Rachel Griffiths Interview: The Wilds Season 2

Amazon Prime Video brings back The Wilds this week, dropping all eight episodes of season 2 on Friday. The high-stakes series follows a group of girls whose plane crash landed in the wilderness, forcing them to work together in order to survive. But unlike the classic novel which serves as partial inspiration, Lord of The Flies, or the contemporary series that delves into the supernatural, Yellowjackets, The Wilds throws in an element of sabotage from behind the scenes.

As The Wilds season 1 made clear, not only was the crash and its aftermath orchestrated by scientists under the direction of the terrifying and calculated Gretchen Klein (Rachel Griffiths, Saving Mr. Banks), but she even set up a group of boys as a "control group" to prove that society will evolve further with women in charge. An admirable proposition, no doubt, but a horrifying methodology.

Griffiths spoke to Screen Rant about why she enjoys the role of Gretchen Klein so much, and what parallels viewers can draw between reactions to her behavior and real-world examples of figures drunk with power.

Gretchen from season 2 of The Wilds, looking off to the side.

Screen Rant: How do you feel, morally speaking, when you step on that set and become Gretchen? Do you ever war with yourself?

Rachel Griffiths: No. No, there's something enormously freeing about playing a sociopath. I think that's why there's a lot of people in the world who admire sociopaths at the moment. You know what I mean? Politically, you hear even Americans saying, "I admire Putin. I admire that he's strong..." It's crazy.

There is something compelling about these people that refuse to pay by the rules. "I don't pay taxes, that's for schmucks. I'm going to invade a country, even though there's an agreement." There's part of a lot of people that wishes they could not abide by the rules. It's scary how attracted we are to people who behave exceptionally, and sometimes it takes decades for that behavior to be revealed as atrocious, inhumane, criminal, sociopathic behavior.

And yet, if you look back, you go, "That behavior was always on display." We've seen that with certain directors and producers in my business, and actors [where] it was pretty clear that there was something sick going on. Why did we for 20 years just go, "Oh, no. they're just interesting?"

I find that fascinating, and I think there's a lesson in it; to see it be deconstructed. Especially for young people, because they should be looking at the adults in the world at the moment and saying, "You seem really sure, and you seem really right. But actually, I think [there's something wrong]."

I'm doing a public service! [Laughs]

You are! In season 2, you've already got Leah who clearly questions what Gretchen's doing. But also some of her employees and people she's working with start to maybe not be so sure of the experiment. How do handle that?

Rachel Griffiths: Well, that's an interesting thing, isn't it? Because we've seen that play out globally. You see, the people around know that one's crazy. But they're like, "Well, they need the adult in the room, or she'll go really rogue."

They cross their own moral boundaries themselves, led by somebody with no moral compass. And then it gets harder and harder and harder to put a bullet in a gun and just take them out, because you've been drinking the Kool Aid for so long. You become morally culpable.

You actually are morally culpable the moment you commit the behavior and don't call it out. Which is why calling things out can be very good.

The Wilds Synopsis

A group of teen girls from different backgrounds must fight for survival after a plane crash strands them on a deserted island. The castaways both clash and bond as they learn more about each other, the secrets they keep, and the traumas they've all endured. There’s just one twist to this thrilling drama… these girls did not end up on this island by accident.

Survival hangs in the balance after the explosive discovery that what's happening to them is an elaborate social experiment. Season 2 ups the drama and keeps you guessing, with the introduction of more test subjects – a new island of teenage boys – who must also fight for survival under the watchful eye of the experiment’s puppet master.

Check out our other interviews with the cast and crew of The Wilds, such as with: