trailer of the second season of 'Nine Perfect Strangers'. The first two episodes will be made available on Hulu and Amazon Prime Video on May 22 (GMT+8)
Meanwhile, Aras Aydin ( Oğlan Bizim Kız Bizim ) from Türkiye describes his excitement over the huge sets and the majestic natural landscape that welcomed them all.
'It was an exalting experience—being in the natural world, feeling such grandeur. We were all just in a state of enchantment, so that was way better than being just in a sound stage or wherever,' says two-time Tony winner Christine Baranski ( Mamma Mia! , The Gilded Age ).
Aydin and Baranski play the roles of Matteo and Victoria, respectively, in a May-December affair which surprised Imogen (Annie Murphy), Victoria's daughter and supposedly her exclusive companion to the wellness programme.
'Its expansiveness added to the feeling of wanting to open up emotionally,' Baranski adds.
Above Inside the chalet as the guests and their wellness guides, (standing) Martin and Masha, wait for them to be completed (Photo: Disney / Reiner Bajo)
'Because I was working with such extraordinary actors with so much depth, I've learned a lot about my feelings by sharing them,' Baranski continues. 'Yes, [the series] is about wellness and self-healing, and all. But honestly, you find healing through loving other people. Being loved and accepted is how you're ultimately healed,' she says.
The communal and diverse cast of actors not only allows representation and inclusivity, but Baranski also thinks it is the core messaging of the show, among others.
Turkish actor Aydin found parallels to his character, who initially enters the narrative as a threat, particularly to the character of Imogen, Victoria's daughter. 'Meeting a lot of beautiful hearts was healing me, so that was a life-changer, an incredible experience for me,' he says.
Read more: Dolly de Leon's visceral performance in 'Request sa Radyo' is a masterclass in pensive acting
Above Nicole Kidman plays Masha Dmitrichenko, who invites strangers into a transformational wellness retreat over the course of a week. Will they make it as she takes them to the brink? (Photo: Disney / Reiner Bajo)
Henry Golding (Crazy Rich Asians , The Gentlemen ), who plays Peter Sharpe, Strong's son in the show, credits the expansion of the novel's original narrative (around which the first season revolved) to the series' director Jonathan Levine, who envisioned including more relevant elements in the show. Besides adding more variety to the mix of the 'nine perfect strangers', audiences get to see people who are personally close to the lead protagonist, Masha.
'Here, we've been able to develop and create a world of Jonathan Levine, so it was an incredible experience,' Golding says. 'We all bring something to our characters from our personal lives, so not only was it a crazy amalgamation of creativity but of stories and histories interacting with each other.'
As another internationally acclaimed actor of Asian descent, De Leon shares her joyful experience of filming an on-location international series with such a diverse cast and with the iconic Australian actor Nicole Kidman.
' Saya! Sobrang saya at ang sarap-sarap nilang lahat katrabaho [It was fun! So much fun and it felt so good to work with them all],' she says ecstatically. 'They're all very loving, sweet, generous people, and I love that particular scene where we were all together, that for me was the most valuable as far as I'm concerned, because that was my chance to really share the set with all of them.'
Above Lucas Englander as Martin, Zauberwald's pharmacologist and right-hand man of Masha, with Aras Aydin and Christine Baranski as Matteo and Victoria who came to the chalet as part of the batch of participants in the programme (Photo: Disney / Reiner Bajo)
Revolving around themes of wellness and personal transformation, what sets the first season apart from other shows is the unravelling of Masha's unorthodox healing methods, pushing her guests to the brink through the aid of psychedelics. To what extent Masha's methods would develop in the second season, we can only wait for the episodes to drop on May 22 (GMT+8) on Amazon Prime Video, now that there is a complication in her personal life tied into the latest batch of 'perfect strangers'.
'The method of Masha can be put into question with regard to how effective it can be,' says De Leon. 'As for my character ex-nun Sister Agnes, who found herself unable to hear God's voice anymore, she had reservations over that method, and I believe that was justifiable. This is because she believes that it is important for us to move forward in order for us to remember all aspects of our past.'
Above Mark Strong as David Sharpe, a wealthy international businessman (Photo: Disney / Reiner Bajo)
'I think in this day and age, people are a lot more open to therapy and its benefits,' Golding surmises. 'Mark and I have similar sentiments as to how we were taught as children to 'bury stuff', sucking it up and putting on a brave face. So the idea of travelling with these characters of ours to a place like Masha's or Zauberwald is an amazing one because you see how humans can reveal themselves and work through these traumatic events from their past.'
As he plays the role of Peter, a wealthy bachelor lacking direction in life, he shares that his arc revolves around building a bridge of love to his father, David Sharpe, portrayed by Strong.
Similarly, Baranski, who plays Imogen's (Annie Murphy) mother and Matteo's (Aras Aydin) paramour, also felt that the scenes they worked on together were not only vital for their characters' relationship-building but also were impactful as they required her vulnerability as a human being.
Above Lena Olin plays the role of Dr Helena Von Falkenberg, owner of Zauberwald, whose shared history with Masha led to the relocation of the latter's famed wellness programme (Photo: Disney / Reiner Bajo)
Nine Perfect Strangers is produced by Made Up Stories, Blossom Films and Fifth Season. It is available on Hulu (Disney) and Amazon Prime Video, with the second season commencing on May 22 (GMT+8).
Asked what people could get out of this riveting series, each of the new cast members shares their varied insights. For Aydin, it's the lesson of not running away from your traumas and problems in life but rather facing them to be fully healed. For Baranski, it's the call for empathy, where we should realise that everybody in the world suffers, hence why don't we show humanity towards each other? It can be difficult, but it's not something to be ashamed of. For Strong, the possibility of someone changing for the better. Golding, whose character's motivation was to patch things up with his father through the promise of this unconventional therapy, shares that it's the reality that there's never one solution to all our diverse problems.
'I hope audiences come to realise that it's always important to remember the mistakes made in the past, and it's okay to fail and make missteps sometimes. Our failures are what would lead us to a brighter future because that's how we learn as humans,' De Leon concludes.
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