“Last year we did struggle in those first four episodes, finding compelling and exciting stuff for Marcus and Tomas to be doing, all while slow burning the Casey possession story [and the eventual return of Regan MacNeil from the legendary 1973 movie],” Slater continued. He went on to explain the first season of the series did take some “weird detours” offering the exploration of the possessed homeless of Chicago as one that “didn't necessarily pay off in the larger picture.” So this season the producers are slow burning a new family storyline.
“It’s important to get to know and care about [this family] before the shit hits the fan,” Slater explained. “So Marcus and Tomas had a very aggressive sort of James Bond opening where you come in at the end of one mission before the next mission starts. In the first two episodes, we saw this big propulsion of exciting storylines but it will settle down into the rhythms of the show that fans are more familiar with.”
This new family Slater refers to is a diverse foster family under the care of Andrew Kim, played by series newcomer John Cho (pictured below). Kim finds one of his wards targeted by a powerful force of evil.
For Cho, getting to be a part of The Exorcist is a dream. “It's been great and really gratifying,” he told me. “These characters are very deep and the situations really expansive. Having a foster family feels even more precious than a biological family in the sense that it's more fragile. On an intellectual level, I've been learning the language of this genre, as I am new to it, and that's been very exciting. Of course, it’s also an honor joining the franchise and a tremendous amount of fun.”
Despite its dark tone and subject matter, when talking to anyone from The Exorcist, the word “fun” pops up a lot -- especially when it comes to returning series leads Daniels and Herrara.
“I always say having the chance to share a set with Ben is great,” Herrera said when we recently talked. “He's such an intense actor and very intense when he's on set, but when they say cut we love to laugh. We crack jokes and it's needed.”
“Likewise,” Daniels added. “I adore working with Alfonso. He's working in a different language so he comes to the set so enthusiastic. It's hard enough for me to learn the language for the exorcisms, as it's an endless list of names and prayers and you have to get it exactly right. But he is doing it in a completely different language to his native tongue, so he comes to the set totally prepared and I'm someone who learns their stuff backward, so we can do it and then relax a little.”