Thomasin McKenzie Teases a Major New Acting Challenge in ‘Fallout’ Season 3

After a handful of small roles, including a walk-on part in Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit trilogy, New Zealand actress Thomasin McKenzie earned her place on the roster in several independent films. Just as we were entering the 2020s, McKenzie’s career soared with roles in M. Night Shyamalan’s Old, Jane Campion’s The Power of the Dog, and the top of the call sheet, opposite Anya Taylor-Joy, in Edgar Wright’s Last Night in Soho. We’ll next spot her sharing scenes with genre queen Maika Monroe in their Gothic horror, Victorian Psycho, hitting theaters this weekend.

Beyond this month’s gruesome release, however, McKenzie has a full slate of features and series in the works, including her leading portrayal of Audrey Hepburn in Dinner with Audrey, and joining Season 3 of Prime Video’s Fallout. Recently, the actress sat down with Perri Nemiroff for a new episode of Collider Ladies Night to discuss everything from lessons learned with Monroe on Victorian Psycho to brand-new challenges she’s tackling on the set of Fallout Season 3.

‘Fallout’ Season 3 Is About to Be a Filmmaking First for Thomasin McKenzie

“That’ll be an interesting challenge.”

Image via Prime Video

Even before the solid conclusion to Fallout Season 2, fans weren’t left in the dark about a third season. The video game-based series announced its third-season return before the sophomore season even aired, and is currently in the middle of filming. For McKenzie, joining Prime Video’s massive hit series offers her the chance to flex new muscles. When asked about an acting first she experienced on set, she revealed, “I’ve not done it yet, but I’m about to. I’m about to act with a green screen, and I’ve never done that before.”

Fallout brings Bethesda’s popular game franchise to life on screen, fully realizing the Wasteland and spots like Vault-Tec’s infamous bunkers, the Brotherhood of Steel’s camp, and New Vegas. To achieve the show’s impressive blend of practical and visual effects, the cast and crew film on location in stunning places like the coast of Namibia as well as unbelievable sets that utilize Volume technology. For McKenzie, her previous roles never required technology like this, with one exception.

“On The Hobbit, because they filmed in Wellington — where I’m from, in Miramar, which is a suburb of Wellington — they had a huge green screen. You could see it for miles. So I saw that green screen [when] I was in The Hobbit, but I didn’t act in front of the green screen. So, that’s the closest I’ve gotten to that.”

She continues:

“I’ve done plenty of acting to tape before. They set a mark for you on the camera, and that’s what you’re talking to, which is hard, but I’ve never done it on this scale before. So, that’ll be an interesting challenge.”

Thomasin McKenzie Was Already a ‘Fallout’ Fan Before Joining Season 3

This also marks her first time filming in L.A.

Like the series’ 100 million global viewers, McKenzie was a Fallout fan long before her casting. So, when it was recently announced that she would be stepping into this dystopian world alongside fellow newcomers Aaron Paul (Breaking Bad), Manny Jacinto (The Acolyte), and Emily Mortimer (Jay Kelly), McKenzie was thrilled.

“I am so, so, so excited to be a part of Fallout. I watched the first two seasons, and I fell in love with it. My best friends, my boyfriend’s best friend, they’re all obsessed with Fallout. It’s one of the first jobs I’ve done where people are like, ‘Oh my God, you’re doing Fallout!’ which I have to say is quite a nice feeling. So, I was so, so, so excited. Also, we filmed in L.A. I’ve never filmed in LA before.”

The four of them are now set to be shooting Season 3 with Fallout stars Ella Purnell (Lucy MacLean), Walton Goggins (Cooper Howard/The Ghoul), Aaron Moten (Maximus), Kyle MacLachlan (Hank MacLean), and the whole host of talented regulars and guest stars that fill out the show’s post-apocalyptic assortment of characters. For the New Zealand actress, in addition to working with a green screen, L.A. was also a massive shift.

“This is my fourth time working in America, but my first time working in L.A. So I was really excited about that prospect, to film in Hollywood. This is what L.A. is known for. I grew up wishing I was American so that I could be part of this world. It’s just very exciting.”

To find out even more about McKenzie’s journey from indie movies to the Wasteland, plus her other upcoming projects, don’t miss the full Ladies Night conversation in the video at the top of this article!

Release Date

April 10, 2024

Network

Amazon Prime Video

Showrunner

Lisa Joy, Jonathan Nolan

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