‘Surface’: Gugu Mbatha-Raw talks about her ‘weekly wet’ on set and teases greater betrayals and deeper secrets in season 2
The Apple TV+ amnesia mystery Surface is gearing up to push audiences to the edge of their seats with its highly anticipated season 2.
After recollecting fragments of her lost memory through her husband and close friends, Sophie (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) is leaving the San Francisco Bay area for good. In the new season, she will take her search for answers across the Atlantic to London, and finally uncover the mystery of the woman in her visions, Eliza (Millie Brady).
Surface season 2 began its eight-episode run on February 21 and will continue through April 11, 2025. But before you dive headfirst into the mystery, the show’s stars—Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, and Millie Brady—sat down with The Mary Sue to spill some tantalizing details and prepare you for what’s to come. It sounds like we’re in for a wild ride.
Gugu Mbatha-Raw teases new levels of betrayal this season
Surface has felt a lot like a ’90s thriller with its blend of suspense, psychological depth, and high-stakes drama. Talking about expanding her character within this evolving genre, the lead actress Gugu Mbatha-Raw expressed her joy about the growth her character Sophie has seen during the show. “It’s been such a ride,” she remarked.
But to test Sophie’s growth, the morally ambiguous characters in season 1 that kept us guessing their “real game” have doubled down in season 2—meaning double the drama. Another good news the actress shared for fans who do not appreciate a slow-burning thrill is that the new season is much more fast-paced. And honestly, I needed more adrenaline rush. Thanks, Veronica.
Gugu Mbatha-Raw highlighted an important silent character
Talking about how persistently “water” has been used as a symbol in the show, Mbatha-Raw called it a “huge character” in season 1. She highlighted how, in almost every episode, she “either had like a bath scene or a shower scene or was in a flotation tank.” The actress called it a “weekly wet” on set.
However, since Sophie moved to London in season 2, the shoots were a lot drier. Regardless, Mbatha-Raw stresses that “the theme of water” is an important plot device and Sophie’s solace.
“The bath [is] a place she [Sophie] goes to almost go to this meditative place. Sometimes it’s quite a dark place, sometimes it’s a place to steal her thoughts and try and contact her memories.”
Millie Brady reveals Surface season 2 has an ‘influx of new characters’
Millie Brady, who portrays Eliza, teased how season 2 has stepped it up to a new level with an “influx of new characters.” “Sophie’s world [is] opening up in a way that you’re on the journey with her not knowing who to trust [and] where it’s going to go,” she teased.
Adding to the excitement, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, who plays Sophie’s husband, James Ellis, revealed how “the more Sophie goes through, the more she uncovers, the darker it gets, and then the more questions [arise] that need answering.”
Could that be a hint that season 3 is somewhere on the horizon to continue Sophie’s “descent into this dark underworld of stuff she’s finding herself in?” We hope so.
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