Tim Robbins, Common, and the Silo Cast on Redemption, the Origin Story, and the Humanity Behind the Mystery

[SPEAKER_00]: It's easy to hear your favorite artist on WFPK from wherever you are. [SPEAKER_00]: Listen on your smart speaker, live stream from our website at WFPK.org from Louisville Public Media. [SPEAKER_04]: And welcome to another edition of Kyle Meredith with, it's the interview series presented by WFPK at WFPK.org consequence and the consequence podcast network.

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[SPEAKER_04]: We've had some great guests drop them by lately, just talk with Octavia Spencer, and Hannah Wattingham, all about Ryder Die on Prime Video, Kurt Vyle and Kevin Morby were here [SPEAKER_04]: Jank has Merrick talked about returning to Louis on Malcolm in the middle after 20 years. [SPEAKER_04]: We hung out with Joel Courtney and Andy Delaney to discuss the new romcom movie, 40 dates and 40 nights.

[SPEAKER_04]: Jerry Beckley, lead singer of America dropped in, suki waterhouse, John Gallagher Jr. Delton, 30, 30, just an example of what you can get when you subscribe to the Kyle Meredith with podcast. [SPEAKER_04]: That's me Kyle Merit today. [SPEAKER_04]: I'm talking with the cast of silo on Apple TV, including Tim Robbins, Common Alexandria Riley, Ashley Zuckerman, and Jessica Hinwick.

[SPEAKER_04]: Silo's been one of my favorite shows on Apple TV. [SPEAKER_04]: One of my favorite shows out there. [SPEAKER_04]: at all, and so excited to dig into this third season. [SPEAKER_04]: Let's read about it here. [SPEAKER_04]: Season three of Silo continues the saga of a dystopian society of 10,000 people living underground under mysterious circumstances.

[SPEAKER_04]: And while revealing an origin story sets centuries earlier, in the present, Juliet Nichols played by Rebecca Ferguson, survives her forced cleaning, but returns with memory loss as the silo recovers from rebellion. [SPEAKER_04]: and faces a dangerous new threat. [SPEAKER_04]: Meanwhile, in the before times, journalist Helen Drew, played by Jessica Henwick, and Congressman Daniel Keane, played by Ashley Zuckerman, uncover a conspiracy that pulls them into a chain of events with catastrophic irreversible consequences.

[SPEAKER_04]: And we're going to start talking with with the legendary Tim Robbins, of course, famous of the Shawshank Redemption and Mystic River, Jacob's Ladder, nothing to lose, Top Gun, Bull Durham. [SPEAKER_04]: He's been playing one of the big baddies in the first two season, Bernard, sort of running the silo through I.C.

[SPEAKER_04]: and at the end of the second season, you know, there was a little what happened to him. [SPEAKER_04]: There was a big scene, a big burn scene, lots of fire, and we were left what's the [SPEAKER_04]: There is a return of Bernard in season three, a very changed man, a very broken man, a very burnt man.

[SPEAKER_04]: Tim and I are going to talk about playing characters that he really disagrees with, fundamentally, but it's what keeps him open-minded, and that that philosophy [SPEAKER_04]: has shaped Bernard surprising turn in this latest season. [SPEAKER_04]: We'll talk about discussing, transforming the show's biggest antagonist into someone searching for redemption, researching Bertrand trauma to create Bernard's haunting new voice, and why the characters shattered world view, became the emotional core of the season.

[SPEAKER_04]: He's also going to reflect on finding humanity and villains, [SPEAKER_04]: And why understanding someone isn't the same as agreeing with them. [SPEAKER_04]: So it's part one today as we talk about season three of Silo on Apple TV. [SPEAKER_04]: It's Kyle Meredith with Tim Robbins. [SPEAKER_06]: Hi there.

[SPEAKER_04]: It's Pleasure to meet you, everything. [SPEAKER_04]: And I congratulate you just in a incredible new season of this show. [SPEAKER_04]: I was thinking before we got on, I saw you during the vote for Change Tour as with Bob Roberts out there. [SPEAKER_04]: And just that guy in that time, and of course Bernardo here, what do you get out of playing such a flip of what I would assume is your true self?

