Following last week's massive cliffhanger, this week's episode of Monarch: Legacy of Monsters will be a different kind of experience and, while we don't plan on spoiling anything, we did get a chance to catch up with stars Anna Sawai ("Cate Randa"), Ren Watabe ("Kentaro Randa"), and Kiersey Clemons ("May") to get some more insight on what we've seen and what's to come...
We get into unraveling the Randa family secret, while also simultaneously trying to uncover the origins of Monarch, before receiving a quick tease about what's to come for May in episode seven. Plus, the trio tell me all about working with the legendary Kurt Russell, their most challenging filming location, and more!
In our review of Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, we said the series "is wildly entertaining with a compelling human core that keeps you coming back for more. Godzilla and the Titans remain the stars of the MonsterVerse, but, thanks to the outstanding father-son duo of Kurt and Wyatt Russell as well as a star-making turn from Anna Sawai, the universe is finally able to expand in a satisfying way that will hopefully set the stage for a variety of new adventures, including the sure-to-be epic Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire in March."
Watch and/or read on for our full interview with actors Anna Sawai, Ren Watabe, and Kiersey Clemons below, and please remember to SUBSCRIBE to my YouTube channel for more exclusive content!
ROHAN: Anna and Ren, in addition to the whole Monarch monster mystery, there are also a lot of family secrets being revealed for the two of you. When you first got the scripts, how did you two connect and try to sort of reconcile what your characters are going through?
ANNA: I mean, I guess with Cate, she has no idea about her family's past, and so, I didn't really think too much about understanding every single bit about Keiko’s arc. I do think that it's so interesting that we do learn that all the choices and things that happen to Keiko and to Hiroshi are now reflecting on Cate and Kentaro. But yeah, I don't think I had to, like mentally prepare myself because of this whole family history.
REN: Yeah, not only does Kentaro discover a new sister, but he also learns about his family's secrets and the family's relation to Monarch. So, there's a sense of betrayal, but also curiosity.
ROHAN: Kiersey, your character has a big episode coming up where a lot will be revealed, so I’m not going to ask you to spoil anything, but it sure seems like May is really starting to care about Cate and Kentaro. How do these newfound friendships sort of affect her mindset moving into the backhalf of the season?
KIERSEY: I think that, by the time we get to the episode that we kind of start to understand why May is the way that she is, she starts to open up as well, because a part of her is healed, and so, I think that she's able to admit to herself that she has a lot of love for these guys, and she's able to maybe let go of her little bit of resentment towards Kentaro. She really, really cares about Cate.
ROHAN: All three of you get to spend ample time with Kurt Russell - what was it like working with him and seeing him work?
ANNA: I didn't really know what to expect, but he just is so, so down to earth. He's always interested in making conversations with like crew and cast, I think that we really saw that he has so much passion and love for what he does, which is surprising because, you know, some of the days are really long and you get tired and sometimes we show up and we're just like, oh my God, but Kurt always has amazing energy and just being able to learn from him as an example was a huge thing for me.
KIERSEY: There's nothing for me to add on to that. I agree 100%
ELISA: Me too.
ANNA: Yeah, we love him!
KIERSEY: We do!
ROHAN: Each of your characters has a moment or two this season where they’re essentially offered an out where they could leave and let this Titan business be someone else’s problem, but each of them decide to stay on mission. What would you say drive your characters to keep going?
ANNA: I feel like Cate is sucked into it because of her father, but then, she realizes that this is something that she wants to know, like it's in her blood, it's her grandma’s thing. Learning little bits about it, I think really makes her curious to know more and then, towards the end we see her really shift, in terms of energy, towards like the organization that is Monarch and Godzilla and being a part of that world.
REN: Yeah, my character has a deep passion for finding the truth about his father, that's what drives him, that's his main motive.
KIERSEY: I can't tell you what drives me cause it’s a spoiler!
ROHAN: With the Titans being the stars and the globe-trotting nature of the show, was there any major sequence that you all found extra challenging to shoot?
KIERSEY: What would you guys say? I would say, in Kamloops, the desert.
ANNA: Oh my God, yeah!
KIERSEY: We had to dodge a lot of cacti. I mean, all of us, the crew, the cast. We were in nature a lot, which was so beautiful getting to be in all of these natural elements, and it really helps with the performance, but I mean, the rain, being on the glacier, but then, the rain was nice, because it was when we were in these trees and everything.
ANNA: Yeah, it was beautiful. But, like she said, I think the desert scenes were the toughest, because, we couldn't avoid it. We were rolling into the ground.
KIERSEY: We had dirt everywhere.
ANNA: Yes! That was tough, huh?
REN: That was tough.
KIERSEY: Agree with us! *all three laughing*
ANNA: But yes, despite that, we did have a lot of fun. We were staying in the same Airbnb.
KIERSEY: It was cute!
Monarch: Legacy of Monsters is now streaming on Apple TV+!