INTERVIEW: Creator, stars of Amazon series ‘Upload’ on what they hope for in an afterlife
Photo: Robbie Amell and Andy Allo star in the new Amazon series Upload, from the mind of Greg Daniels. Photo courtesy of Katie Yu / Provided by Amazon with permission.
Upload, the new Amazon series launching May 1, is a sci-fi comedy series from the mind of Greg Daniels, one of the creative forces behind The Office and Parks and Recreation. The show is set during a time when the technology offerings have changed both life and the afterlife. In this world, one can choose to be “uploaded” to a virtual afterlife when finding themselves approaching death, according to press notes.
This uploading feature is put to the test by the character of Nathan Brown (Robbie Amell, of The Tomorrow People and The Flash), who has a near-fatal car crash and decides, almost on a whim, to be uploaded to a utopian paradise known as Lakeview. When he leaves this life for the next one, Nathan encounters his guardian angel, Nora Anthony (Andy Allo, of The Game), who helps him with the transition to this supposed paradise.
Audience members can expect 10 episodes of Upload, all available on Amazon Prime.
Recently Hollywood Soapbox joined a roundtable discussion with Daniels, Amell and Allo about the new series. Here’s what the cast and creator had to say about their own thoughts on an afterlife and how this sci-fi series developed over the past few years.
On how Upload changed from its initial idea to what fans will see on Amazon …
Daniels: “We’ve all been working together since the end of 2017, and I’d be interested to hear if you guys think that it’s changed a lot. The first episode was shot in Los Angeles in 2018, and then the rest were shot in Vancouver. So there was some change from the standpoint in Vancouver we had access to different actors and more beautiful backdrops, locations, so that was very good. In terms of what the show is about, I’ve been thinking about this idea for a really long time. I was writing it as a book at first. This was going to be my Harry Potter, kind of, so it has changed a lot over the years. But I think that this is the best version of it. The comedy started to come more from the idea that it was being hosted by a big tech company, and that seems like a good place to be right now when we’re all so dependent on big tech companies.”
Amell: “I thought what was really interesting, too, from the beginning to the end, was a lot of the things that Greg put into the show ended up coming true, or a version of it came true in real life. So I guess the only downside of it taking a couple years was it’ll feel like some of the things are the show mimicking life, where really it was life mimicking the show. And that’s kudos to Greg and the writing team for grounding as much of the sci-fi side in some semblance of reality or technology that was already out there.”
Allo: “From the beginning to now, the integrity actually stayed intact. Not a lot was sacrificed or changed for whatever reason. Even a lot of the effects stuff really stayed intact, and the technology that Greg created and introduced in this world, I feel like from beginning to end really stayed in there, which is really cool.”
Daniels: “You get used to having to answer questions from the crew, and so they’ll say things like, ‘OK, so when someone is uploaded, what happens to their body?’ And I’ll go, ‘Oh, well, the headless body is stored on ice, so that in th event of clone technology…’ I’ll just answer it as if I have an actual real answer because I’ve been thinking about it for so long. I mean, obviously, the accurate answer is, ‘Who knows, it’s all fiction,’ but it is funny that when you’ve been thinking about and imagining something for a long time, you start to really believe that it’s got all these rules that you can’t break.”
Allo: “The thing that is cool is in the show a lot of the stuff isn’t explained. This is the world, and you just have to buy in and jump into it, which I think is really cool. It’s not Upload for Dummies. It’s like, no, you’re in it, and we’re living it. And you just have to be along for the ride, which I think is awesome.
Amell: “Yeah, you don’t hold the audience’s hand, which is nice.”
On what their ideas are of the best possible afterlife …
Amell: “We’ve talked about this a little bit. There’s technically some parts of Lakeview that I would include in my digital afterlife. The breakfast scene, there was no acting needed. I mean, I walk in, and that’s the buffet. I am so pumped. The food was incredible. The production design and the set deck and props that day was spectacular. Everything was amazing, and then if I can golf most days I’m pretty happy. Other than that, I just want my friends and family to be there.”
Daniels: “That’s probably the most appealing aspect of it is the idea that if your kids or your grandchildren or your great-grandchildren or something like that had a problem and wanted to discuss it that they would be able to log in and just talk to you, so to me that’s the appealing thing whether you’re religious or not. That would be a way to keep present for your loved ones, and then whatever, say the computers crash, then we’ll see whether there’s an actual heaven or what. But you want to stay in this world as long as possible would be a good goal for me.”
Allo: “I love the concept of the afterlife. I’m in. I would upload. Mine would be more of a Caribbean beach somewhere, just beautiful water. I can just relax, have tacos, play my guitar … just permanent vacation, but I love the concept of it because then you get to do all the things that you wanted to do or haven’t had time for. Robbie has made it very clear to me that I could do all those things now — thank you, yes — and I am working on my French now that I have the time. But I want to learn four other languages, and so it would be great if I could just code that in and not actually go through the work of practicing.”
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
Upload, created by Greg Daniels and starring Robbie Amell and Andy Allo, is now available from Amazon Prime. Click here for more information.
