The Umbrella Academy star talks about her surprise season 2 return
*Contains spoilers on Season 2 of The Umbrella Academy*
Season 2 of The Umbrella Academy is currently airing on Netflix, with a much different feel to the first series.
Set in '60s Dallas instead of the present day, and with some new wardrobes and characters, such as Texas housewife Sissy (Marin Ireland) and civil rights activist Raymond Chestnut (Yusuf Gatewood), the new series is different in many ways.
Another thing which is unusual about the second series is the return of the Handler, played by Kate Walsh.
By the end of season 1 she appeared to been felled, however, season 2 finds her back in action - something Walsh says she struggled to understand at first.
Speaking of the moment she learned the Handler would be returning, she said:"Either after we shot season 1 or after it aired, [showrunner] Steve Blackman called me and asked, 'Would you like to come back and reprise your role as the Handler?' And I was like, 'Well, tell me what you want to do. I mean, she did get shot through the head. How's that going to work?'"
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However, as soon as she heard how her role was going to play out, however, she was totally on board.
Walsh added to Entertainment Weekly: "Then he told me what he was thinking, and I was thrilled to come back and do another season. We're having fun playing with different timelines."
This season sees the usually authoritative Handler - who bossed around the likes of Number Five (Aidan Gallagher) and Cha-Cha (Mary J. Blige) at the Commission — as an underdog demoted in favour of a talking goldfish named A.J. Carmichael.
With the help of her adopted daughter Lila (Ritu Arya), she has to take back all the power and position she's lost.
So what was it like playing The Handler this time round?
"I loved having a daughter in this season, all that is pretty cool," she said.
"Ritu was fabulous. We had a delightful time. The challenge was to keep that relationship intact and keep it real, and not play the end."
Addressing whether The Handler's relationship with Lila is a genuine on, she continued: "Instead of her being completely suspicious of me, having that belief and trust, and the Handler's idea of being a mom even though she's using her and grooming her."
She added: "It was really fun for me to play that. The lines are great because she's just insane. It's like this weird roommate situation. She's grooming her, and she's this weird mommy, and psychotic — would kill her in a second."
The Umbrella Academy is available to stream on Netflix. Looking for something else to watch? Check out our guide to the best series on Netflix and best movies on Netflix, or visit our TV Guide.