[SPEAKER_06]: I always found it a lot of fun to play characters that are not like me. [SPEAKER_06]: What it does, it forces you to [SPEAKER_06]: except the humanity of someone who you disagree with. [SPEAKER_06]: And that's, I found to be a great gift because, you know, we're living in such a fractionalized world of division.

[SPEAKER_06]: And I think that what I'm constantly forced to do is find the humanity in someone [SPEAKER_06]: who I don't agree with, and that that's a good thing. [SPEAKER_06]: That's a healthy thing. [SPEAKER_06]: Doesn't change your view. [SPEAKER_06]: It just makes you more open. [SPEAKER_06]: It makes you accept the fact that people that aren't like you also have hearts, also have love, also have mothers that they love.

[SPEAKER_06]: It makes you less judgmental and more open to conversations with people that might differ from you. [SPEAKER_04]: Well, that humanity that you bring into Bernard is surprising as it is because it's a bit of a redemption arc with his new season right here. [SPEAKER_04]: Um, how, you know, actor's question, like, how did you want to play that because we've spent two seasons just despising this guy and, and your job is to sort of, when is back over?

[SPEAKER_04]: Maybe. [SPEAKER_06]: Yeah. [SPEAKER_06]: Well, first is to, to make you understand that he's been lied to. [SPEAKER_06]: He's been used. [SPEAKER_06]: his entire world view is shattered. [SPEAKER_06]: Everything he thought was true turned out to be false. [SPEAKER_06]: He is shattered not only physically from the injuries he sustained at the end of season two, but he shattered psychically.

[SPEAKER_06]: He is not [SPEAKER_06]: a whole person. [SPEAKER_06]: And people that are that go through a profound experience like that, you know, there's a couple different paths you can take. [SPEAKER_06]: You can take one of anger and bitterness and withdraw or you can use that anger to make a men's for what you did and come to a new understanding [SPEAKER_06]: what the truth is, and fight for that, and fight for justice.

[SPEAKER_06]: That's a beautiful trajectory to have as a character. [SPEAKER_04]: Did you, was it a challenge to find the voice? [SPEAKER_04]: Because especially the first two words we hear, I mean, you nailed a line with just hello Julia, you know? [SPEAKER_04]: It's like there's so much in there, like what went into finding that that broken voice [SPEAKER_06]: Well, the little research is studying about what it is to be burned.

[SPEAKER_06]: You know, it's not just the outside that's burned, it's the inside as well. [SPEAKER_06]: And so I figured he had to have had some kind of severe damage inside of his larynx and throat. [SPEAKER_06]: And so, [SPEAKER_06]: It was basically just finding a new bird art, physically, orally, and psychically.

[SPEAKER_06]: Who is this new person? [SPEAKER_06]: What a gift is an actor to say, you know, in the third season, this is a different person. [SPEAKER_06]: This is a person that's been transformed [SPEAKER_06]: by his experience, by his betrayal, and now has to embrace life enough to make a men's for his sins.

[SPEAKER_04]: Well, you all do it spectacularly. [SPEAKER_04]: I want the new season already to be done. [SPEAKER_04]: I know I got to wait, but just a testament to what you all have done. [SPEAKER_04]: Tim is such a pleasure to get to talk with you about it today. [SPEAKER_04]: Thank you so much. [SPEAKER_06]: Thank you.

[SPEAKER_04]: And we'll be right back right after this. [SPEAKER_04]: Welcome back, it's Kyle Meredith. [SPEAKER_04]: We're talking about season three of Silo on Apple TV. [SPEAKER_04]: Now for part two, we're going to turn it over to to common in Alexandria, Riley. [SPEAKER_04]: Of course, they've been playing the Sims.

[SPEAKER_04]: They married a couple of the Sims over the past a couple of seasons. [SPEAKER_04]: Common being Bernard's what Tim Robbins right hand manned and but but things have flipped and so Common he says he's been waiting for Robert Sims to crack and in season three of the show He finally gets that chance We're gonna talk about diving into flipping the show's power dynamic and giving the characters far more humanity [SPEAKER_04]: That then simple enforcers how Riley's row has grown unexpectedly from from a supporting wife in to one of the series most pivotal players They're also gonna talk about finding the emotional truth inside the sci-fi mystery why the marriage at the center of it became one of the season's Biggest stories and a whole lot more.

