EXCLUSIVE: Alex FitzAlan & Charles Alexander Talks Season 2 of The Wilds
The Wilds Season 2 is now out on Prime Video and we got the chance to chat with two stars of the series, Alex Fitzalan (Seth) and Charles Alexander (Kirin). The two are just some of the newcomers who joined the cast in the second season.
In our interview, we talked how they related to their characters, what drew them to the series, which female characters they want to interact more with, and so much more. Check out what they had to say below.
On personality vs. skill when it comes to the characters creating relationships or groups:
FitzAlan: “Personality seems like a first impression-type thing. Whereas skill is something that you learn after being with someone for an extended period, especially a group of eight young men. As a 17 year old, you’re probably really eager to prove yourself as a capable person, especially to your peers. So I guess that’s what I would say for that.”
Alexander: “What Alex said, I like what he said. And skills, they don’t go anywhere and you can’t fake it. A personality, you can kind of put it on and crack some jokes, or get in someone’s face, but you can’t really argue with whether or not you know where north is.”
On how they relate to their characters:
Alexander: “Mine is quite easy because I come from a very athletic family. My mom and stepdad were both Olympic swimmers, and my dad was a tennis player. So they were very sadly disappointed when I said I was going to be an actor, but then they were elated when they heard I was at least pretending to be an athlete. Although it’s not an Olympic sport, lacrosse, a good consolation for me. And so I have a unique insight into how crazy athletes are as people and intense.
FitzAlan: “Seth is an awkward and sometimes funny man, boy, so sure”
On which timeline they really enjoyed delving into in regards to their characters: “
FitzAlan: “My character didn’t get an after, really. And I much preferred the stuff happening in real time. Just more fun. Walk on, and it was on the beach. It was cool.”
Alexander: “The story assists you in being able to show a human being with a greater spectrum of emotions and see them in different circumstances. I mean, obviously before the island, it’s a high school setting. During the island, you’re on an island, life and death and all of that. With Kirin, you only get a very small snapshot into what his mental state is, but it’s also in an interview situation and it’s very small, but it’s an interesting journey to look at, with all the sunburn and everything and then the after. Yeah. It’s really cool.”
On a characteristic about the character that they found difficult to connect with:
FitzAlan: “Seth’s really troubled and dark, and that was tough. Some of those things were really hard to film, but you just do the work.”
Alexander: “He just seems like he does not give a f*** at all about what anyone else around him thinks, and try as I might to come across like someone that doesn’t care what other people think, I guess I’m not that uninhibited to the point where I’ll just like walk out of the water naked and then shake my dick at someone to get them to stop looking at it, you know? I’d probably be like, ‘Oh, excuse me. I’m just going to nip off into the bushes and just put something on.’ Or I’d have a sarong by the side and I’d just sort of have some sort of vanity garment, but I wouldn’t just let it all hang out like that. What a bold maneuver.”
On what drew them to the series:
FitzAlan: “I was living in Brisbane at the time and it was the middle of COVID, and this was shooting on the Gold Coast, which is an hour away. It was the perfect job and it was so much fun to do and meet all these people. It was just so fortunate.”
Alexander: “And the other thing that Alex is forgetting to tell you is that he got a call like 48 hours before we started shooting, and everyone else had already met everybody. And then it was just like, suddenly this new guy was joining the cast like right before we started. He pretty much was like, ‘Yeah. Okay, I’ll come and shoot that show. Oh, we’re starting in two days.’ And then, I remember on the first day walking up to Seth’s door and being like, I want to meet the new Seth and knocked. And he opened the door and I was like, “Oh, we are going be friends.'”
FitzAlan: “Yeah, it was very sweet.”
Alexander: “Unlike Alex, who’s just got a catalog of previous titles. This is my first real thing. After that long journey, all the trips to LA, 200 auditions, I was like, If I’m going to wait this long and go through all the hardship, it’s got to be something I can really sink my teeth into, a story worth telling that’s going to be impactful and is something worth watching. And a character that I believe in, and has depth. That was my experience when I got my hands on the script. And when I got to talk with Sarah before the callback, we had a session together, and we just got straight to the wound really quickly. And I just knew that I was going to have an opportunity to just play, and have a really good time with this character. But also having seen first season, it was like, the aesthetic is unbelievable. They shoot it in situ. They’re on a black sand beach in New Zealand and I was just… Every day was a privilege and I was pinching myself and I was like, ‘I’m here, I’m doing it. This is sick.’ And now I’m sitting here talking to you and I’m looking at the Hollywood sign. And I’m like, yeah. That’s what drew me in. They reeled me in!”
