Jon Seda added that it would be an exciting season with lots of drama.
A lot of action and drama is packed in the final six episodes. You have different worlds that are colliding in ways we never saw before. As Chike said, you see Ty waking up somewhere, and that alone, and why that’s happening, was a lot of fun for us to play, and the fans will like that one.”
Jon Seda also shared where Sam and Riley’s relationship stood in the upcoming season with all the changes.
“It’s always tough being a father. Now he has a young adult daughter, and 10,000 BC doesn’t stop that dynamic from continuing to have surprises. Some more things happen this season, and Sam finds himself challenged in a way he never thought he would have to be prepared for.
That’s something that the fans will get to see going on between them. You know, there’s some. Push and pull and try to get on the same page. Then, he finds himself dealing with a challenge he couldn’t have prepared for.”
Both Jon and Chike hinted that Ty and Sam would experience different relationships as they dealt with their emotional baggage. Chike expanded on that.
“I don’t know how to speak on that without giving it away. Sam and Ty have built this great bond over two or three seasons. We must work out how to create that bond again because of how the show goes and the timelines work.
So, just that in itself has been a big challenge and a good one. And it was a fun one to play. Ty has to rebuild a relationship with one of his best friends again, Sam.”
Chike also revealed how fun doing some incredible CGI scenes with the dinosaurs was.
“It’s the best gift to an actor, and you feel like a kid every day. You turn up at work, and there’s this extensive set of pieces to play, and you get to use your imagination. But it mostly boils down to David Applebaum and his imagination. As Jon said, with only six episodes, no holds were barred.
The best part of the job is the fun aspect of who we’re running from, what we’re running from, what we’re running to.
As the trailer shows, there’s plenty of that in this season, to have been in 10,000 BC and worked with the creatures in that period. Now we’ve opened the gates, and there are dinosaurs to try and evade.”
Josh McKenzie, Lily Santiago, and Rohan Mirchandaney
Josh McKenzie and Lily Santiago shared how Lucas and Veronica coped with pregnancy in 10,000 BC.
“They’re not coping well. The environment isn’t conducive to raising a child. It’s exposing their insecurities and fears and putting their past trauma on display because neither of them had good parental role models. Lucas fears raising a child and screwing his child up like he was by his parents.
He’s trying to become a leader and a father in the community. He goes through stuff repeatedly and makes terrible decisions while becoming a new man.
It’s a complicated journey they’re embarking on and requires a lot of trust in one another, which is challenging because they’ve only known each other for a short while.
The last two seasons took place over a few weeks, so they haven’t known each other for very long, which requires a lot of trust.”
Lily Santiago added how Veronica matures this season.
“It’s a terrifying prospect to have a child at that age, let alone in 10,000 BC. I was surprised by the way Veronica takes it in stride. She steps up awesomely for herself, Lucas, and the baby because they can agree that they both want better for their child than they had for themselves.
It’s cool to see them unite, or when they disagree, they’re in it together. How they struggle or succeed is a pleasure to play, read, and watch”.
Rohan Mirchandaney shared where Scott was at when the upcoming season returns.
“When we start, he’s with Petra. He’s cracked the surface, and they’re starting to make jokes together. He’s become more confident speaking to the characters from the Clearing, and he’s in a warm place.
He’s grown a lot in the first two seasons, and what happens with the dinosaurs at the start of the season throws everyone a curveball, and we all have to scramble to survive once again. He starts in a perfect place.”
The actors also teased how their characters dealt with new alliances and new leadership, beginning with Josh.
“We’re meeting some new characters from a different tribe, which will require much collaboration. Lucas tries to establish himself as a leader and learns to communicate with people he doesn’t necessarily agree with and how they do things. There’s also the added pressure of having a child on the way.
He rises up into a leadership role and has to learn how to communicate with a tribe based in 10,000 BC. There’s also a lot of conflict within his relationship with Veronica that is established by how they network with this new tribe.”
Lily added that Veronica learned how to support Lucas and bridge the gap between the cultures.
“Veronica learns to be a good partner to somebody in a leadership position and has this respect without feeling like she’s had much herself. She finds herself more as a potential bridge between the two cultures, and she can understand two sides and help with communication and effective leadership.”
Lily also shared how Veronica handled the stress of Veronica’s pregnancy with the new creatures that arrived at the camp.
“It’s hysterical to me that the stakes get higher. If you watch La Brea, you know everything’s going wrong, and then you add dinosaurs and a pregnancy. It gets more intense. I was surprised by how Veronica seemed to adapt to this pregnancy.
She’s terrified of loving anyone, let alone a little human you’re responsible for. It’s scary, especially when you’re in a world where things are uncertain. She’s proud to be in this position where she, for the first time, has a family and love, and she is willing to fight to the death for that.
There are twinkles of her past self that can come out in the sense that when she’s going to protect something, she will defend it to the death.”
Jack Martin and Veronica St. Clair
Jack Martin and Veronica St. Clair began their interview by discussing which castmates they enjoyed working with, with Jack taking the lead.
“I mostly worked with the same people, and I’m happy about that. They’re all great, and I enjoy working with them. Most of my scenes are with Veronica, and we have a great time together. While I love everyone on the cast, it’s a special thing when you work with someone this much for this long.”
Veronica St. Clair added that while she loves working with Jack, she enjoys mixing it up with other cast, too.
“I spent most of my time with Jack and my dad this season as in previous seasons. What’s lovely about being a part of an ensemble cast is that you can mix it up. Last season, I worked a lot with Lily Santiago, who plays Veronica, and I hadn’t had the opportunity to do that before.
So, it was fun to see Riley and Veronica together. It got confusing on set since my name was Veronica, and her character was Veronica. I prefer if people call me Riley on set because we’d both respond otherwise. There’s also Josh Harris and Josh McKenzie. That was always a problem as well.
In Season 1, we had Lily and then Lily Santiago because Chloe de Los Santos played Lily. It felt serendipitous. When we first started shooting the show, there had to be some magic happening here, with so many name doubles. I had been called in many times for Lily Santiago.
There have been many mix-ups on call sheets because of that.”
Jack teased how finding Eve was the season’s central theme and how things have changed between Josh and his family.
“They changed quite a bit. Finding Eve is the central theme of the season. She’s been such a leader. We established in the series premiere that she is this group’s leader, and everyone looks up to her. She’s also the core lifeblood of the Harris family.
While we’re independent and do our things, we are all strong characters, but at the end of the day, Eve’s heart is the heart of that family.
So, her absence is difficult for us to navigate, as it would be for anyone to have their mother or wife missing, depending on whose perspective you’re talking about. But even more so in this situation.”
La Brea Season 3 Episode 1 premieres on Tuesday, January 9, at 9/8c on NBC.
This interview was edited for length and clarity.