Cursed’s Bella Dayne on Red Spear’s backstory, deleted scenes, and season 2 hopes

Cursed star Bella Dayne (Red Spear) tells us about her character’s mysterious backstory, deleted scenes, and what may be coming next.

Cursed, Netflix’s reimagining of the Arthurian legend, gave us a new perspective on classic characters like Nimue, Arthur and Merlin. Among the newcomers was the Red Spear, a vengeful warrior. Played by Bella Dayne, Red Spear’s true origins are wrapped in mystery, but we sat down with the German actress to try and peel back the layers of her character, as well as get her hopes about second season.

First up, Dayne dived into the origin Red Spear’s conflict with the Ice King, Cumber.

"It goes back to Cumber’s daughters. I’m not sure exactly how much I’m allowed to reveal though, I think a lot of that will be revealed in season 2. You see in the battle scene, that it’s her driving force, that the daughters have caused her heartache, pain and the revenge story she is on. I think more of the backstory, what really happened there, and what part Cumber played in that would be revealed in season 2; if there is one! I think that’s what’s really exciting, is that you have hints of that in the first season. What’s really interesting is the complex story that happened between Red Spear, Cumber and his daughters, and how that affected my character for the rest of her life really."

That sounds ominous enough that I’m not really sure I want to know.

We asked about the origins of the name “Red Spear.” Once again, Dayne again walked the line when it came to answering our question without giving away too much. “That definitely has a backstory [laughs], and there is a lot to it. But if you let your imagine run, red has a feeling of being out for blood, that being her driving force in this moment in her life. That is the one thing she sees, that is her way forward at the moment. If you think about the tip of the spear, that’s the thing that leads her, that’s the thing she follows at this point.”

Again, this makes me think her backstory’s not a wholly pleasant one.

From here on out we’re talking about season 1 SPOILERS. Be forewarned.

While most of Red Spear’s vengeance quest takes place offscreen, she turns up in the show’s climatic battle, which pits Cumber’s forces against Arthur and the Red Spear. Director Sarah O’Gorman told us that it rained for most of the shoot, but Dayne says it didn’t dampen the cast’s spirits. “It was probably some of the most fun days of shooting I’ve ever had,” she said. “At the same time, definitely very intense for everyone really. If you think about all the extras that were on set that day, and the crew, just hundreds of people working in these really intense conditions. It was really incredible, because I felt like everyone came together and was so excited about shooting the scenes. Everyone was just so involved.”

Part of that shoot included a scene that never made it to screen. “The crew that I had, the actors that were part of my team, I loved that beforehand we talked about ‘what’s our motivation,’ and why we were going into this battle,” Dayne remembered. “We basically had this whole speech together that you don’t see, and they were basically saying ‘we’re on board, we’re for you.’ Everyone loved shooting those scenes, and yes at the same time those conditions were really intense, but everyone was working towards making the battle the best, having the best possible outcome. You really felt that on set, and then at the end of the week it was really a celebration. Everyone did their part and pulled through. It was so much fun shooting that.”

CURSED (L TO R) BELLA DAYNE as THE RED SPEAR in episode 110 of CURSED Cr. Netflix © 2020

One of the battle’s most pivotal moments involved Arthur saving Red Spear from one of Cumber’s daughters, even though he hadn’t met her before. A mixture of emotions washes over Red Spear’s face in that moment. What was she feeling then?

"For me, that moment I felt like for the Red Spear was a big decisive moment. I feel like, for so many years she’s only been relying on herself in a way. She’s been broken in such a deep way, that she has never allowed herself to be vulnerable again in her life. This is a moment where, she would have possibly died, or she might not have reached the goal that she wanted to, killing one of the daughters of Cumber. So Arthur helping her in that moment was a moment of someone who selflessly helped her, and allowed her to be vulnerable in a way. I think it caught her by surprise, someone who doesn’t know her would help her, especially a man. I think she had completely moved away from trusting or relying on anyone, and she was vulnerable, she opens her heart for a millisecond there. I don’t think she’d experienced kindness like that in a long time."

Dayne also gave her thoughts on the show in general, including what it has to say about our world today. “I think it’s very modern, it touches on political issues at the moment, and the society we are in that is changing,” she said. “It explores from a female perspective, what would the legend have looked like. It’s a fresh take on it that I really enjoy.

"I think it’s really open to interpretation. If you come from a certain country, or come from a certain culture, I think it does leave a possibility of thinking, ‘to me this means this, or this represents that,’ and I think that’s quite beautiful. It allows you as the audience to dive into it, whoever you are, to go through this journey and that’s what makes it enjoyable. It does take you on a ride, there are waves throughout the story. I find it quite naturally beautiful, there’s always a really nice flow. Reading the scripts, I loved how you jump into this world, and then kind of float through it."

CURSED (L to R) BELLA DAYNE as RED SPEAR and LILY NEWMARK as PYM in episode 107 of CURSED Cr. COURTESY OF NETFLIX © 2020

Cursed has a big cast, and not everyone got to share scenes with each other. We asked Dayne if there was anyone she wanted to work with more. “They were all really great,” she said. “In their own way, they all have interesting ways of doing their characters. It would be interesting to see the Red Spear meeting any of the other characters, it’s always interesting seeing such strong, clear characters like Merlin, Uther and all these other characters, and then seeing your character come together in a scene. It doesn’t really matter who it is, it would be interesting because your character reacts in different ways depending on who they are put in a scene with. I would really enjoy any of them, I think they would all bring their own unique voice to it.”

Naturally, that led us to ask about season 2, and what Dayne wants for her character.

"It’s hard to say since that’s the writer’s job [laughs], but I think what’s interesting about Red Spear, that we see in that last battle scene, is this warrior that has been incredibly hurt in their life, and has fought for themselves and what they believe is right, to make that wrong right, coming from that intense fighting spirit, you start seeing that moment of vulnerability, of thinking ‘maybe I’m allowed to let my guard down, maybe in life it’s OK to be vulnerable again.’ So I would like to see, if we get a season 2, being a fighter, being that strong, but at the same time learn as a human to also be vulnerable and to open your heart again after you’ve been hurt like that. I think that’s a very human thing that people relate to, and an important thing to have in life. So I would love to explore that more, and go on that journey as a character."

We hope Dayne gets the opportunity. Just waiting on you, Netflix.

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