Thandiwe Newton has been with Westworld from the very beginning. Her character, Maeve, had one of the most memorable arcs in the first season, going from a robotic “host” stuck in a loop to a powerful force for change. She quickly became a beloved fan favorite. Now, in an interview with Inverse, Newton talks about how the first season of the show topped the rest.
“The first season was the real epiphany,” she said. “After that, I feel like we’re in an entertaining show, honestly. And that’s not to discredit the show. I love the show. I think it’s wonderful. But it’s all about the origin story, isn’t it really? The origin story of Westworld is profound and had a massive impact.”
Thandiwe Newton says Westworld’s first season had a “massive impact”
Newton said that the show’s first season allowed Maeve the room to grow and become the powerful freedom fighter she is now, but it gave Newton room to grow as well. “Then, Westworld happened. And I wasn’t expecting anything from it. Of course not. I would have done it for nothing. I needed it for myself. And that character ended up captivating people. It was so beautiful. This spring suddenly burst from the ground. And I got to release that, finally.”
"Use your enemy’s strength against them. That is what the first season of Westworld was, and in it was the liberation of a brown woman."
Allowing Maeve to go on this journey from saloon madam to the leader was the kind of empowerment arc that many actors dream of when looking for roles.
Jeffrey Wright: Westworld season 4 is “really surprising”
Newton is absolutely correct that the show is what it is because of everything that was established in the first season. And now, we’re getting ready for season 4. Star Jeffrey Wright (Bernard) teased a bit of what’s to come during an interview with Collider:
“We’re a few episodes in now and we have a few episodes to go,” Wright said, coyly. “We’re doing some fun stuff, as always.”
"This season is…every year, we started off season 1, Westworld; season 2, it gets squared; and then season 3, it’s cubed; season 4 is, y’know, Westworld to the fourth power…The onion just continues to unfold and kind of split and refract…It’s just ongoing, man. It’s never something that I can get in front of and anticipate. It’s always moving in directions that aren’t expected and sensible, but really surprising. I love the ride that we’re on."
Westworld season 4 is coming in 2022.
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h/t CBR