Motherland: Fort Salem Stars on Fan Reactions and Their Excitement for Season 2

To say that 2020 was a difficult year for everyone around the world would be a bit of an understatement, due to the coronavirus pandemic and social injustices, which would potentially complicate the release of a fantasy series about a new interpretation of witches. Despite the many challenges it faced, Freeform‘s Motherland: Fort Salem ended up delivering audiences the escapism they were looking for, with excitement surrounding the series earning it a second season. The stars of the series recently addressed the outpouring of love they earned from fans, with the second season of the series set to premiere on Freeform on June 22nd.

“So many industries are just totally shut down. We didn’t have any green lights, there’s nothing greenlit there, and so many people have lost their livelihoods,” Jessica Sutton detailed to ComicBook.com. “So the fact that I was back in South Africa thinking, ‘I probably won’t be working again for at least a year,’ there was just so much uncertainty around the future. And then I was trying to, I think, safeguard from disappointment, but also be realistic, as realistic as you can be in such an absurd reality as a global pandemic. But you just keep the focus on the show.”

She continued, “While we were promoting Season 1, we made it our mission to engage with the audience as much as possible because we couldn’t actually physically do the press tour that we had lined up, up until the first and the last day in New York. And it was amazing how … I don’t know, it was maybe the interaction that the show needed, something that felt underground and secretive and intimate. It was this intense connection between fans and us and we were like audience members viewing our show along with them in real-time.”

One of the biggest points of excitement was seeing how fans engaged with the relationship between Raelle and Scylla, including all their highs and lows.

“Me and [co-star] Amalia [Holm] have had this conversation a lot,” Taylor Hickson expressed. “I think the dynamic between Raelle and Scylla was a huge shock as to how many people took to it or felt they related to it. I think that really underscored or emphasized the idea that there’s so little of that in media. We didn’t really think about it at the time of making it, we were just enjoying spending time together and playing around and really challenging each other and improving and all of that and just the dance of our incredibly dynamic relationship.”

She added, “But I think that was one thing that we just weren’t expecting, was just the massive outreach and the entity that it took on of itself. I keep saying how many [fans] just check in daily to make sure we’re drinking water. And they’re not only fans of our show, but they’re just fans of us as people. They take care and interest in everything we do. There’s just so much unconditional love and support, they’ve taken to supporting my sister’s YouTube channel and my other siblings. They care. They just care so much about us as people, and that’s been so shocking to me because the majority of my career has been spent in television and it’s the first time I was granted a Season 2. So to see that wave of support have that much impact on what goes or doesn’t was just mind-blowing and beautiful.”

The viewers aren’t the only ones who are passionate about the show, with the stars themselves being just as enthusiastic about getting to return for a second season.

“So, I screamed,” Ashley Nicole Williams confirmed when detailing her reaction to the Season 2 renewal. “[Creator] Eliot [Laurence] called me, I screamed, I started crying. As soon as I got off the phone with him, I messaged everyone, all of our regulars and I didn’t know everyone didn’t know yet. So I’m over here thinking, ‘Yes, share the excitement with me,’ and Jessica didn’t know yet. And then they’re like, ‘Ashley, stop. Jessica doesn’t know. What are you doing?’ And I’m like, ‘Oh.’ And Jessica, ‘Oh, it’s okay. It’s okay. I’m excited to know that we got it though.’”

Motherland: Fort Salem Season 2 premieres on Freeform on June 22nd.

Are you looking forward to the new season? Let us know in the comments below or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter to talk all things Star Wars and horror!