Our world is “a new park” in Westworld season 3

We’re just a few days away from premiere of Westworld season 3, and the show’s cast is starting to bring themselves back online for interviews. That includes Jeffrey Wright (Bernard Lowe), who talked with CNET about being naked in front of both Anthony Hopkins (Dr. Ford) and Evan Rachel Wood (Dolores), among other things.

“It kind of clarifies things for you in an odd way,” Wright said, about nudity. “You might think there’s a sense of vulnerability. I suppose there could be on a set that is not as respectful and focused as our sets are. But from an acting standpoint and a character standpoint it really grounds you in the here and now to the extent that Bernard can do that. It strips away everything else. I found it very focusing.”

Glad to hear it. Pop quiz: what’s more awkward? Being naked in front of someone clothed or clothed in front of someone naked?

"Probably being clothed with someone who is naked. Not that it’s awkward, but there’s a greater responsibility to be supportive, to be respectful, to still do what the gig requires and to be cool about it all. And that’s a responsibility. And again in our business, it’s a responsibility that all should necessarily take on."

Let’s move on to season 3. Can Wright reveal anything juicy? “Season 3 in some ways is about exploring a new park,” he said. “And that’s the world outside of Westworld. So in some ways those characters, the hosts, become guests. It’s viewing the show, the characters, the narrative through another of the reflective facets of the storyteller.”

When last we saw Bernard in season 2, he helped Dolores escape Westworld in the body of Charlotte Hale (Tessa Thompson). Afterward, he was then murdered by “Haleores” and she then smuggled outside of the park by her. Once he passed her fidelity test, Dolores allowed him to leave, and that was that.

Bernard has always been a character anchored by sadness. He still remembers the tragic loss of his son to cancer…or at least, that’s how Ford modeled his personality, working off his former partner Arnold’s. Will we see more of the same for Bernard in season 3? “Bernard is grounded in loss and tragedy,” Wright said. “As a construct, suffering is used as a kind of crucible towards freedom. And that is built into his programming. That’s a question he wrestles with himself. And I’m not sure if we get to the answer, but I think the answer lives for Bernard where freedom lives. Where agency lives. Where independence from the marionette string lives.”

"He’s on a journey toward discovering these things including happiness. I don’t know if any of the hosts are terribly happy. I think it comes with the job description."

Throughout his acting career, Wright has worked with a plethora of phenomenal directors. According to him, Westworld showrunners Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy are right up there with the best of them. “They’re challenging, and their vision surpasses the vision of everyone else around them, obviously because they are creating these stories, but they’re also compassionate and nurturing and generous and open,” he said. “And it’s just the combination that creates great work and also creates an environment in which to do that work that is satisfying. And that is, I can tell you, I assure you, that is not nearly the norm in our business.”

Looking past Westworld season 3, Wright is currently filming Matt Reeves’ The Batman, where he’ll play Commissioner Gordon opposite Robert Pattinson’s Caped Crusader. As it ends up, he’s always been a Batman fan.

"I was a bit of a fan of Batman comics, and comics generally, growing up. But I was a lunatic Adam West Batman fan. And Matt Reeves, who is directing the movie, was as well. And we were talking about it and he said, “In my mind, that wasn’t camp.” Now, this is not to say that we’re doing an Adam West Batman in any respect. But that for me was my early dive into the Batman cosmos. Matt and I agree it wasn’t camp for us, it was deadly serious for an 8-year-old kid. Deadly serious with the most tricked-out heroic technology and bells and whistles this side of James Bond."

I hear you. But you see it as camp now…right?

“If you look back at it within context, man, it was as Batman as anything,” Wright continued. “The pastel tones harken back to the original Bob Kane/Bill Finger stuff. That was my early and much appreciated introduction into Gotham.”

Westworld season 3 makes its debut this Sunday, only on HBO. The Batman comes out on June 25, 2021.

To stay up to date on everything fantasy, science fiction, and WiC, follow our all-encompassing Facebook page and sign up for our exclusive newsletter.

Watch Game of Thrones for FREE with a no-risk, 7-day free trial of Amazon Channels