EXCLUSIVE | 'Lost in Space' star Mina Sundwall on why Season 3 is bigger than ever
There are a lot of sci-fi shows currently running on television, but not a lot of those projects have created an impact on the minds of the viewers. However, since 2019, a Netflix sci-fi series titled 'Lost in Space' has managed to captivate the minds of viewers and take them on an enthralling journey that keeps everyone at the edge of their seats.
The series revolves around the Robinsons, a family of space colonists, who crash-land on an unknown planet. The family is fighting for their survival as they fight their inner demons to get out of the dangerous situation. One of the characters that have become a fan-favorite since the show's inception is none other than Penny.
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The character is played by Mina Sundwall and garnered a lot of recognition for her role. Since Season 1, Sundwall has been an integral part of the show and does an impressive job of keeping the viewers glued to their screens. So, MEAWW caught up with Sundwall to discuss the show and what viewers can expect from the upcoming season of the sci-fi show.
Q)Your character Penny has become a fan-favorite and people fell in love with it as soon as it was introduced in Season 1. How did you prepare for your role and what was the audition like?
Mina: The audition process was pretty standard actually. I did a self-tape from my living room and that was a scene from Season 1. It was the scene with Judy when she was stuck under ice. From that, I flew to Los Angeles and met with some of the writers, producers, and showrunners. Initially, I thought I completely lost the role in my second audition because I couldn’t remember some words and was so nervous. But I guess my reaction was very Penny-like. So, I did something right, I don’t know what. I feel really so lucky that we have been doing this for so many years that it’s been character growth. I think we’ve run into a kind of cycle, especially when we are in the middle of the season when we are working every day and every week, that you just feel the character and you just know how would they react. I do a lot of prep before starting the day so that when I go to the set, I can just play.
Q) What do you see about yourself most in your character of Penny? How did you control yourself while filming?
Mina: Well, sometimes we broke. There was a line that Taylor and I had to do literally 10 or 15 times because we could not stop laughing every time we were on the camera. But for the most part, we just try to find whatever seriousness there is in the funny line and that makes it funnier. If you say something very funny dead-pan and serious, it’s funnier than a lot of things. So, I think it’s a part of that but there are definitely times when we lost control.
Q) What are the similarities between you and Penny?
Mina: There are a lot of similarities between me and my character. We’ve always been around the same age, especially with the time jumps. Some of the twists and turns she was going through in her teenage years, I was going through similar things. We had growth spurts in similar times. She was dealing with new situations that she had never come across before in terms of finding robots and having to work with the family in a different way. I had never been on a set like this ever before, working with these kinds of VFX and all kinds of stunts. So, we were both facing various challenges at the same time. I am a little less sarcastic than she is, generally speaking, but I am glad I get to play out such moments through her.
Q) In Season 2 of 'Lost in Space', we saw Penny going through a lot of things. As an actor how difficult it was to go through these situations and that too, in such a short period.
Mina: That’s going to be my tagline for my character: “Penny goes through hell”. The makers put Penny through a lot in Season 2, for sure. These are all the things that I have never been through in real life. So, it was exciting to see everything that she gets to do. I get to experiment with what it would be like if that were to happen. So, it was a lot to handle for her but I am always like “put her through more”.
Q) Tell us about the fun you had on sets and about your bond with Molly Parker
Mina: We are truly a family because you spent so much time with them while shooting. I mean, we have seen each other morning, noon, and night on good days and bad days, in the cold and in the heat. We do feel a lot like a family and I have a strong relationship with everyone. We speak to each other frequently and it feels really special to get to do that with people you are so closed with. It also makes it easier to be on the set because you trust everybody around you.
Q) Can you give us a little sneak peek about Season 3 of 'Lost in Space'?
Mina: Season 3 is bigger and we start with the kids and parents separated so part of this is this added layer of how could they possibly get back together.
(To lend an easy-to-read experience for our readers, the original interview is split into multiple stories. Stay with us as we update our site with more of Tann's valuable insights on her career)