[SPEAKER_04]: Let's get into a part two of silo on Apple TV It's Kyle Meredith with common and Alexandria Riley. [SPEAKER_00]: Hi [SPEAKER_04]: You too, it's great to meet you both, and to congratulate you just on another exceptional series. [SPEAKER_04]: I'm already sad that I finished it because I need the next one immediately.

[SPEAKER_05]: That's the way, bro. [SPEAKER_04]: Yeah, well, well, well, it's a lot of fun. [SPEAKER_04]: I don't know if that's the right word, but it's really interesting watching sort of the switcheroo that you all have got to play this season. [SPEAKER_04]: Come and what was that like? [SPEAKER_04]: Because you get a really different read on the character this time around.

[SPEAKER_05]: Yeah, listen, I've been waiting for this guy. [SPEAKER_05]: Like I was like, man, I can't just be the heavy in this. [SPEAKER_05]: I can't just be the guy who was enforcing his always, getting the things he needs done. [SPEAKER_05]: I love that he got broken down. [SPEAKER_05]: Like, it's the great care, I received broken down to your very last compound.

[SPEAKER_05]: So like, you like, [SPEAKER_05]: Sam was broken down like he doesn't he's the things he always wanted it didn't happen for him. [SPEAKER_05]: It's given to us wife and the things he always stood for and was working for he doesn't even believe in he's not sure about anymore. [SPEAKER_05]: So now he's trying to find what truth is [SPEAKER_05]: to be able to try to figure out what is his true feelings about and true thoughts and understand about what truth is and continue to be motivated to protect his son.

[SPEAKER_05]: While still loving his wife, even though they their marriages in a disarray. [SPEAKER_04]: Well, and Alexander, that's the thing, right? [SPEAKER_04]: Because like Camille gets to be very, very different from where we first met her, which I think was part of the story, right? [SPEAKER_04]: That Graham Sullivan performance, like we got to do more with this character and everything.

[SPEAKER_04]: Like, where's there that point where you even saw that she wasn't really operating on the edge of Robert's story more? [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, you saw that gradual, I mean, Camille has always been a questionable one, like I think we saw hints of it in season two, where she was very much the driving force at times, quite a force, but driving force in the household of the Sims family, you know, in terms of her question in the system, she's never tried away from that.

[SPEAKER_02]: always trying to play both sides if you like, where she infiltrated the rebellion and then also judicial IT, she wanted information from all sides, which is why she was kind of pushing robbed to get that position of shadow. [SPEAKER_02]: So I think it was kind of inevitable to see who gravitate in this direction.

[SPEAKER_02]: I was still shocked, I wasn't expecting it to go that way and I remember Graham pulling me aside at a [SPEAKER_02]: barbecue and just be like so you want to know a few bits of what we're going to do and I was instantly terrified because it just felt huge and you know I was like oh no Camille don't be manipulative like don't be that guy but um yeah I think she's always stood alone not alone as in separate but she's always stood in her own power which is what I've loved about her characters [SPEAKER_04]: But at the same time it's like these almost seem like the two embodiments of I'm just doing my job 100% yeah, yeah, absolutely yeah that line right there and maybe to have fun with it too coming because some of the stuff that you were saying like is there a point where this start this stops feeling like science fiction enough for sure like that like that was for me one of the things as enacted to get to was like okay we in this sci-fi world but is really a mystery is drama

[SPEAKER_05]: It's got all of that, like, the mystery of it is what drew me to it to be honest. [SPEAKER_05]: But at the core of it, it was like, what I love most about what I was reading was these characters, these human beings. [SPEAKER_05]: And like, my thing was to, like, not being a silo and be like, oh, we robotic, because we're in a silo in this, and this is, you know, core, or sci-fi is Mr. Like, these are people, and like, [SPEAKER_05]: what Camille sounds the same to Rob as sales at times affects him where he's hurt.

[SPEAKER_05]: Or he feels like, man, he's wrong some people. [SPEAKER_05]: He's seeking out redemption. [SPEAKER_05]: And when he goes around some people that he's cross, he feels something. [SPEAKER_05]: It's not like, [SPEAKER_05]: This person is just throwing people over the ledge and just walking home like it's not the matters.

