Sarah Shahi Hopes Her Character Becomes Unhinged In Season Two Of Hulu’s ‘Paradise’
ByDana Feldman
, Senior Contributor.
Sarah Shahi says Dan Fogelman’s exceptional writing is what drew her to Hulu’s ‘Paradise.’
Is art imitating life? Hollywood is churning out several incredibly gripping apocalyptic-themed series, and viewers cannot get enough. The latest is Hulu’s Paradise, which is a real nail-biter from start to finish. The breakout hit had fans instantly hooked and obsessed with solving a murder and unraveling the mysteries of this unique world created by Dan Fogelman.
Paradise concluded its eight-episode first season this week with news of a second season pick-up mid-season. The streamer is also bringing back another fan favorite with The Handmaid’s Tale, which is returning in April with its sixth and final season. Both of these series are fantastic, with themes that, at times, mirror real life a little too much.
In an interview post finale, Sarah Shahi discussed this type of material and how she got the role as Dr. Gabriela Torabi in Paradise. She portrays a therapist who helped build the underground city that 25,000 “lucky” survivors have called home for more than a decade when the viewers first meet them.
Shahi described her layered and conflicted character. “I feel like she’s a very moral person. She has a lot of trauma. She talks about how both of her parents died when she was young, and she went down a bad road with drinking and gambling. I think getting into therapy and palliative care was a way to get on the straight and narrow for her, but I believe she harbors a lot of guilt. She doesn’t have anyone to talk to. Everyone comes to her, but who does she go to? There’s a loneliness to her. Instead of looking at her problems, she distracts herself. I do that, too.”
As to why she thinks viewers are drawn to these darker shows, Shahi believes it’s a mix of our current reality and the demands of viewers wanting relatable content. “These are fantastic stories. The writing is incredible. Audiences are so smart; they demand sophisticated storytelling and superb writing. I think you could have a great story, but if the writing isn’t there, then it’s not going to work. The writing is essential. As for Paradise, it’s a fun, escapist ride.”
Sarah Shahi and Julianne Nicholson in Hulu’s ‘Paradise.’
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Paradise is set in a serene community inhabited by some of the world’s most prominent people. On the surface, this tranquil town is the ideal place to live, but the reality is a far cry from its perfectly manicured lawns and tree-lined streets. Everything changes when a violent murder leads to a high-stakes investigation. The facade of perfection and safety is permanently destroyed.
There are relatable themes. Those who made it to Paradise are among the wealthiest, making this a survival-of-the-fittest, or richest, tale. We’re seeing this in real life, too; those with money and power run the show.
HBO had huge success with The Last of Us, and Netflix saw its political thriller Zero Day top its TV charts with over 19 million views in its first four days. What is it about these end-of-life-as-we-know-it storylines that’s drawing viewers in?
We have lived through incredibly uncertain, life-altering times in the last few years, with a pandemic, multiple wars, and a divisive political climate. Perhaps viewers are seeking comfort through this type of storytelling. These stories are dark, yet hopeful testaments to the human will to survive against all odds.
Paradise has become a massive breakout hit and one that fans are talking about. It’s one of the best shows out there. The murder mystery, sci-fi, natural catastrophe tale hooks its viewers within the first few scenes and doesn’t let go until the very last scene, and even then, you’re left wanting more. The superb writing and stellar cast, including Shahi, Sterling K. Brown, James Marsden, and Julianne Nicholson, makes this a must-watch series. At first, it seems to be a very intense murder mystery, but there is so much more to the story.
Well-known for the phenomenal Netflix series Sex/Life, Shahi described a years-long appreciation for Fogelman’s work, which dates back to his award-winning series, This Is Us.
Shahi talked about her audition for the role in Paradise and admitted she’d reached out to Fogelman a decade prior, pleading to work with him. “I was such a fan of This Is Us that I wrote Dan an email in the first season and told him that his writing hits me in a way that no other writer does.”
Though she never heard back from Fogelman after sending him that heartfelt email, she got an offer a few months later for his show at the time, Pitch. She was in a few episodes, but the two never met in person until her audition last year for Paradise.
“Cut to nine or ten years later, I walked into that audition room and the first thing he said was, ‘Sarah, you are so sweet. I have been waiting to meet you. Thank you so much for your kind email.’ I was so surprised he remembered me because I wasn’t even going to bring it up,” she recalled.
Sarah Shahi and Sterling K. Brown have serious chemistry in Hulu’s breakout hit ‘Paradise.’
Not too long after her first audition, she was called in for a chemistry read with Brown. “It was the day that he got his Oscar nomination (he was nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in American Fiction). I was expecting a real piece of work to walk through the door. I was like, ‘Oh man, this guy’s gotta be so high on himself right now.’”
Shahi admitted she was wrong about Brown. “He’s the most humble, kindest human I’ve ever met. He’s such a giver. He was lovely, you know, and has remained that way every moment since.”
Paradise was an immediate fan favorite, and Hulu wasted no time announcing that the edge-of-your-seat story would continue. Fans can look forward to seeing Shahi in season two.
She’s also excited about her new endeavor as an author. Her first book, “Life Is Lifey: The A to Z’s on Navigating Life’s Messy Middle,” will be available in hardcover later this year. “It’s a fun, raunchy, humorous insight into my life that was inspired by my journey while I was on Sex/Life.”
In the meantime, Shahi will be busy prepping for the second season of Paradise, and she’s looking forward to delving deeper into her character. “There’s so much about her that we don’t know. It will be interesting to find out where her moral compass lies. Is she truly this kind-natured, peace-keeping, benevolent person? Or will her darker side come out? I would love to find out more about Gabriela. I want to see the cracks in her veneer, and I want to see her unhinged. I want some drama!”
