They admitted that they first became close over AEW wrestlers.
Afterparty Apple TV+ has just launched the second season of its murder-mystery series. It’s clear that this show is another clever, obsessively clever story. PopCulture.com, ahead of the show premiere, had the chance to interview some of its stars, such as Jack Whitehall and Paul Walter Hauser who portray Sebastian Draperwood, and Travis Gladrise. The two are newcomers to The Afterparty and during our interview, they revealed what attracted them most about the show.
Whitehall explained that he was excited to have the chance to explore all these worlds and different genres. “It’s just the freedom to do so,” he said. Whitehall is referring the the way each episode will be told in a specific film genre that relates to each character. I’d watched the first series and was blown away by its scope and ambition. I read the second series and saw how each episode was so different and had such a big impact. We were also going to have the chance to shoot all these mind movies during the shooting. It was for me the most thrilling element, and I was right. When we did it, every episode was a new start and each mini-movie was a different kind. It was wonderful.”
In the episode of Hauser, the series delivers an incredibly hilarious noir experience. This is something that Hauser was eager to dive into. The Noir episode was hilarious on paper. “I thought this was my favourite comedy writing that I have ever done, and I was very excited about it.”
Hauser said that behind-the-scenes, the entire cast was having a good time. He added that “everyone was hilarious in their way, and you could tell there were some people really getting into the joke.” You had some people who were very straight. Funny moments can be made more hilarious by being honest. It’s something I should probably reflect on, because sometimes I can be a bit too energetic. I had so much fun!”
Whitehall said that Hauser, and himself had “knew one another a bit” before they met onscreen. They had bonded because of their mutual love for professional wrestlers. The two of us had never met but, strangely, we exchanged some emails because we shared a love of professional wrestling. Tony Kahn, a fellow AEW fan and AEW fanatic was a common friend. We had some contact to warm up, so we did a bit of warming-up.
The actor continued: “It was as though we didn’t start from scratch when we met for the first-time on set. We both enjoy comedy, and we have the same influences. And both of us are huge fans of physical humor and comedians of that type. We talked about it a lot.” Hauser chimed back, “I remembered you telling how much Jim Carey influenced you.”
Whitehall continued, “I didn’t feel that my performance was right for the character. However, I enjoyed being Paul’s straight man when he was doing some of his bits.” I am a huge admirer of anyone who is able pull off physical comedy. Paul was so committed and brave in his scenes. Being able give him something off which to bounce on, it was a great experience.
First three episodes of Afterparty Season 2 is now available. Now streaming Apple TV+. PopCulture.com has more cast interviews. [Editor’s Note: this interview has been slightly edited to avoid spoilers.]