With the release of the final season of “The Umbrella Academy” on Netflix, we had the opportunity to sit down and chat with Emmy Raver-Lampman (Allison) and Ritu Arya (Lila) about their time on the unique series. Like the series, our discussion was bittersweet as they shared some of their favorite experiences working on the show.
Both of you have had pretty robust character arcs over the four seasons. Have there been any moments that you found particularly interesting or compelling?
Emmy Raver-Lampman: For Alison, I think season two with the whole family thrown into the 60s and how that steered her narrative. I felt extremely honored and grateful to have the opportunity to tell the story of what I believe to be the unsung heroes of the civil rights movement, which are the women. I took that very seriously with a lot of tender, loving care, did so much research and reading, and tried to even dip a toenail into understanding how that could have felt and been like.
I wanted to be as respectful as possible. And I think that for me as an actor, as a human being, that was a highlight of my life and my career to tell their stories through Alison and then to have that on the platform that is watched all over the world. I think a lot of people believe the civil rights movement was a really long time ago, and it was not.
I thought it was really beautiful to have that opportunity to tell her story. I’m really proud of that season and Alison’s journey.
Ritu Arya: I’ve been so lucky with Lila. Season two was just a dream come true. She came in as like, “Who is this crazy girl from this insane asylum playing all these tricks on Diego?” Then you find out there’re so many twists with her in that season and who she is. Even the cast didn’t know until they read the last episode of that season what happens with her and that she’s one of them.
Then in season three, she comes back to the relationship she has with Diego. Then this season takes that even further.
In the world of Umbrella, anything can go. So they do that. That’s what’s been amazing, the kind of creative license that we have with the show and playing with that. Lila started off with this very sort of rebellious, selfish, Lone Ranger. And by now, she’s got kids, she’s in a marriage, and she cares about the family she’s got now. That does something to you. It makes you not as selfish. It makes you think about others. She’s still got that playfulness and that mischievousness. But there’s a depth to her now. As people, we grow.
We’ve been doing this show for years and even every year you change so much. It’s been beautiful to get to keep playing and keep evolving as well as these characters.
What are you going to miss the most about your characters?
Ritu Arya I’ve loved playing Lila. I think that everything’s a game for her. It’s that bit that is so fun. There’s spontaneity. She doesn’t care what people think, which is amazing. She’s so strong. She’s such a badass. She just is.
Emmy Raver-Lampman We’ve both had the privilege of playing these incredibly strong, fierce women. I’ve loved that about Alison. I’ve also loved that we see a different version of Alison in every one of her siblings. When she’s having a scene with Victor, there’s that Alison. Then when it’s Luther, there’s that Alison. And when it’s Klaus, there’s another Alison.
This season, we’re getting a new version of her that we’ve not met yet, which is playing out with Claire. It’s almost unintentional because we’ve been doing the show for so long that these different actors pull different versions of Alison out of me, depending on the situation. What’s so beautiful about this show is that there are so many different dynamics at play at once.
I’ll miss getting to play all these different versions of this woman.
Have there been any scenes that either weren’t shot or didn’t make the show?
Emmy Raver-Lampman Alison’s cold open in the pilot was originally this insane nightclub scene. We shot it and I was in this fierce dress. It was similar to Ben’s cold open as the Sparrow, where I was in this nightclub surrounded by all these people. We were drinking champagne when all these paparazzi come up to me and say “Have you heard the news? Reginald Hargreaves is dead.”
And then, it didn’t work. I don’t think you understood from the scene that she was an actor and a celebrity. So they changed it to the red carpet. Which I love.
Even this season, there was a whole sequence during the road trip that was shot but didn’t make the cut.
Ritu Arya I feel like this one, more than other shows I’ve done, has often stayed true to what was on the script because there are so many characters and that they’ve had to try and fit these things into that amount of time. I’m always interested to see how they edit it and what takes they use. Especially with a character with Lila, because she always says what’s on her mind. I’ve had quite a lot of free license to just say random stuff in moments where nothing’s happening. It’s really fun to see which take they end up using.
Emmy Raver-Lampman I feel like usually, when we’re shooting the first episode, only about three or four episodes are done being written. While we’re filming, the rest of the show is still being written. Since so much of our show is location-based, there’s a lot of money, effort, and time, and it’s just such a big show that I think they’re really careful and specific about scenes and what needs to tell the story and what is fluff.
Ritu Arya I remember in season two, when Lila’s fighting everyone and learns that she’s a power mirror, and then not getting the chance to mimic certain people’s powers. I was like, “Can we get this in?” With the Sparrows in season three, I asked, “What if she could do this or that and do all of their powers?” Those were ideas that were sometimes written but then there just wasn’t time to shoot them.
What were your feelings when you read the script for the final episode?
Ritu Arya Well, it was quite funny because I had to film some of the last scenes before we’d even started the shoot. Due to location availability, we had to come in for a week or two, but the scripts weren’t ready. We read these last scenes and I was like, “I have no idea why this is happening. Can I call you Steve? I have some questions.”
There were so many surprising moments. We would read the episodes as they would come. Every time it’s a delight. I love the show as much as if I was an audience member. It’s the best feeling getting to read the episodes and then seeing it come to life.
Watching the final episode, I was a wreck. I was really, really upset. But I was also nostalgic and grateful and really proud. It was all the feels, all the feels.
Emmy Raver-Lampman Yeah, I agree. It felt like an ending that I think everyone could be happy with and proud of. It ties up all of these journeys of so many moments throughout all four seasons that are so all over the place and so far away and so separate. It brought everybody back together in a really beautiful way.
Ritu Arya This show has meant so much to me. Like you said, it’s changed our lives and we see that people love the show. This week’s been amazing getting to meet a lot of fans in person. I’m like, “Oh, wow! These guys love the show as much as I love being in it and it means as much as it’s meant to me.”
People are attached to this show because it’s been special for people and I think that is really uniting. And that’s a blessing as well.
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