Diving Deeper into Chaos: “Surface” Season 2 Unveils a Tangled Web of Secrets and Lies

On March 4, 2025, at The Culver Theater, Yvonne Villarreal of the Los Angeles Times interviewed Veronica West, creator of “Surface” on Apple TV, and Lauren Neustadter, executive producer at Hello Sunshine, after a screening of an episode from Season 2, which takes Sophie (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) to London, where she seeks to uncover the secrets of her past after an injury robbed her of her memories.

The conversation explored the deep thinking behind the show’s characters and plot twists, especially James and Sophie’s relationship. West pointed out that James has always been part of the show, and in Season 2, he goes from being a forgiving partner to a chaotic force in Sophie’s life. This is amplified by the great chemistry between Ollie Jackson Cohen (James) and Gugu Mbatha-Raw (Sophie) in their scenes together.

“Everybody makes mistakes, and people do messed up things for good reasons. And I think the characters in the show, a lot of them exist in that world, especially the Huntleys, like Quinn, who does some things that are very questionable at the beginning,” said West.

The creators also discussed identity and redemption, with each season being a different chapter of Sophie’s life. They look forward to the audience’s reactions to the mysteries unfolding, especially those involving the Huntley family, and hint at changes in allegiances.

“Nobody’s entirely good, nobody’s entirely bad. You think somebody’s bad, and then something happens, and you’re like, ‘Oh I’m deeply caring about them and empathizing with them’ and being like, ‘Whoa I did not see that coming,’ which I think is one of the real strengths of the show,” said Neustadter.

The conversation provided a peek behind the scenes of Season 2 of “Surface” along with an inside look at the collaborative spirit and ambition of the second season and what’s to come for Sophie.