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‘Paradise’ Star Sarah Shahi Says Nothing About The Hulu Thriller Is ‘Serene’
Everyone lost something in order to get to the bliss in Hulu’s new thriller Paradise, but what does the term mean to them?
For lead actor Sterling K. Brown’s character Special Agent Xavier Collins, the driving force may be his family. For James Marsden’s character President Cal Bradford, it may be the luxury that comes with retiring from the role of the nation’s leader. The notion varies depending on the character.
“Paradise is an interesting show to describe,” actor Sarah Shahi told Blavity’s Shadow and Act. “It’s a mystery thriller set in this very tranquil world, but you quickly realize nothing about it is serene. I’m the therapist, and all of the characters go through me, and I’m sort of handed the task of discovering whether or not [Collins], who is the main suspect in the killing of the president, which we see very early on, whether or not he did it or not. I think the show, for my character, Gabriela — she’s the optimist. I think she sees the good in everybody, even in the people that are not so good. So yeah … I think she represents hope and light.”
“For Samantha, the world that they live in, at least at the start of the show, what she loves about it is it feels safe,” Julianne Nicholson, who portrays the character, said. (Samantha is also referred to as “Sinatra” on the show.) “It feels like something she can control. It feels like she knows what’s going on everywhere, and there are people around and certain rules, like no guns. There are certain things that make her feel safe, more like she can protect her family. And as Sarah mentions, all that flies out of the window, and nothing is as it seems.”
As a self-proclaimed architect of social well-being, Gabriela’s focus on others tends to lead her to overlook her own needs, which Shahi said she can relate to in parts of her waking life.
“We don’t really explore too much of Gabriela’s backstory,” Shahi said. “In the first season, you learned that her parents have passed. I think, similar to myself, Gabriela comes across as a bit of a people pleaser. So I think naturally when you have a personality like that, you don’t, maybe, speak your truth as much, or you learn to quiet that in order to fix everything going on up here (pointing to her head). I don’t know. Maybe Gabriela could use a good therapist in Season 2, and we’ll see what happens with that.”
Rooted in the grief of the loss of her son, Nicholson’s Sinatra forms a relationship with her therapist, which in turn leads to them building the underground bunker that the characters in Paradise are navigating.
Again, in a show where everything is not as it seems, Nicholson discusses how a child’s absence leads her character to make decisions that will raise eyebrows among viewers.
“I think that the loss of her son, that grief, alters her DNA,” Nicholson explained. “It hits so deep, and she just can’t move past it. There is no healing. As she says, she moves forward because she still has the family, husband, and daughter at home, but that is her motivation for everything.”
The Blonde actor continued, “First of all, something’s been altered by the loss, but she will not recover from it. It’s about keeping what’s precious to her safe. She wasn’t able to save her son, and now she will do anything, quite literally, to keep these people safe and alive.”
The Season 1 finale of Paradise airs March 4 on Hulu.
The post ‘Paradise’ Star Sarah Shahi Says Nothing About The Hulu Thriller Is ‘Serene’ appeared first on Blavity.
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Everyone lost something in order to get to the bliss in Hulu’s new thriller Paradise, but what does the term mean to them?
For lead actor Sterling K. Brown’s character Special Agent Xavier Collins, the driving force may be his family. For James Marsden’s character President Cal Bradford, it may be the luxury that comes with retiring from the role of the nation’s leader. The notion varies depending on the character.
“Paradise is an interesting show to describe,” actor Sarah Shahi told Blavity’s Shadow and Act. “It’s a mystery thriller set in this very tranquil world, but you quickly realize nothing about it is serene. I’m the therapist, and all of the characters go through me, and I’m sort of handed the task of discovering whether or not [Collins], who is the main suspect in the killing of the president, which we see very early on, whether or not he did it or not. I think the show, for my character, Gabriela — she’s the optimist. I think she sees the good in everybody, even in the people that are not so good. So yeah … I think she represents hope and light.”
“For Samantha, the world that they live in, at least at the start of the show, what she loves about it is it feels safe,” Julianne Nicholson, who portrays the character, said. (Samantha is also referred to as “Sinatra” on the show.) “It feels like something she can control. It feels like she knows what’s going on everywhere, and there are people around and certain rules, like no guns. There are certain things that make her feel safe, more like she can protect her family. And as Sarah mentions, all that flies out of the window, and nothing is as it seems.”
As a self-proclaimed architect of social well-being, Gabriela’s focus on others tends to lead her to overlook her own needs, which Shahi said she can relate to in parts of her waking life.
“We don’t really explore too much of Gabriela’s backstory,” Shahi said. “In the first season, you learned that her parents have passed. I think, similar to myself, Gabriela comes across as a bit of a people pleaser. So I think naturally when you have a personality like that, you don’t, maybe, speak your truth as much, or you learn to quiet that in order to fix everything going on up here (pointing to her head). I don’t know. Maybe Gabriela could use a good therapist in Season 2, and we’ll see what happens with that.”
Rooted in the grief of the loss of her son, Nicholson’s Sinatra forms a relationship with her therapist, which in turn leads to them building the underground bunker that the characters in Paradise are navigating.
Again, in a show where everything is not as it seems, Nicholson discusses how a child’s absence leads her character to make decisions that will raise eyebrows among viewers.
“I think that the loss of her son, that grief, alters her DNA,” Nicholson explained. “It hits so deep, and she just can’t move past it. There is no healing. As she says, she moves forward because she still has the family, husband, and daughter at home, but that is her motivation for everything.”
The Blonde actor continued, “First of all, something’s been altered by the loss, but she will not recover from it. It’s about keeping what’s precious to her safe. She wasn’t able to save her son, and now she will do anything, quite literally, to keep these people safe and alive.”
The Season 1 finale of Paradise airs March 4 on Hulu.
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