PJ: Zoe’s roots are still based on a machine because she is programmed so deeply, she’s toggling between not wanting to do things and doing things based on that programming, and it gets the better of her. There was some backstory that’s not in there anymore about how, even in the places she did not want to interfere in, like when a civil war broke out on Antaan’s planet, she didn’t want to get involved, but her programming got the better of her to end it. She will bring her form of justice wherever she goes. She cannot fight that.
She did not want to kill Abin Sur, but she had to do it to survive. That’s the lethal mistake she makes with John, too. Her Achilles’ heel is not understanding that there are people who are not programmed the way that she is. She takes people to the brink of life and death and then brings them back. That’s the contract she makes with people, and she does it with John, too, but he reneges on his word.
AVC: Can you talk about how Zoe’s relationship with John evolves in episode five, up until that final moment between them when he kills her? How did you and Aaron Pierre want to build this dynamic?
PJ: Green Lanterns can exterminate Zoe. This is the first time she’s swimming close to the sharks here. In that episode four scene in the motel room before she gets blown up, there’s this moment where she essentially tells John who she is when she says she’s the one who saved William Macon. She tells him in so many ways that it’s me, and you’ve seen that this is a peaceful town, and there’s nothing here, so go away, or you’ll get killed. She wants him to know she’s not the villain that he has been made to think. But he doesn’t take off. And a part of Zoe probably didn’t expect him to. But the only blind spot was John’s betrayal in a plan that she’s had worked out for decades.
Aaron is such a delight and a wonderful actor. Zoe and John have this immediate bond, being two people of color in a very white setting. She’s enigmatic and has a rare sexual freedom, and we later understand what that is about. It’s a manipulation tool, and her husband is very used to it. Building that dynamic with Aaron was so fun. I think their car scene in episode two happened really early on in filming, like day two or something maybe. But the writing and our directors really guided us into building an intimacy to make it appear believable. It’s important to know that the Manhunter manipulates John because she decides he’s the more powerful of the Green Lanterns and therefore the bigger threat. But along the way, they do fall for each other a little bit.
AVC: Zoe has a monologue about the skin she chose to live in and that adversity gives her a vantage point. I’m curious about any conversations you had with the creators about the significance of this and if it helped you grasp this character’s purpose?
PJ: You know, I felt so far away from this particular character at times. I was reading and reading and reading it, and then I found out I was a Manhunter. You’d think they might tell me that before, but they didn’t, so finding out at the end of episode four was a surprise. Lanterns is a very new genre to me. I’m not even an active consumer of it. So I was wondering how I would grasp this character. When I got episode five during a winter break, Chris Mundy sent this monologue, and as it turns out, that was my entry into Zoe Macon because it was so relatable.
As outsiders, your outsideness can be alienating growing up, but it can also be our kryptonite as we commit to our own perspectives. Our worldviews are different, and you slowly start to understand that that’s actually where your power is. So it was beautiful to have that. This monologue was really my way in. I’m the daughter of a diplomat, so I was changing schools, countries, mannerisms, and languages every three years or so growing up. The only consistent thing is that I’ve been an outsider my entire life. Even when I moved back to India at one point, people could tell from a mile away I wasn’t from there. So there has never been a sense of home. It was very frustrating, but over time it has become my entry point into things.
AVC: How did the opening scene with Kelly Macdonald factor into all this?
PJ: The funniest thing is that particular scene got pulled forward by a month, so neither of us was entirely prepared for it. We were told the night before that we have this massive scene. Kelly’s still in her Scottish accent, and I’m in my Indian accent. We’re doing the scene and realizing we need to ADR it. But it was beautiful because I don’t have as many scenes with Kelly, but she really shines in Lanterns. It’s also the women as the driving force, you know? I will often say that, for me, not only are people of color not very present in this particular genre, but there aren’t as many female superheroes as men yet. Lanterns has Sheriff Kane, Zoe, and Bernadette, and these women play a huge role in taking the story forward.
AVC: It feels like Zoe died a little too soon, just as we were getting to know her true self. Do you wish you had more time with her?
PJ: It was a great ride. When I “died” in episode four, before I had even read the reveal that Zoe’s the Manhunter and she’s still alive, I was like, “Okay, thank you, that was great, no further questions.” So when I read I was coming back for one more episode in this way, it was a massive honor to be in half of the episodes. I feel like I’ve died in worse ways on the screen before.
AVC: What are the chances she miraculously comes back to life or we get a prequel?
PJ: All I know is she’s deader than dead. Zoe’s a goner for sure.
AVC: We have to talk about Deli Boys‘ cancellation. Were you prepared for this news?
PJ: We were so grateful we got season one. It was such an absurd comedy, and every day we’ve been on set just fucking around. We were children on that set, and every day we were like, “How are we getting away with this? Where are the adults?” I just feel like we got away with murder or something for two seasons. We were distraught and in denial about the cancellation, but at the same time, we are supremely grateful. The truth is, we didn’t get our numbers. We got a lot of critical acclaim and 100% on Rotten Tomatoes. That’s insane. I also don’t take anything personally. But we’re in a timeline where, for stories of people of color, we do need the larger audience to buy into it for us to make more, and that transition hasn’t happened yet. I hope I can be a part of that change.
AVC: Were you all already planning out season three? Is there any chance we’ll get more of Deli Boys and Lucky Aunty in the future?
PJ: I do feel like it’s one of those things that’s going to catch on a little later, like Arrested Development or even Schitt’s Creek, where it’s a small show at first that not a lot of people watched and then everybody just stumbled into it. I do know there’s a very fervent vertical that loves our show, but I think it will take time to catch on. Lucky might be in a wheelchair or something when we see her next, but I hope she’ll be back.
AVC: You have Apple TV’s Nocturne coming up next month, and you’re currently filming Netflix’s Big Mistakes. What can you tease about these projects?
PJ: Big Mistakes is one of the healthiest sets I’ve been on. It’s so much fun because Dan Levy, he’s really all that and then some. Season two is really strong.
As for Nocturne, I’ve never been in anything like this. I read the books it’s based on last year, once I got the project, and it was one of the worst decisions I’ve ever made because I couldn’t sleep after. It’s why I don’t engage much with this particular genre because it is frightening to me. It’s a horrifying, scary thriller with great performances from Liev Schreiber, Zazie Beetz, and Stephen Graham. It’s another role where I’m playing this head honcho FBI person who’s coming in to try and fix everything and solve a fucked-up case. It’s another unexpected role for a South Asian woman, so I’m extraordinarily happy to be part of that project.
AVC: You’ve said before you didn’t think you would get to do roles like Lanterns in your career. When you look back now, how do you kind of view the evolution of the roles you’ve gotten in the past 10 or 15 years?
PJ: It is a good question, but the thing is, it’s hard for me to comment on it. I’ve played a lot of strong women in the shows you mentioned. I’ve played these sexually liberated, cool women, but there’s a difference between being strong and powerful. With Lucky and Zoe, everything revolves around them. They do have a power that’s usually relegated to men. You know this, but Lucky was initially written as a male character. So to take on that power and enter a space that is usually dominated by men, it’s a different thing to navigate. As I said, for me, being strong is very different from being very powerful.`
Saloni Gajjar is The A.V. Club‘s TV critic.
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