[SPEAKER_05]: It's like we didn't have to. [SPEAKER_05]: We didn't show those things, but for me as an actor, I had to know that he cared, or I would have been a sociopath, a psychopath or whatever, so it's like, no, I'm going [SPEAKER_05]: to the humanity of who Sam's is. [SPEAKER_05]: And I think you're getting that in a lot of these characters doing this season.

[SPEAKER_05]: And that's what makes it interesting. [SPEAKER_05]: Because if you own care, if you don't see the humanity and why you own care, like, you know what I mean? [SPEAKER_05]: Like, I've cared about some people that are killers and films because I see that humanity. [SPEAKER_05]: So I felt it was important that you and Alex did a wonderful job at making sure you feel who come here as a person, as a whole person.

[SPEAKER_05]: um, even given the fact that she had to be stealth in so many moments and as a leader of the silo, but you still feel has a person. [SPEAKER_04]: Well, I love what you guys do with it. [SPEAKER_04]: It's such an intriguing story and uh, honestly, I can't wait till the next season. [SPEAKER_04]: Yes.

[SPEAKER_04]: It's great talking to you both. [SPEAKER_04]: Thank you so much. [SPEAKER_02]: Nice to meet you. [SPEAKER_04]: And we'll be right back right after this. [SPEAKER_04]: All right, welcome back. [SPEAKER_04]: It's Kyle and Meredith. [SPEAKER_04]: The season three of Silo on Apple TV. [SPEAKER_04]: Now we're going to turn it over to a part three here with Ashley Zuckerman and Jessica Hinwick.

[SPEAKER_04]: Again, Jessica comes in as a supporter. [SPEAKER_04]: Ashley, we saw just a little bit of the end of season two, just a hint as a congressman. [SPEAKER_04]: and they are part of the before times and really are here in this story now to reveal how the underground world even came to exist.

[SPEAKER_04]: We're going to talk about stepping in into an entirely new timeline and cast drawing some inspiration from 1970s conspiracy thrillers and why the show's themes of climate change and AI and war and [SPEAKER_04]: an institutional secrecy film more relevant than ever. [SPEAKER_04]: We'll also get into Daniel's memory loss, Helen's search for the truth, and the central question that drives the season is it better to live a lie?

[SPEAKER_04]: If the truth destroys everything, part three of silo on Apple TV, it's Kyle Meredith with Ashley Zuckerman and Jessica Hinwick. [SPEAKER_00]: Hi. [SPEAKER_04]: Pleasure to see you both, and to see both very healthy outside of the show, and just what an incredible performance you both did on this latest season.

[SPEAKER_04]: Um, congrats on that. [SPEAKER_04]: Uh, yeah, Jessica, I'll start with you. [SPEAKER_04]: What was it like coming into this story? [SPEAKER_04]: You're in a separate cast from the one that we've been seeing this whole time, you know, there's the, the whole weight that comes, but, but do you feel that or do you kind of get to bring a clean slate in?

[SPEAKER_01]: I felt fairly clean, there was a tiny bit of apprehension when they first started talking to me because the show is called silo and the selling point can be the silo for many audience and members, like, there is a fascination with survivalism and with bunkers, apocalypse bunkers and whatnot.

[SPEAKER_01]: And so I was a bit like, oh gosh, is this the right time to tell the story, but as a fan of the show, I was so desperate for answers and you have to go [SPEAKER_01]: into the past, or the present day storyline to really find out the origin story. [SPEAKER_01]: So yeah. [SPEAKER_04]: Yeah, I read somewhere I think about some of the writers looking into 1970s, like movies, conspiracy thrillers.

[SPEAKER_04]: What was it three days at the Condor Parallax feud? [SPEAKER_04]: Did I, the one of you do any extra credit homework? [SPEAKER_03]: Watching those, I'm a fan of that like a year of filmmaking anyway, but I did watch a bunch of films from that time, because you were how old in the... [SPEAKER_03]: In the 70s?

