Tessa Thompson Says Westworld Season 3 Feels Like the Show Is Starting Over

The third season of Westworld is premiering in one week and fans are eager to see the return of their favorite hosts, especially after season two ended with Dolores (Evan Rachel Wood) and Bernard (Jeffrey Wright) finally leaving the confines of Westworld along with Charlotte Hale (Tessa Thompson) who has been “inhabited” by a host. This big change in scenery means big changes for the show. In fact, Thompson recently told Variety that it “feels like the show is starting all over again.” Between the show’s mysterious trailers and exciting cameos, we’re inclined to believe season three is going to feel like a brand new series.

“In a weird way, it feels like this is the premiere of the show again because we have entered the real world and the show continues to ask the question what it means to be human, but it’s asking a host – pun intended – of new questions. We have lots of people that have come to join our cast, fresh blood, so it feels like the show is starting all over again,” Thompson teased. “It’s a show that surprises not just the audience, but surprised the people that are lucky enough to work on it.”

The “fresh blood” mentioned by Thompson includes Aaron Paul, Lena Waithe, and Vincent Cassel. The show is also expected to see the return of Evan Rachel Wood, Thandie Newton, Jeffrey Wright, Ed Harris, Luke Hemsworth, and more. Here’s what show creators Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy told Variety about the “freedom” of taking the series out into the real world.

“The show took a fairly dim view of humanity through the first two seasons. Now we get to ask the question is humanity embodied by what we’ve seen of it in the park,” Nolan explained. “If Dolores, Maeve and the rest of the hosts have only been exposed to the kinds of people who would go to Westworld, is that really all that humanity is made of?”

The also teased that Paul’s new character is an isolated human that may feel more connected to the hosts than other humans.

“We’re talking about the idea that despite all these technologies that are meant to draw us closer together, make us feel more connected to other people, you can still even feel more alone as a result,” Joy said. “I think there’s something really relatable about the loneliness that his character feels.”

Season Three of Westworld premieres on HBO on March 15th.