Preacher Cast Explains Season 2’s Complex, Tense Relationshps

There’s nothing that can quite bring friends together or tear friendships apart as a road trip. That’s something that the three lead characters of Preacher are about to discover as they hit the road searching for God as the AMC series’ second season begins.

Jesse Custer (Dominic Cooper) has recently been reunited with longtime love Tulip O’Hare (Ruth Negga), but Jesse does know that Tulip slept with his new best friend Cassidy (Joseph Gilgun). That seems like a secret that could complicate their relationships.

“I think she sees a mirror to herself in Cassidy, I really do,” Negga explains on set in New Orleans. “I think she sees someone who’s battled being an outsider, being thought of as peculiar. And I think she respects him because of that. I think he infuriates her, most definitely. His endless rantings and ramblings that honestly make no sense. She’s a very direct lady. But also he amuses her.

“I do think she has a soft spot for him,” she continues. “I do think she is in many ways a lone wolf, but I think it’s always nice to find our place amongst someone. It’s always nice to feel needed. And I think she feels needed by Cassidy much more than she feels needed by Jesse. And she’s aware of his feelings for her, and I think it repels her. But also, I think she understands that it is a genuine affection that he has for her. And that he is probably in love with her.’

“I think it’s very complex,” Gilgun says. “I think that the fact that he can’t be with her has forced him to analyze it all, especially her and Jess. There’s elements of Jesse and this mission for God. The rest get forgotten about. Like, the people around him slightly get forgotten about in what they’re going through. And I think Cassidy never really loses sight of what people are going through. Jesse with this enormous job, unfortunately, loses sight and even puts her and Cassidy in danger at times.

“I think because Cassidy can’t be with her, it’s given him that space to be able to really look at what’s going on,” Gilgun continues. “I also think he adores her and wants to understand…I think Cassidy irritates the s**t out of Tulip, but she can’t help but see his vulnerabilities as well. They’re both very vulnerable in their own way. She’s actually really maternal and looks after him an awful lot. She really takes care of Cass. He clearly just worships the ground she walks on, you know, and thinks she’s bloody wonderful. And she is, ’cause she’s honest. She’s bloody honest. That’s the one thing that I don’t think Cassidy thinks Jesse is. He’s not honest to himself sometimes and he’s constantly giving really transparent examples of that.”

Things are changing between Cassidy and Jesse for other reasons as well.

“It’s funny, actually. I was talking to Dom about this, but last year we had a lot of scenes with Jess and Cass having these long talks. There’s not been as much of that this year,” Gilgun says. “I think Cassidy’s starting to see this version of the guy, a different version. Initially, I think he was, and I still think to some degree he still is, fascinated, but I think more than anything he’s starting to see a new side to Jesse. Kind of a selfish side. There’s a tension there this year…And they’re still friends. They’re still down to fight and have each others’ back.”

Negga also makes clear that there will be no competing for Jesse’s attention between Tulip and Cassidy.

“I think that if they were maybe teenagers maybe, but in many ways, I think that would diminish and reduce who they are,” she says. “I think Tulip’s pretty firm in that she will always have a special place in Jesse’s heart, and I think they respect each other too much for that. And actually, I think in many ways, they’re sort of allies in this season because neither of them are really interested in this. They just want to have basic fun. They say, ‘Road trip,’ and you think, ‘Oh, taking off into the America, taking off into the sunset and getting up to hijinks and maybe having a fight or two and just laughing and being cool.’ And then now they’re looking for God in a software shop. That’s not what they anticipated, neither of them. So there’s these lovely moments of just quiet deflation of the two of them. But they’re trying. I really admire them, they’re really trying, but I think they’re rapidly losing interest.”

Preacher Season 2 premires June 25 at 10 p.m. ET on AMC.

MORE PREACHER NEWS: Season 2 Sneak Peeks Released / Preacher Season 2 Trailer / Exclusive: Preacher Season 2 Cassidy Key Art / Preacher Season 2 Teaser Trailer