00:00So I heard it was your idea to send Joel the therapy this season
00:03how why was that something you wanted to do I
00:06We talked about it in season one and and I I just kept thinking in a in a in a post-apocalyptic world
00:13Which is a barter economy what would be useful and what would not be useful. So like real estate not useful
00:19Doctor useful somebody you fix shoes useful
00:23therapist
00:24Incredibly useful everybody who's left is hurting everybody and from that we you know
00:31I actually wrote a scene for the first season didn't fit for time
00:34And so we relocated it here
00:36And I'm so glad we did because it takes on
00:38Much more interesting dimensions in this season the way Catherine O'Hara's character integrates with some of the other people in the story including
00:45a character that has been referenced in the games, but never seen before is
00:50Really it's really cool and
00:52It also gives us a chance to see
00:55I'm visiting what people tell their therapists. You think they're always telling the therapist the truth
01:02What are the parts they don't tell therapists? That's where it gets interesting
01:06And how did you decide Caitlin as Abby and she was kind of the right choice there well for starters
01:11It's Caitlin Deaver, so you're already thinking okay?
01:16We need somebody who can stand on her own
01:20Does the hero as the villain as somebody we love as somebody we're confused by somebody we root for and against
01:27they have to make us connect to them in this deep way and
01:31Caitlin just has a I don't know this profound nature
01:35There's a depth there, and you I always say they're actors that you you want to hang out with
01:39But then they're actors you want to hug
01:42She's both at the same time. That's what's so amazing about her
01:45And she also has an interesting history because many years ago Neil was thinking about making it to a movie
01:50They were talking to a younger much younger Caitlin Deaver about playing Ellie, so she's kind of always been in the family
01:55She loves the game Neil and I sat down with her, and it was sort of like oh, yeah, what are we doing?
02:00That's yes the answer is yes, if she says yes, we're saying yes
02:03That's a very fun full circle moment there and obviously the show can get very dark and grueling
02:08How do you kind of support the cast and all of that and kind of getting in and out of that mentally and for yourself?
02:13Well, that's a great question so I'm personally sort of obsessed with everybody's mental health in general
02:20We are doing a lot of dark stuff
02:22I think sometimes it's less what people think people may think it's the dark scenes the difficult
02:28Dialogue those emotions that are it a lot of what we can the actors are very good at kind of
02:34Letting it out, and then it's out they get in the car at the end of the day
02:38It's gone, and they kind of have to be but physically we are very demanding show
02:42So we are very concerned about their safety and we want to make sure that everybody is both mentally healthy and well
02:47And when we work on scenes we have intimacy coordinators stunt coordinators
02:52And I also I just like I'm their dad so all of them. I'm like just text me is there a problem
02:57Are you too hot are you too cold? What do you need you need socks? What do you need anything?
03:01Are you do you not feel well? I'm like I'm daddy mommy. I'm all those things to them because I love them so much
03:12You
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