NEW YORK, April 26 (UPI) -- Roswell, New Mexico, Upload and The Perfect Couple actress Jeanine Mason says Eva, the character she plays in WondLa, finally gets what she has always wanted -- an introduction to other beings like her in a futuristic world inhabited by aliens and robots -- in Season 2 of the animated series.
"But she really quickly starts realizing, the more and more she is investigating and asking questions, the more unanswered questions she finds. So, it really does feel like a tale of, 'Be careful what you wish for.' She is at the beginning of a whole new story and a whole new journey," Mason, 34, told UPI in a recent Zoom interview.
"It just gets much more, honestly, sinister this year," the actress said. "As she grows up, the complications and the challenges get more serious, too."
The adaptation of Tony DiTerlizzi's fantasy book series returned with fresh episodes Friday on Apple TV+
Season 1 saw Eva raised from the time she was a baby in an underground bunker on the planet Orbona by a robot named Muthr (voiced by Teri Hatcher).
When she turns 16, Eva believes she is trained to exist in the outside world, but it's nothing like she expected.
"So much that she learned from Muthr is hugely useful in her life and are her navigating principles," Mason said.
"I definitely think she's much more equipped now that she has an understanding of Orbona, but she is probably going to underestimate the humans, which puts her in a different kind of danger."
Also in Season 1, Eva and Muthr meet up with aliens Otto (Brad Garrett) and Rovender (Gary Anthony Williams), who help them look for other humans.
The quartet forms an affectionate unit that protects each other from the many hazards they face.
The visually stunning, coming-of-age adventure addresses relatable themes such as family, the dangers of an "us versus them" mentality and the perils of technology and surveillance.
Mason loves that the series is as thoughtful as it is entertaining to watch.
"I definitely find myself gravitating towards sci-fi at this point," she said.
"I just love the themes for it and the history of it. As a Latina, it's just really important to play in a genre that really has allowed space for Black and Brown people to be on television before it was, maybe, as common as it is now," she added. "I'm definitely drawn to sci-fi and, as a book nerd, I love 'found family' as a theme, so it was really fun that that's so prominent."
Mason will soon be seen in the film, The Man Who Changed the World, as well as Season 2 of the TV series, Cross.
She said working on WondLa has inspired her to use her voice more boldly as she performs in both live-action and animation.
"I definitely feel a little more like that tool is sharpened for me," she said.
"I just finished this movie that I literally wrapped on Friday morning and I play a woman in her early 20s and then later in life when she's had five kids and sort of trying to commit a vocal change and a naivete reminds me of Evan Season 1 versus Season 2 and it was great."
