The hit series from Hulu Tell me lies returns on September 4 with two new episodes for the second season.
What you may not know is Jackson Whitewho plays Stephen in the series, is the son of the actress Katey Sagalwho plays Stephen’s mother in the series.
In the series they have a very tense relationship with KateyThe character is incredibly manipulative. Stephen was obviously shaped by his upbringing, and it shows in his character’s choices in the first season.
There is a memorable episode in the first season in which Stephen goes home for Christmas and is visibly going through a difficult time.
Read on to find out more…
Before season 2, Deadline asked Jackson about this episode and working with his mother. He shared that he was “so grateful” for the Christmas episode.
He replied: “Yes. Exactly that dynamic. I thought (showrunner Meaghan Oppenheimer) just tied that together so perfectly and it gave me total drive for what was going on with him… I’ve never done a second season either. And I was really nervous to show up again and do it. And I remember the first day when the cameras were on us and I was sweating, I was really nervous, I was like, oh, how do I do this guy again? He’s so locked up and mysterious, and what’s wrong with him, and how do I fucking play that? And then it kind of just worked in the story’s favor because Stephen is trying to figure out if he’s a good person or a bad person, or if he’s done bad things. That’s his wrestling match this season. And all the nervousness I had about that influenced that. I could just be in my head about it. That was just the question that was on my mind the whole time: Am I a sociopath? Did I make a mistake? Just that inner monologue.”
He was then asked if he had worked with his mother off-screen to develop a backstory.
Jackson shared, “Yeah, I didn’t have to prepare anything. It was really strong. It was there. But yeah, like I said, it affects everything. That’s enough to make him go crazy. She was great at it.”
Find out which actor appears to have dropped out Tell me lies after season 1.
