In the summer of 2015,Lana Condorwas all smiles as she sat in a tent with press on the Toronto set ofX-Men: Apocalypse. Like her character Jubilee, a mutant that fires off fireworks from her hands, she exuded pure energy and excitement. And why shouldn’t she? Her first film role, playing a comic book character in a big-budget franchise blockbuster, came for her at the age of 18 and was surely going to put her on the map.
It didn’t, though. Jubilee barely had any screen time beyond a brief arcade mall sequence and when it came time to shoot the sequel,Dark Phoenix, Condor had already signed up to do a small rom-com for Netflix. You may have heard of it. It’s only now at the age of 21, after the success ofTo All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, that she’s actually getting to do, well, anything in a comic book-based story.
In Syfy’sDeadly Class, Condor now takes up a motorcycle and samurai sword as Saya, a “deeply guarded” yakuza assassin in training at Kings Dominion, the shadowy school for the next generation of killers. She’s tasked by Headmaster Lin (Benedict Wong) to recruit and keep an eye on Marcus (Benjamin Wadsworth), a street kid and our lens into this world. Even as Condor describes the experience of playing a stunt-heavy, tatted up “badass,” she still can’t help but be her same bubbly self as she was that day in Toronto.
Below, Condor explains the experience of the ‘80s-setDeadly Class, dealing with the fame fromTo All the Boys, when she’s going back to work on the Netflix sequel, and why she wasn’t able to return to X-Men forDark Phoenix.
QUESTION: I doubt you remember this because it was in a group setting but we met not that too long ago on the set ofX-Men: Apocalypse.
CONDOR: Oh my God! Was that when everyone was in the tent on one of the days that we were shooting outside with a lot of the cast?
Yeah, it was the day when you were outside in front of the rubble of the X-Mansion.
CONDOR: That feels like forever ago.
It was kinda funny because you were so excited about playing a comic book character, but now going intoDeadly Class, how does it feel to actually get to do something other than play arcade games?
CONDOR: I know! It definitely feels amazing. It’s funny because I, of course, love X-Men forever. X-Men was such an incredible experience because I had never worked before, I was so excited to be there. I love Jubilee and I hope that in the future she’ll get her due, but I think withDeadly Class, there’s so much more involvement. You know I love comics and working things that have pre-existing source material, soDeadly Classwas a completely different experiences in many ways – but also one of the hugest ways is that I have more to do [Laughs].
Did you ever get a callback, by the way, forDark Phoenix? I didn’t see you on the cast roster.
CONDOR: No, I didn’t end up doingDark Phoenix‘cause I was doingTo All the Boys.
Well, that definitely takes priority.
CONDOR: I hope X-Men lives on so hopefully in the future I’ll be able to go back to that family because it’s where I feel very indebted and loyal to. Yeah, it’s been crazy because at this point, we haven’t spoken [referring to Collider], I guess that was three years ago.
It’s been a beat.
CONDOR: It’s been a freakin’ minute!Deadly Classis great andDeadly Classis so different and I think it’s just so dark and brooding, but I think there’s something really real, a relatability toDeadly Class, which is funny because in a lot of comics you think there are superheroes in comics, there’s magic. For us, I thinkDeadly Classis special even though it’s in a heightened world of these kids are learning to become assassins, but here they are acting like relatable characters in that audiences can find themselves in one of these characters. It’s a huge cast, so I’m really excited about that.
I got a chance totalk with[co-showrunner]Miles [Orion Feldsott] and some of the cast membersabout the opportunity you guys have topresent new stories within theDeadly Classcomics because you’re expanding on a lot of what is already on the page. Do you get to play with that material with Saya and her backstory?
CONDOR: I was talking to the writers and I think throughout Season 1, Saya’s arc, she’s very sure of herself and she doesn’t go through as much emotional turmoil and digging into the history of the character as some of the other characters do. But I think Saya throughout season 1, her whole goal is to keep track of her pledge, Marcus. So that’s what she involves herself in completely. That is her intention for every scene: whether or not Marcus is gonna fuck up her life and she’s gonna have to pick up the pieces, or whether or not she can just take care of him and stuff like that. So, I think a lot of her story arc in season 1 revolves around doing what Master Lin wants and taking care of her pledge, but I think other characters have a lot more in-depth, diving-in, breaking-down history of their characters.
If we are so lucky to get a Season 2, I hope that we will learn a little more about Saya’s history and just her personal life, but I think Miles and [comic creator and co-showrunner] Rick [Remender] and all of the writers really wanted to focus Saya’s story on taking care of her pledge and the consequences that can come with that and diving deeper into the backgrounds of other characters.
Before I got to set, Netflix released a trailer remix ofTo All the Boys I’ve Loved Beforeas a horror movie. IsDeadly Classbasically your version ofTo All the Boys I’ve Killed Before?
