I don’t think there’s a better way to describe season two of Quantico than when Priyanka Chopra said: “I’m very happy being John McClane.” It’s even better that this time because John McClane is a woman.
The cast and creator, Joshua Safran, attended PaleyFest to dish on the fan favorite show.
Priyanka has had the training for Alex Parrish with seven or eight action roles in her career. There are so many male action heroes, it’s great to have a female one.
“It’s great to be given a part that’s so unconventional. You see a female hero who’s smart, intelligent, and at the same time can kick some serious ass,” Priyanka said.
This isn’t just an action show, it’s an intelligent show too. Johanna Braddy (Shelby Wyatt) said they really have to pay close attention when they read the scripts.
“I think that’s what people really like about this show. You have to figure it out. You have to really stay on it and this show doesn’t take your intelligence for granted. It tells you, pay attention or you miss out.” Priyanka said.
Joshua said he wanted to create a show where you can’t look away from the TV or iPad, you can’t check your emails. “If you miss one second of the show, you’re lost for the whole season,” he said.
As Blair Underwood (Owen Hall) said, just like us, they don’t know anything. The cast can’t give us any spoilers because even they don’t know where their characters are going. Priyanka said they come up with a new terrorist theory every episode. Jake McLaughlin (Ryan Booth) said the writers ghost you if you try asking them for any information. Yasmine al Massri (Nimah/Raina Anwar) has come up with an integration technique that makes the writers slip. She asks the writers why Nimah is saying this and says she needs to know. I wonder if Yasmine will ever be able to get a writer to spill again, now she’s let us all in on her secret.
Things can get confusing for the cast when they’re filming two different timelines and have no idea how their characters get to point B. This year it’s a little bit easier from the filming perspective, at least. According to Joshua, in season one they could be doing one timeline at nine, another one at noon and then go back to the other timeline. This year they are filming the timelines by day.
Yasmine probably has the hardest time because she has two different roles to play in both timelines.
“I’m just going to say it, we all prayed last year that one of the twins would die,” Priyanka said.
While this seems like a horrible thing to say, the actress noted that they had to do every scene twice, especially the classroom scenes. It’s all in good fun, the crowd laughed as she joked.
Yasmine likes both of her characters: “One does not work without the other, who they are compliments each other,” she said.
“Raina is a big responsibility. I’m so honored to show Raina because she’s that part of the hopeful character from the Arab world from the movement but she’s such a big responsibility,” she added.
Then Yasmine slightly laughed and said: “I want to get rid of her.”
With a serious show such as Quantico, it’s good that the cast can have a laugh.
While we were all shocked by Miranda’s big twist, Aunjanue wasn’t surprised.
“I [wasn’t] because we’re so caught up in doing it all time. I kind of don’t think of it. I realized when I was at Target on Sunday, some woman was like, so you’re the terrorist, I was like oh my God,” she said.
“So, I’m still processing it,” Aunjanue added.
I think we’re all processing it and who knows where this story arc is going.
Russell Tovey is definitely enjoying himself on set, he’s not used to craft service.
“In the UK, we get some tea or some biscuits and here it’s like a wedding buffet. When lunch comes you’re not even hungry,” he said.
If you are liking Harry Doyle so far, it sounds like there’s a lot more coming our way.
“It’s been incredibly exciting and humbling and I love where Harry is going and I really feel like the writers are giving me such great stuff to do with this guy. He’s cheeky and charming. He’s the artful dodger of Quantico. Then suddenly he’s manipulative. He has an agenda but he does it with a wink and smile and sometimes a kiss,” Russell said.
If that’s not enough to get excited for the rest of season two, we still have to see how Alex and Ryan break up again, what Miranda’s end game is, and who the terrorists are. Tune in Sunday nights at 10pm to see where this season will take us.
