Exclusive | 'Manifest' Season 2: Matt Long teases trouble for Zeke, Luna Blaise's Olive to have a love interest
'Manifest' is back with an epic premiere where Michaela Stone (Melissa Roxburgh) and Ben Stone (Josh Dallas) are still reeling under the threat of death dates. With too many riddles to solve, things seem to be pretty messy and many mysteries need to be unraveled.
Wondering what's in store for the new season? At the red carpet for NBCUniversal's Winter Press Tour in Roxburgh, Dallas, Matt Long and Luna Blaise spilled Season 2 secrets in exclusive chats with MEA World Wide (MEAWW).
At the end of the first episode, Zeke (Matt Long) was in prison after turning himself in. With his death date being the closest, fans seem pretty concerned about him and want the Stone family to save him. Dropping hints from the new season, Matt said, "The thing about Zeke's story this season is that his death date is very close." He added, "In the Season 2 premiere, we saw that there was a two-month jump and that brings his end closer."
Teasing more trouble for his character, Matt said, "The biggest things that can happen in a person's life will happen with Zeke this year. He turns himself to the police in the season premiere. That story will play out in the next few episodes."
That's not all, there is a love triangle brewing between Zeke, Mich and Jared. Social media is blowing up with talks about "that look" between Michaela and Zeke. When the actor found out about all the buzz, he found it to be "super cool". Matt said, "I am not on Twitter, I am on Instagram, but that sounds awesome."
With Zeke gone, Michaela is hell-bent on bringing him back. Will she succeed? She is also dealing with a new partner and boss at work. Will she find herself in dire situations as her investigation proceeds? Not revealing much, Melissa said that she "will break down a lot of doors" this season.
Moreover, Ben has his own troubles with getting to the bottom of death dates. The "callings" are getting stronger and more frequent this season, especially with Grace's "calling" and a shared "calling" between Michaela, Zeke, Cal in episode two. "What I'm most excited about is the 'callings', Josh said. "How the 'callings' change and push these characters in a whole different way than they were in season one."
Both Melissa and Josh are leading actors on the show and there is a lot at stake for the brother-sister duo. Shedding light on how it has been a "good learning experience" for her, Melissa said, "This is the first time I've been the lead on a show so it is a good learning experience."
The actor, who is known for her stint in 'Diary of a Wimpy Kid' film series, poked fun at her co-star and said, "Josh has taught me a lot about leading but I have ignored all he said because it is bad." Not one to keep mum, he joked, "See, I taught her well."
In Episode 2, Grace Stone finds out the father of her baby is indeed Ben! When she tells her daughter Olive Stone about how she found out about the supposed 828 baby with the help of a "calling", the teenager feels isolated and is unable to understand why she has been left out. Struggling to fit in, she tries hard to comprehend all the changes.
But, there is good news. For Luna's character, 'Manifest' might present a new path! "This season for Olive, it's all coming-of-age," Luna said. There are a lot of twists and turns. She is really trying to find out her purpose." Hinting at something major to look forward to, she teased, "Olive makes a lot of mistakes but she also finds out a lot about herself. It's a really beautiful season. For Olive, it's sad."
Dropping a major clue, Luna revealed that her character has a "love interest" this season. "It is very intense." Pondering for a long time, she added, "She's happy." And then says, "You're going to have to wait and see. Because I do not even have a word to describe it. There are so many mixed emotions that play with your heart. It will be exciting."
With the suspense and cliffhangers at the end of every episode, the series seems to head towards a metaphorical existential threat. The puzzle pieces need to be fitted in together soon.
New episodes from the series air every Monday at 10/9c on NBC.
