Tom Riley (Monroe, Lost in Austen) and Laura Haddock (Guardians Of The Galaxy, Upstairs Downstairs), who play Leonardo da Vinci and Lucrezia Donati, respectively, are the stars of the STARZ NETWORK production of the detailed and intricate television show Da Vinci’s Demons by writer-producer David S. Goyer (Godzilla) and set to debut this Saturday at 9 PM. In this press conference call held March 14th, Riley and Haddock discuss what to expect in the show’s second season. Here’s the synopsis provided by STARZ, followed by the trailer:
In the second season, Florence is thrown into chaos in the wake of the Pazzi conspiracy that took place in the season one finale. Leonardo da Vinci pushes the limits of his mind and body to defend the city against the forces of Rome. While the Medicis go to unthinkable lengths to deal with new threats, da Vinci’s quest to find the fabled Book of Leaves and uncover the secret history of his mother takes him to faraway lands and forces him to reevaluate everything he knew about the world and his own history.
In the press conference, which you can hear in full below, Tom Riley says that we will see “the maturing of Leonardo da Vinci” into the genius he is known for during the Second Season. While Da Vinci’s Demons has been attacked for being historically inaccurate, it must be praised for at least giving a believable frame to the person that is Leonardo da Vinci. We agree that the rest is fantasy – perhaps Leonardo da Vinci’s dreeams.
Riley and Haddock, who are quite delightful in the press conference, say that the acting challenge is to show that Leonardo da Vinci’s selfish behavior impacts others. “The acting challenge,” he says, “is to not show too much.” Haddock says that “the most interesting discovery is going back and visiting her (Lucrezia Donati) as a young woman with all of the kind of hopes and dreams that young teenagers have with the ability to fall in love and have their heart broken. Discovering her as a young woman really helps me understand her.”
The show’s beautifully produced and the set designs and locations are so awe-inspiring that it’s easy to understand how Tom and Laura can have the room to grow their characters. There’s more in the entire press conference posted at Soundcloud and I present below. Be sure to watch Da Vinci’s Demons Season 2 this Saturday at 9 PM on the STARZ NETWORK.
STARZ’s Da Vinci’s Demons Press conference:
Stay tuned.