On which of the female characters they would love to see their character interact with:
FitzAlan: “Sophia, Fatin, and Mia.”
Alexander: “Yeah. Kirin and Fatin”
On whether or not they would survive on a desert island and what modern convenience could they not do without:
Alexander: “Yes. A hundred percent would survive, but I wouldn’t survive without, you know, like a really high quality, like hotel penthouse sort of mattress, and everything that comes with it. And sort of protective bed frames, so that bugs and s**t aren’t going to get you. At least you’re sleeping good. ‘Cause messy bed, messy head, you know? You don’t want to be lying down on the dirt.'”
FitzAlan: “I would hope I would survive unless I suffer a great fall and injure myself where I can’t move and I’m stuck under a log or something. Aside from that, I would hope I would survive. ”
On their hopes for season three:
Alexander: “Well, I’m actually more excited for season four. No, I want to see someone on these islands take a moment to stop the b****ing and moaning, and just acknowledge that they’re in a beautiful location. No one’s done it yet. ”
FitzAlan: “Honestly, Fatin interact with Kirin.”
On their reaction to the season’s finale scene:
FitzAlan: “I was elated. I got up on the couch. I was like, “Yeah! That’s the sh**. It was great. When we shot it, we another version. Then we did this other version, which is like, okay. Actually, let’s try like looking at the camera and some sort of fourth wall break. And I don’t know. I just think it’s really creepy and it’s a really effective way to get people to be like, ‘Oh what’s his deal next time? Don’t know. Let’s find out.'”
On the makeup effects their characters had to wear:
Alexander: “The makeup, obviously super intense. Each person has their own curated makeup and it’s based on your skin tone and what you’re wearing. But the cool thing about it is that everybody got their own makeup artist that is with you the whole way through. And obviously as you progress through the story of makeup, the time in the chair is longer. It was just really cool because it would be your morning ritual, no matter what time you’re starting. If you’re starting shooting at five in the morning, then you’re going to get in at three. And then you get a coffee and you sit there and you’ve got the music. And my makeup artist, Cora, would always spray special stuff on me that calmed me down and there’d be a candle burning and music going, and just chilling there and you’d learn your lines. And then you’d be sent off to act.”
FitzAlan: “Sometimes it was a little annoying because you couldn’t rub your face because it’s latex effects. So you you’d rub the sunburn and all of their hard work off. So that was interesting.”
On the most challenging part about filming this season:
FitzAlan: “Probably, the first part of the season was Australian summer and that was actually pretty tough. Sometimes it was like 30 degree days and we were shooting on the beach for up to 12 hours sometimes. So just that sun beating down and just having to film the scenes takes a really big toll on you. And you start to get like physically dehydrated, but then if you’re trying to keep that same feeling going throughout a whole scene, sometimes scenes take like eight hours to film. So that was definitely challenging to keep your head in the game and keep focused with the environment trying to do its thing.”
Alexander: “COVID. You had to get COVID-tested three times a week. Just, the money that they would’ve spent on COVID. Oh my God. They had like 20 people full-time on set all the time, testing you. It also meant that you couldn’t leave Queensland. And I love Queensland, but sometimes you just want a break, you know? You just want to get in the car and go somewhere. It felt like you were forced to stay in paradise, Surfers Paradise to be precise, which is where we’re living. These are little trivial things Everything else relating to the shoot was great. If there’s something that I’m really struggling with, with my performance, or working with synchronicity with the cast, and finding a good zone where we can all concentrate and make something great. That was all just opportunities to learn. This is my first experience on a proper set long-term. And I was just like, I just want to learn it all. I felt like I was plugged into that machine.”
*This interview has been edited for length and clarity
Photo credit: Amazon Studios