The homicide thriller is midway by its chapters on Merciless Summer season Season 2, and we’re getting deep into the numerous suspects at play.
Jeff Pope, the movie-obsessed filmmaker with a burning crush on Megan, is a type of people. Jeff appeared like a pleasant man in love throughout the summer season of 1999, however his future animosity in opposition to Megan and Isabella left us with loads of questions. We won’t rule him or his blackmail scene out but.
Nile Bullock, who performs Jeff, is setting the file straight concerning the love and suspicions of his character,
Under, we chatted with Bullock about his time filming Merciless Summer season, why Jeff modified drastically between the months, and his connection to the homicide thriller. Plus, he teased a bit about what’s to return for Jeff.
Try the interview under!
How does it really feel enjoying Jeff Pope on Merciless Summer season Season 2?
Oh my gosh, it appears like a variety of various feelings. It is really a blessing to have the ability to play Jeff Pope. I am nonetheless simply making an attempt to course of all the things, you realize, as I am watching the present.
One thing that I’ve mentioned in previous interviews when folks have requested me concerning the position of Jeff is that it feels refreshing to play this position particularly.
The position additionally feels true to who I’m, particularly with Jeff’s persona being this closed and quiet individual, the one who’s behind the scenes so much and simply observing. I really feel like I confront numerous relatability in that character, so it is wild and a few of the finest reveals ever.
Being part of Merciless Summer season Season 2 makes it even higher. I am really blessed to be enjoying Jeff.
You talked about comparable qualities; Jeff is an enormous film buff and loves enjoying with a digital camera. Do you’ve that in widespread with him?
Positively, to a sure diploma. I can not say I’ve branched in, no less than in my private life, into filmmaking, the humanities, and the method behind it.
However I am an enormous film geek. If not films, it is like TV reveals. I am a sucker for motion movies. All varieties of movies, particularly motion! Comedy.
I’m making an attempt to look at basic films, sort of like those Jeff was into. Extra across the 2000s and Nineteen Nineties time.
There’s positively a love for having the ability to make movies. That is one thing I need to go onto later in my life, and I like to file movies of me doing no matter.
I used to do a complete bunch of skits after I was youthful too. I used to be tremendous energetic on the [social] media.
We’ve that drive in widespread. Simply being artistic on a regular basis and observing the world by that lens.
Yeah, we have now that in widespread.
Merciless Summer season went into its second season with a brand new thriller. Have been you accustomed to the present earlier than you bought the position?
I wasn’t accustomed to Merciless Summer season after I obtained the position. It had popped up on my timeline a few instances; I noticed trailers going throughout my IG web page and on TV randomly a few instances.
I by no means took an opportunity to take a seat down and see what it was about.
One factor about me is I do not binge a complete bunch of TV today as a result of generally I am actually busy or have extracurriculars. So after I obtained the chance to learn for Merciless Summer season Season 2 and booked the position, I dove proper into Merciless Summer season Season 1.
Instantly, I must know what this present is about and what the hype is about.
I bear in mind how the primary season was sort of like me not figuring out a complete bunch about Freeform on the time. I bear in mind listening to that the present was like this A & B degree and never tremendous identified, but it surely was a smash hit on Freeform. It was a high present.
That already had me intrigued. Merciless Summer season Season 1, I’ve to say, blew me away, and I used to be on the sting of my seat.
I completed that season so shortly. [Laughs]
I used to be simply so in it.
It has been so hype to be part of Merciless Summer season Season 2 alone as a result of the primary was so freaking good! Yeah, that is been my introduction to the Merciless Summer season universe.
Now that you have been in it, learn the scripts and filmed the scenes. How did it really feel to be in a deep homicide thriller?
Oh man, it was nice! It was nice! [Laughs]
It is completely superb. It makes you so anxious since you need to know the way the tables are going to show because the present goes on and who’s the wrongdoer. Who’s this? Who’s that?
And one factor about this manufacturing is that they did a very good job of not telling us shit. [Laughs]
We didn’t know. Episodes had been being written whereas we had been capturing the scenes.
