1 of 5 | Isla Fisher and Josh Gad star in “Wolf Like Me.” Photo courtesy of Peacock
LOS ANGELES, Oct. 18 (UPI) — Wolf Like Me creator Abe Forsythe has revealed that Isla Fisher faced the most challenging task in Season 2, which premieres on Peacock this Thursday. Fisher portrays Mary, a werewolf who is in a relationship with single father Gary, played by Josh Gad.
“Out of everyone in the cast, Isla had the toughest job in Season 2,” Forsythe explained in a recent Zoom interview with UPI. “Her dramatic performance in the last episode speaks for itself.”
During Season 1, viewers were given glimpses of Mary’s transformations during every full moon. However, in Season 2, Mary’s transformation is depicted on-screen, as it is no longer a spoiler.
Producer Jodi Matterson expressed how Fisher fully embraced the dramatic implications of the werewolf transformation. Although the show is a horror comedy, Mary’s transformation is treated as a genuine affliction.
“It takes a lot of guts to take on a role where you transform into a werewolf and fully commit to it,” Matterson commented.
The opening of the season was inspired by an idea suggested by Fisher, as Forsythe revealed. Although his original plan was to have Mary and Gary already married and expecting a child, Fisher proposed an attention-grabbing wedding scene to kick off the new season.
“Without giving anything away, I can say that something in the wedding scene originated from Isla’s idea,” Forsythe shared. “It’s definitely an intriguing way to draw the audience into the story.”
Forsythe explained that the pregnancy increases the risk of Mary’s secret being discovered. It becomes much more challenging to keep a werewolf baby hidden, should the child inherit Mary’s condition.
In addition to the werewolf prosthetics, Fisher also had to be fitted with prosthetic tummies to accurately portray Mary’s pregnancy. According to Matterson, this process was relatively simple.
“Given her petite frame, we experimented with various sizes of pregnancy tummies to determine the right fit,” Matterson revealed. “By the end, we had three different sizes that she wore as the season progressed.”
Both Matterson and Forsythe cited the 1981 horror comedy, An American Werewolf in London, as a major source of inspiration for Mary’s physical transformation.
While the show utilized a combination of makeup and computer-generated visual effects, Forsythe emphasized the importance of the makeup in achieving authenticity.
“Being able to see and light something on set makes a significant difference,” he explained. “It gives it a much more lifelike feel.”
In the first episode of Season 2, Mary and Gary decide to purchase a house together. The house was specially constructed in a warehouse near Sydney Airport.
As they start living together, Mary also begins forming a closer bond with her stepdaughter, Emma, portrayed by Ariel Donoghue. This relationship holds great significance for both Matterson and Forsythe.
“For me, it’s crucial to portray the dynamic between a mother and a stepdaughter, which is just as important as a mother-daughter relationship,” Forsythe emphasized.
He added that Emma serves as a reminder to Mary that she is no longer alone. Matterson further explained that Mary becomes an essential influence as Emma navigates through her teenage years.
“Emma starts high school and begins to seek independence,” Matterson elaborated.
Matterson and Forsythe revealed that they have more ideas for a potential third season of Wolf Like Me, should Peacock decide to renew it. However, they also mentioned that Season 3 could be the show’s final installment.
“When Abe initially conceived the idea, he envisioned it as a three-season show,” Matterson shared. “We’ll have to wait and see.”
All seven episodes of Wolf Like Me Season 2 will premiere on Peacock this Thursday.
