With Deadly Class just wrapping up their first season on the SyFy network they made their presence known at WonderCon 2019. Producer Miles Orion Feldsott and cast members Benjamin Wadsworth, Maria Gabriela de Faria, Taylor Hickson, Luke Tennie and Liam James were all in attendance for this special Deadly Class panel.
After some awkward video issues the panel opened with video recap of the first season and a special video message from Lana Condor, who could not attend the show as she is shooting the sequel for To All The Boys I’ve Ever Loved.
Maria Gabriela de Faria spoke first about how hard it was to find the darkness within herself because of how emotionally demanding the role was. Maria then talked about dealing with anxiety and panic attacks throughout her life, with the fans at the panel applauding her for speaking about it in such an open and honest manner. She said that eventually it became a cathartic experience playing the role when finding the personal connection to her character.
Taylor Hickson then spoke about how her character has been able to change from starting out as a one dimensional character to being someone that is able to show vulnerability along with her strength.
Miles Orion Feldsott said he came in being a fan of the Deadly Class comic and how they are using the show as a way on expanding on story beats in that weren’t fully explored, like the Petra’s story.
Ben Wadsworth talks about how the season finale ending gave him a chance to finally kick ass in the way he wanted Marcus to. Also finally being Maria and come to a conclusion with that part felt rewarding for Ben. When asked about fan reception Ben says that his experience interacting with fans has been positive as they have shared their enjoyment for the TV series.
Luke talked about how his character revealed thing about himself. He also went on how Marcus and Willie’s friendship is one of love-hate as Willie is envious of Marcus because things work out for Marcus but still considers him a friend in the end. He goes on to say that he liked that he was able to play a character that is not a stereotype as it allowed the character to be relatable as a person. Luke also mentions that when playing the role he directly asked if Willie can kick ass, which Remender and the producers said he can even though he is a pacifist which is why he survives in King’s Dominion.
On how Rick Remender helped him shape his character Liam talks about how Rick comic work helped him a lot in getting in the head of his character and the world of the 1980s.
The cast then praised the open creative process that there is with the show. The Deadly Class producers and writers are open to the actors opinions, which helps them in playing their roles. They all agreed that this helped in building their confidence on set as they got more comfortable in their roles.
Both Luke and Maria mention that while gaining further confidence on set they were reminded that they were chosen specifically because everyone knew they were the best choices for the roles. Accepting this made them more confident when playing their respective roles.
Taylor says that the pilot director gave her the best advice of watching Daria to find Petra’s character
Miles then talks about how they found things as the season went like Marcus voice over and how much they needed or didn’t need it for an episode.
On the relationship angle Maria mentioned that she hopes that Petra’s relationship actually ends up happening. Meanwhile, Taylor says that she hopes that Maria can finally break her codependency on being with others, including Marcus, and find herself as an individual more.
The panel wraps up with fan Q&A where Miles stated that the Russo Brothers were heavily involved with every step of the show, including casting, editing and others. The Russo Brothers even flew Miles out to the Avengers set to show him how they shoot a fight scenes to bring that back to how it is done in Deadly Class’ choreography.
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