[SPEAKER_01]: A teenager? [SPEAKER_03]: And yeah, but I think that's true. [SPEAKER_03]: Our story does like mirror that kind of storytelling. [SPEAKER_03]: But just because I feel like there's a roughness and an honesty to that storytelling from that time, I think that it's not slick and it's not aware of itself.

[SPEAKER_03]: It's sort of just a style of storytelling that actually [SPEAKER_03]: where the bumps are useful, where nuance and kind of complexity exist in characters. [SPEAKER_03]: I think that is why they were drawing on that. [SPEAKER_01]: A lot of loneliness to tell political stories that people are a bit afraid of now.

[SPEAKER_04]: Well, that's a thing, right? [SPEAKER_04]: Because this show does, whether it means to be more than entertainment or not, it speaks for so many different things. [SPEAKER_04]: I mean, I don't know the timeline when you all shot this versus when I ran starts being in the news again or something like that.

[SPEAKER_04]: like, is it impossible to ignore? [SPEAKER_04]: Do you all bring that stuff in to the characters? [SPEAKER_03]: I think the world of the show is our world and whether that's runaway AI or climate change or any of the conflicts that are going on around the world. [SPEAKER_03]: The show exists in a world where humanity is [SPEAKER_03]: working pretty hard to destroy itself.

[SPEAKER_03]: That is the setting of the show. [SPEAKER_03]: And so I think we are fueled by that while making it. [SPEAKER_03]: And I think it, I genuinely think for the last two years, it was nice to work on a show which at least was honest about that. [SPEAKER_04]: I actually actually stick with you for this one because once they wire how but you do get to deal with the duality of memory loss in the same way that, you know, we see Julie Ed, what's it like to play that type of character?

[SPEAKER_04]: I mean, you sort of get to play two things, right? [SPEAKER_04]: Yeah. [SPEAKER_03]: It's a fascinating like experiment to be able to like actually go down that rabbit hole of us in the question, what does it mean to lose your memory? [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah. [SPEAKER_03]: What, how does it actually change you?

[SPEAKER_03]: What does it have the potential? [SPEAKER_03]: Um, to do to you, what do you keep, what do you, what do you lose, what stories can you be filled with? [SPEAKER_03]: And then the, I guess the follow on question is, then who are we? [SPEAKER_03]: And, um, I, yeah, that was a nice thing to think about.

[SPEAKER_04]: Jessica, I'm going to throw the, the biggest, broadest version of this question. [SPEAKER_04]: I could throw it and you just kind of piggyback up what you were saying to me to go, what do you see the, ultimately the show gets to speak to, be on the entertainment. [SPEAKER_01]: Is it better to live a life if the truth will destroy you?

[SPEAKER_01]: I think that's kind of a core question for the show. [SPEAKER_04]: Yeah, where do you land on that? [SPEAKER_01]: I have sympathy. [SPEAKER_01]: I have empathy for people who [SPEAKER_01]: you can't handle more, I don't know, it's so hard. [SPEAKER_01]: It's so hard. [SPEAKER_01]: I wish I had the answer, I don't.

[SPEAKER_04]: No, but you all play it spectacularly. [SPEAKER_04]: You really do. [SPEAKER_04]: I love the season so much. [SPEAKER_04]: And I appreciate getting to talk to you both. [SPEAKER_03]: Thank you so much for taking the time. [SPEAKER_04]: And there you go, my thanks to Ashley Zirkman, Jessica Henwick, Common, Alexandria, Riley, and Tim Robbins' silo season 3, playing now on Apple TV.

[SPEAKER_04]: Thanks to you for checking out the episode, please do hit that subscribe button before you get out of here. [SPEAKER_04]: So you can get interviews just like this one. [SPEAKER_04]: Sit your way every single week at Spotify, Apple Podcast, NPR, WFPK.org, consequence, YouTube for the video versions or anywhere you get your podcast from, you can subscribe to Kyle [SPEAKER_04]: Please give this series a rating and leave a review wherever you're listing or watching from after that You can head over to wfpk.org That's where you'll find me week nights Monday through Friday starting six p.m. Eastern You get four hours of a classic alternative in Indy rock Americana You get the best in new music bonus interviews lots of music and film news as well

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Tim Robbins, Common, and the Silo Cast on Redemption, the Origin Story, and the Humanity Behind the Mystery

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