EXCLUSIVE : SALVATION Season 1 Scoop: Interview With Santiago Cabrera, Ian Anthony Dale and Charlie Rowe
Imagine what the final days of Earth would be like if there were only six months to find a way to destroy an asteroid hurling towards the planet. In the summer series SALVATION, a select group of scientists and government agents are working furiously to do just that — all while keeping the threat from the rest of the unsuspecting population so that panic does not break out across the globe. In an exclusive interview at San Diego Comic-Con, stars Santiago Cabrera, Ian Anthony Dale and Charlie Rowe talked about what is coming up on SALVATION and teased how their characters will find a solution to stop this apocalyptic event from occurring.
SALVATION is this summer’s new drama series about the end of the world as an asteroid is coming straight at the planet. Harris Edward, of course, wants to keep that from the general public and Darius Tanz wants to make sure that no matter whatever the government is doing that they actually stop the asteroid so it does not end all life as we know it. The season has already begun things are starting to really get in motion as each is building a device that they think will help divert or destroy the asteroid. So what can we expect after this week’s new episode?
SANTIAGO: I just think more intrigue. The politics of it really come into play. I mean, nations even come into it. And I think that “edge of your seat” stuff really just keeps getting stronger — it just builds more and more. You will get to know the characters more, which is what I think we all love best. And I think audiences at the end of the day, they really fall in love, hopefully, with the character and you find out so much more about them and our relationships between ourselves, as well.
IAN: As the asteroid draws closer and closer, the stakes just continue to get higher and higher. Each of us has such a strong belief in what we’re doing is the best course of action to divert this asteroid and save the human race. A lot of the times those beliefs will conflict and there’s a lot of battles throughout the next coming episodes. Sometimes those ideas will mesh and a lot of times they’ll clash. It creates a lot of conflict amongst the core four characters.
Will we see Darius, Liam and Harris working together closely at some point? Seems like they should be.
SANTIAGO: Yeah, I think it’s safe to say. I mean we’re definitely working together and then actually you see things turn around and we all sort of come into play and stuff.
IAN: The message is that we’re trying to share is that problems are best solved when people can come together and put the best ideas forward in a cohesive, collaborative way. Sort of how we made the show. It’s been a wonderful collaboration of artists and talent and it’s just been so much fun to make. And we really hope the audiences enjoying as much as we’ve enjoyed doing it.
CHARLIE: Yeah right from the go, right from the go, top to the bottom as well, we got Liz and Craig our creators who are husband and wife. And then our cast gets along spectacularly.
SANTIAGO: I think they set the tone. They kind of created a nice, fun show.
You seem to be having a lot of fun even though it supposed to be the end of the world.
CHARLIE: [Laughs] Yeah, I know. It’s bizarre, isn’t it?
You all seem a little bit gleeful at times and I’m like, “Wait a second. This should be harrowing.”
SANTIAGO: Well, I think that’s something they always pitched, which I loved about the show, is the idea that within all this really intense and sort of grim scenario that there’s going to be a sense of humor they’re going to want also. You know not make it too earnest and be able to have fun with it, which is very refreshing. I think that I would enjoy that part of the show. I think it’s necessary.
IAN: Yeah, you guys get to have a lot of that.
SANTIAGO: So there’s always the lighter banter without ever losing the reality of what the stakes are.
It’s kind of a geek’s paradise, in a sense: “Oh my god, this is a chance of a lifetime. Let’s play.”
IAN: [Laughs] Exactly. Unlimited resources.
CHARLIE: For Liam, as well. When he’s with Darius — for him, most of the time — it’s far too exciting to be with a genius like this. It’s kind of bizarre because he’s thrilled to be there at all times. And then he has to remember that he is there for a very serious reason.
IAN: Impending doom.
What do you think would be, for them, the one thing they really need more of besides time? What would be the one resource they would be looking for? Like you mentioned allies.
SANTIAGO: I think what I love and I think what we keep coming back to the more you watch is that even though there is an astroid coming and going to destroy the earth, I wouldn’t say the show is necessarily about the astroid. I think it’s really about what happens: do we come together or do we destroy ourselves? And I think all the themes around that take the show to a completely more interesting even though that astroid is always there. So I think it’s about what we need is really about collaboration and coming together and ideas. People coming to the same conclusions and being able to fix it on one idea and believing in the same solution.
IAN: And within that the theme of hope sort of rings loud throughout the entire season. Hope that we can save the world, hope that we can be with the people that we love and there’s really wonderful love stories throughout.
CHARLIE: Like yours and mine.
With the heightened circumstances, people are always going to think they need to connect in a very short span of time. if things don’t work out they way that your characters hope.
CHARLIE: We were so thrown together.
IAN: Yeah, what would you do if you only had 186 days to live?
Family would become very important.
IAN: Yeah, would you choose to spend it with the ones you love?
CHARLIE: [Laughs] I know, but you could get sick of family quickly.
Not if you think you only have a limited amount of time.
CHARLIE: [Laughs] That’s true. That’s true.
So what would you like to tease a little bit about with coming so fans can anticipate a little bit?
IAN: I don’t know. It’s such an adventure that we’re sort of along on the ride with as well, so we don’t want to spoil anything but–
SANTIAGO: But, I guess you’ll still be … Who’s the good guy? Who’s the bad guy? That sort of gray zone will consistently be played with and then you’ll see subtle love stories be sort of interfered with and going in different directions. There’s some love triangles going on.
IAN: We built love triangles throughout.
How did they have time for a love triangle?
IAN: [Laughs] There’s always time for love triangles.
CHARLIE: This was said in the panel, so I feel like we can say it, you will understand what Atlas is before the end of the season. It was a surprise when we read it for sure.
SANTIAGO: You will find out what it is and it is a big surprise. I mean, there are so many secrets. So many secrets. The good thing about this show is that you’re not left in the dark. You’re presented with something, an intrigue, and you want to know what happens next and the answers will come. I think it will be gratifying. It is gratifying for an audience to sort of find out what it is this time.
Are you guys anticipating a second season for the show at this rate?
CHARLIE: [Laughs] Everything is crossed.
IAN: We have a lot of stories to tell and we all feel very hopeful and we’re encouraged by the fan reaction. There’s just so many things to examine in the event of an astroid coming. The geopolitical aspect of it. The sci-fi thriller aspect of it, the relationships. It’s just there’s so much story to be told and we hope we get to continue to do it for sure.
To find out how the love triangles will morph and resolve and if they are successful in stopping the asteroid, be sure to tune in for all new episodes of SALVATION on Wednesday nights at 9:00 p.m. on CBS.
SENIOR ENTERTAINMENT REPORTER | Tiffany covers events such as San Diego Comic-Con, WonderCon and press junkets, as well as covering events at the Paley Center in Beverly Hills. She has a great love for television and believes that entertainment is a world of wondrous adventures that deserves to be shared and explored. Tiffany is one of the newest members to the prestigious Television Critics Association and is happy to be able to share her passion for television shows with an even wider audience of fans and her fellow critics..
