'Bulletproof' Season 2: Vanessa Vanderpuye says Lashana Lynch messaged her useful tips ahead of filming
'Bulletproof' Season 2 is all set to debut in the US and this season, there's a lot of everything — action, adventure, romance and more. Season 2 also brings in some exciting new characters and a new cast member who will be playing an old favorite. Due to scheduling conflicts with her feature film projects, Lashana Lynch won't be returning to the role of Arjana Pike in Season 2. The character will instead be played by Vanessa Vanderpuye. In an interview with MEA WordWide (MEAWW), Vanderpuye spoke about joining the show in Season 2 and stepping into Lynch's shoes.
"Well, obviously it was really daunting because I felt like Lashana definitely left her mark when they filmed it and the fact that she was being drawn to bigger and better things as well. I felt the pressure of making sure I did the role justice," she said. "So it was definitely very scary, but the whole team was amazing and they made me feel really welcomed. So Noel, Ashley and the directors, they all made sure that I trusted my judgment in terms of the direction I wanted to take the role and the way I wanted to act it. And I didn't have to portray Lashana's role, I mean, I could make the role my own, so they gave me confidence in making sure that I had complete control over the character, which was really nice. So yeah, they made me feel really welcome."
Vanessa also revealed that ahead of the filming, Lashana reached out to her on Instagram with congratulations and some useful tips.
"Before I managed to message her, she actually messaged me first on Instagram and sent me a DM to just congratulate me and wish me all the best," Vanderpuye explained. "And so I thanked her and I asked for any tips, and she said, just make the role your own and you'll be great. She was really lovely."
Now, after a successful run in the UK, 'Bulletproof' Season 2 will be arriving on The CW in the US, and Vanessa could not be more excited. "I'm looking forward to it coming out in America and seeing how the audience there receive this season," she said. "I think there's definitely more action. You can tell that they added so much more to the budget in terms of the action scenes and everything. I think it was really well executed."
So what specifically do we need to watch out for in Season 2? Well, according to Vanderpuye, we really ought to watch out for Arjana and Ronnie Pike's (Ashley Walters) daughter Ali Pike (Jodie Campbell). "I think you will see that my daughter is going to be growing into her own skin. I know even the audience here, lots of people were messaging me saying, 'Ooh, your daughter'. And I'm like, 'I know, keep watching'. Yeah, she definitely is growing up. She's a teenager and as much as she's very respectful, obviously, she is influenced by her peers, her friends, and it can get her into trouble."
'Bulletproof' Season 2 premieres in the US on June 10 at 9 pm ET, only on The CW.
