Evan Rachel Wood
Evan Rachel Wood is quite proud of the evolution of her character Dolores Abernathy in “Westworld.” In this photo, the actress attends the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute Gala - Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garcons: Art of the In-Between in New York City on May 1, 2017. Reuters/Lucas Jackson

Exciting things are in store for Dolores Abernathy (Evan Rachel Wood) in “Westworld” Season 2, especially since her character made a huge evolution during the first season.

Wood is very appreciative of the role, which gave her a chance to show off her acting prowess. When she was first offered the role, Wood knew Dolores was “the quintessential damsel, kind of dizzy princess.”

READ: ‘Westworld’ creators forced to change Season 2 script after fans correctly guessed plot twist

“But there was supposed to be something about her, something beneath it all and something that drew the guests to her,” Wood told The Hollywood Reporter. “I knew that she was going to have an arc, and I think all that I was told was that it was going to start one way and end very differently. It wasn’t until the show started to progress and the episodes started coming in that I started piecing things together myself.”

When she realized Dolores’ true scope, she developed a newfound respect for the complex hero the showrunners Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy created. “As an actor being able to look at this and go, ‘OK, I’m basically playing three different people, living in the past, present and future, confronting trauma, walking through the trauma, coming out the other side, picking yourself up off the ground but still being so vulnerable and so human at the same time when you are not playing a human,’” she said. “When we wrapped, I just went over to Jonah and Lisa and started weeping and said, ‘Thank you.’ It’s so rare you find a show like this and it's so rare you get to work with people like this or play a role like this.”

Her co-star, James Marsden, who plays her initial love interest Teddy Flood, feels the same way about his character. Even though Teddy came to realize that he is nothing more than a humanoid robot designed to entertain high-paying guests in a make-believe park, he will somehow maintain his morality throughout Season 2.

“There’s a virtuous element to the character,” Marsden told Star 2. “Although against all odds, he will still do the right thing. He’d rather live a peaceful life. I love him working towards that and then getting pulled back and getting killed, reset, and then getting killed and reset (again).”

“Westworld” Season 2 premieres on HBO in 2018.

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