Stuff was going again and being rewritten, so we had been at midnight, apart from a few the showrunners and the solid.
We did not know what was occurring till the episode was coming. So, it felt wild, particularly with how the present is shot, leaping in between the completely different time durations and seeing such dramatic and fast transitions.
That was very very like whereas we had been capturing.
We would be doing one scene the place we might all be chilling and hanging out on the cabin or the seaside. After which, within the subsequent scene, it might be straight chaos. [Laughs]
Or a very completely different temper change.
It made it that rather more enjoyable and sort of like a problem working with that crew of the present. That was my first time doing a homicide mystery-type vibe.
I beloved it! It was nice; a lot enjoyable.
I obtained to talk along with your co-star, Lisa Yamada, about this and requested her this query. Merciless Summer season has all of the completely different durations, and it’s important to shift round. How did it really feel to prep and transfer by the instances an episode at a time?
Oh, man! Yeah, like I used to be saying on the finish of that final query, it was a problem at instances. Particularly as you bought the scripts, and impulsively, there was this dramatic change, or some cliffhanger, or a brand new character popping up within the subsequent episode.
It was like, “Holy shit! [Spoiler] was transferring tremendous fast?!”
Since numerous stuff was shot out of context at instances, it was so much. It constructed this problem and pushed us to essentially faucet into sure components of ourselves.
I felt emotion-wise, bodily, and mentally throughout these days as a result of it might be such fast turnarounds to start out the scene of what we had been capturing. However everyone within the solid made that tremendous simple.
We’ve such a passionate solid and crew, and you realize, administrators.
Everyone was actually on high of getting it executed in the proper approach and ensuring that everyone was on their A-game. So, despite the fact that a few of the days had been difficult and it wasn’t very clear figuring out all of the locations that we had been going to leap to in a day.
I really feel just like the setting actually filtered us, and the environment stored us grounded.
We had been in a position to get by it so nicely.
Most of your scenes to date have been filmed with Sadie Stanley, who performs Megan. And you’ve got had some interactions with the remainder of the core solid of teenagers. How was the expertise filming with them and constructing out your story collectively?
It was completely a blessing. For actual, this complete solid was tremendous tremendous tremendous dope folks from all completely different locations of the world!
Everybody was such a powerhouse. We had so many powerhouse actors and actresses too.
Shoutout to everyone on the solid! Shoutout to Sadie [Stanley], shoutout to Lexi [Underwood], shoutout to Lisa [Yamada].
You understand, Brady and Griffin. Everyone ate on Merciless Summer season Season 2; they actually went loopy. I made numerous buddies that I can contemplate lifelong buddies engaged on this set.
It was tremendous cool to look at how every character performs into what we see on this present. We bonded over time as all the things obtained prolonged, and we went out to attempt various things with one another.
I met numerous actors based mostly in Vancouver. I need to shout out my buddy Tedra Rogers as a result of they had been considered one of my actually good buddies on that set. Everyone was so freaking nice!
We simply had such a various solid, and it was so cool to get to know everyone — bond with one another in every episode.
It was a brilliant superb expertise.
I need to shift gears slightly bit and speak about Jeff. We noticed an enormous change in him between Summer season 1999 and Winter 1999. Why do you suppose he is so resentful of Megan a lot within the leap ahead?
It is protected to say when you all watched Merciless Summer season Season 2 Episode 4, we all know now that he had a relationship with Megan that hasn’t been totally introduced into the sunshine but. That’s one thing we’ll see defined extra on Merciless Summer season Season 2 Episode 5.
A bit of little bit of what I can communicate on with that’s, for one, Jeff had an enormous crush on Megan. He had beloved Megan since his elementary college years!
Jeff has been crushing on this lady, and you realize, I really feel like him having the ability to speak in confidence to her, we obtained to see him breaking out of his shell completely.
He is been the quiet one and tremendous observant. He is not tremendous open like that with everyone; he is making an attempt to be concerned with all the things. Like, it is his life with Megan.