CONDOR: [Laughs] Oh my gosh. I mean, it’s definitely the foil toTo All the Boysfor sure. I have seen a couple people saying, “Oh my God, Lara Jean snapped.” I couldn’t have gone further from Lara Jean than Saya. So, I guess, in a sense it’s kinda cool to have that really intense foil of these characters. It’s funny ‘cause we had this screening last night and I was watching the final version of the pilot and I felt like I wasn’t even watching myself because Saya is so angry and different and intense.
Speaking of that, you’ve doneTo All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, we know you’re coming back for theTo All the Boyssequel. What helps orient you into the world of Kings Dominion and your character?
CONDOR: I think the biggest thing that made such a change for me was the cut-offs on my hair and they gave me tattoos, so that was a major change for me. I honestly think that the design of the character from cutting her hair to the makeup that she wears and the costumes really helped me get into character because, again, she is so different than I am in real life. The music helped me, as well, but I know some of the other cast are better versed in ’80s music than I am. I’m truly not great. The music that I listened to actually, was tribal war music. I would drive to work every day listening to tribal drum beats that were highly aggressive, but it really did get me in the mood.
Are you pretty much going right back into theTo All the Boyssequel or do you get a beat to linger with Saya in this world a little bit?
CONDOR: The show is coming out on the 16th of January, so this whole month is deeply dedicated toDeadly Classand to promoting the show that we so much believe in and worked hard on, but then I pretty much go right back intoTo All the Boysright after theDeadly Classpromos.
Do you have a filming date in mind yet or does that come about later?
CONDOR: I don’t. I haven’t heard a specific date at all, so I’m hoping that it’s sooner than later. I’ve been busy so if I’m not doing something I go a little crazy, so hopefully it’ll be sooner than later.
I saw you at theDeadly ClassComic-Con panel and in the months while you were promoting and working on the show you started blowing up because of the rom-com. What has that experience been like for you, dealing with that rise in notoriety while you’re in the midst of working on this show?
CONDOR: It’s funny because I thinkDeadly Classcame at the perfect time for me personally. Because ofTo All the Boys, a lot of things changed and it was so well received but during the four months afterTo All the Boyswhen things were really getting hyped up, I was so involved inDeadly Classso it was almost likeDeadly Classtook me to a different world. I was so deeply invested and focused in on the show that it was almost as if I was living under a rock. I didn’t really know what was happening in that outside world.Deadly Classprovided a place for me to keep my head down and do the work and not get swept up.
These things, withTo All the Boysand the success that comes with that, it’s a very radical change in my personal life. For me,Deadly Classsaved me from getting wrapped up in it or overwhelmed with it because I had a story I was trying to tell and my best friends are at work with me. I think it was just a world that kept meme, you know? Shooting the show right afterTo All the Boyswas truly a blessing. I joke around about it, though, because I felt like I had whiplash because I was so focused on Lara Jean and then all of a sudden I’m with a totally different Saya and I’m all confused. Like, “Who am I?!” And my cast has been so supportive, too. They’ve been really supportive about the change in my life, but also we all just want to make the show really good. We’ve all really bonded.
In the grand scheme of things you’re still kick-starting your career, but one thing that’s been really impressive is your choice of which roles to take. Going back to when you were first reading the scripts forDeadly Classor talking with the showrunners, what about Saya made her more nuanced for you as opposed to something that can veer towards the stereotype of an Asian character with yakuza ties and a samurai sword?
CONDOR: I had first heard about the pilot months before I actually went into audition, but I had never done television before and I love knowing the ending of a story. I love features because you have an ending, so I was hesitant about auditioning for a show that could potentially go on for years. Everything that I had heard about it was really great and people were really excited even during the audition process, but I was like, “Let me give it a second. I don’t know if I’m in a place right now where I want to be committed for such a long period of time.” And that’s only of course if we get more seasons. Then months went by and my agents were like, “Lana, I think you really need to read this. It’s really really great and people are only getting more excited about it.” When I finally read the pilot script, I remember setting it down and thinking, “This is a character I would not get bored with. This is a character that I could, honest to God, see myself playing, if we’re so lucky, for years.”
Besides what we see of her being a badass – which, of course, is major for me. I’ve always been interested in physical work so stunt performing was a huge intrigue for the job. Besides that, I think Saya, she is the least expressive character I’ve ever played in my short career. That, for me, is the most challenging because I tend to be expressive and outgoing and bubbly and what you see is what you get. That challenge for me with her being more deeply guarded and not emotional and very much internal, independent, lone wolf, doesn’t rely on anyone, that was really attractive to me. I felt like that was something I wanted to learn and to challenge myself to doing. And it definitely challenged me, but I learned so much just from the first season how to keep things closer to my heart and to be a little bit more guarded.
Deadly Class’ first episode is available to watch now through Syfy until Jan. 16.
