'Utopia Falls' star Phillip Lewitski hopes his character inspires people who went through similar trauma

In what was considered to be a genre-bending series, Hulu's sci-fi musical 'Utopia Falls' tries instilling peace and harmony in the dystopian society of New Babyl through the power of music. Through the lens of its characters, 'Utopia Falls' narrates the struggles of citizens who are striving for freedom and to make their voices heard. 

In an interview with MEA WorldWide (MEAWW), Phillip Lewitski, who essays the role of Apollo from the industry sector, talked about the influence his role Apollo had on him and what his story has to offer viewers.

Apollo is shown to be extremely calm and quiet. However, his participation in the Exemplar and in the contestants' quest for truth was pivotal in re-defining the fate of New Babyl.

Commenting on the reaction his character has garnered from the audience, Phillip told MEAWW, "The reaction for Apollo has been very moving. What I wanted to do with this character and his story hopefully inspires someone out there who may have had a similar traumatic event happen to them."

"When the show came out, I started getting a bunch of messages from people all over the world who had gone through exactly what Apollo goes through and still pursued music, which was very touching to hear," he added. 

He said working in the coming-of-age genre was "incredible". "From the first time I saw this show I knew it had hit a niche that hasn't been tapped into yet and that the creators were definitely onto something. The story is very unique and for anyone who hasn't seen it yet, there are incredibly important messages behind the writing that needs to be talked about," he said.

In the series, we saw an ancient form of art spark a revolution in the distant world. Reflecting on this and drawing on his own experiences, Phillip said that all art forms have influenced or affected him in some way or the other.

"I have had art stir up all sorts of emotions inside. I have stood in front of a painting not able to hold back tears. I have gotten so angry watching a movie that I threw something at the TV. I have lost myself in the sounds of playing an instrument. I see people's expressions of art all over and to me, it's the one place that people feel like they can fully reveal themselves however they want and I love seeing people so free," he said. 

His character in the series is shown to be a drummer. Although Phillip played a lot of instruments when he was younger, he was never formally taught drums.

When asked how he went about the preparation for his role as a drummer, he said, "I had incredible music choreographers working with me on the show. We would rehearse for hours and hours and they were always super supportive and patient. I did have a drum double in case I needed it and although we never ended up using him, he was an incredibly talented drummer and taught me so much."

Phillip concluded his interview by telling MEAWW about his upcoming projects, which he is extremely passionate and excited about. Not revealing the name of the film he said, "It touches on social issues that are very alive in today's society and think it will help start a really good conversation."