We additionally see Megan might be herself round Jeff. I really feel like Jeff can say the identical about Megan, most positively.
What we do not see is how deep Megan and Jeff’s little relationship was. I believe we will see Jeff, particularly on Merciless Summer season Season 2 Episode 5, rubbed the unsuitable as a result of Megan is struggling together with her emotions for Luke. So, that performs into this factor that is falling aside.
We’ll positively see that, and we’ll see Jeff get used as a crutch. Luke’s relationship performs in Jeff being blown off, which places him into his bad-boy period.
And Jeff has appeared to turn out to be a much bigger a part of this homicide thriller. He is buddies with Luke, however he has his causes to harm him. Do you suppose followers are suspicious of Jeff? Have you ever been studying any of the web guesses?
I’ve been! Individuals are coming for Jeff’s life proper now. [Laughs]
It is tremendous humorous to me. I prefer it so much to be studying it.
Yeah, Jeff is a suspicious child. I’ve to say it is humorous. As I watch these episodes with everyone else and the remainder of the world, there are numerous issues I do not bear in mind in these episodes going ahead.
It is like I am at midnight.
I did not get to look at the total season earlier than the present got here out. Even after capturing, there are numerous issues that I do not bear in mind.
I am sort of at midnight about the right way to piece it collectively.
So, Jeff is a large suspect. I like how the present brings to gentle how numerous completely different folks might be suspects right here.
Jeff together with his digital camera, it is positively like, you realize, he has that factor on always. It may be creepy.
I am like, “Rattling!” Even watching it myself, I am like, “Okay, Jeff.”
What do you hope followers will take away with Jeff when all is claimed and executed by the tip of Merciless Summer season Season 2?
That is a very good query. I hope that individuals will be capable of discover some relativity in Jeff.
I really feel like, once more, one factor with me, and this being one of many greatest roles I’ve had to date in my profession, is that one factor to remove was that I linked with Jeff.
He has an introverted and extroverted facet, which I positively see in myself after I step into sure settings. Typically I am simply the quiet and observant one. I need to sit and take heed to issues. So, I hope folks discover them.
I really feel like Jeff will get a foul rep all through Merciless Summer season too.
I hope all through the subsequent episodes that, we’ll clear some gentle on why he’s the best way he’s going all through the remainder of the season.
And I additionally hope some folks which were in Jeff’s scenario, like making an attempt to be the great child and falling for the lady who is perhaps slightly bit troubled, that they discover some readability in that and know they are not alone.
I really feel like at sure components, Jeff turns into the moaning one as we see him battle his personal feelings in opposition to Megan and watch her fall for Luke. So, I hope there are numerous issues they take away.
I really feel like there’s so much for the viewers to take a seat and give it some thought. With the general theme of the present and every character that we see, there are numerous themes, just like the idea of “ride-or-die.”
That is one other dialog I hope folks take away.
You understand, how will they argue? How deep are you keen to undergo for a buddy? By means of thick and skinny, the place do you draw the road?
There are numerous issues I hope audiences take away theme-wise as they watch the remainder of Merciless Summer season Season 2.
I hope there are much more questions. Yeah, most positively.
We’re now midway by the season. Is there something you possibly can tease for Jeff developing?
Effectively! Effectively! I do not actually know. That is a very good query.
All I need to say is that we will see and discover out quickly why Jeff has slightly little bit of grime on his arms.
That is one factor I do know the viewers desires to see too. Particularly concerning the blackmailing scenario!
Megan and Isabella freakin’ blackmailed the child! Why the egg? What’s his soiled secret, and what’s he making an attempt to cover?
And the way deep does it go?
That is one thing coming quickly, which I am for the viewers to see. It paints numerous gentle on the scenario and would not make him appear like as a lot of a creep as he does proper now. However I do not know; that would change going ahead.
So, keep tuned to that!
Merciless Summer season Season 2 airs Mondays at 10/9c on Freeform. You’ll be able to watch Merciless Summer season on-line to make amends for all of the previous drama.
Justin Carreiro is a workers author for TV Fanatic. Observe him on Twitter.
