The Umbrella Academy Stars Break Down Season 3’s Epic Footloose Scene

Minor spoilers for episode 3.01 of The Umbrella Academy follow! It’s been two year since season two of The Umbrella Academy debuted on Netflix and the third season has finally arrived this week. Though there is a lot to react to in the new batch of episodes, the “Footloose” dance sequence that takes place in the first 8 minutes of the season premiere is one that many fans haven’t stopped talked about since it picked up from the massive cliffhanger that has been lingering for some time. Speaking in some exclusive interviews with ComicBook.com, the cast and crew of the series revealed to us how it all came together and the amount of preparation that happened under very stressful circumstances.

“It was a very big deal to get it right,” series creator Steve Blackmon said. “We didn’t use any dance doubles and we’re in the height of COVID and those actors worked through ZOOM (on) the first rehearsals. They had their laptops open, their standing 10 ft away. Then they went into a studio with a mask and shield; and we finally got onto set and it was wonderful because we’re all in a bit of a dark place with Covid and then doing that dance. The laughter was there. The crew got buoyed. It was just five amazing days of just joy on set.

Five actor Aidan Gallagher called it “maybe the hardest” thing of his career as an actor, adding: “We rehearsed for, man, it took like at least two weeks while we were still in quarantine over Zoom to get the dance sequence started and to learn the moves and then countless hours of breathing heavily through thick masks because it was a pandemic while trying to learn these moves in the studio.” Gallagher also confirmed that some behind the scenes footage of the making of the dance was on the way in some form. “So, that’s your favorite sequence. You’re gonna have a good time.”

Tom Hopper, who plays Luther, revealed that doing the dance moves in his huge, ape-body suit is easier than you might think. “it doesn’t take too much of a challenge, but that (his specific dance) was such a random move that I came up with when we were just trying to think of new moves in the first session. That came from a night out with mates where I saw this girl trying to get it on with this rugby player and it was like some kind of weird mating dance that she did in front of him and me and my friends all remember that dance that she did. So I just threw it in there. So when my buddy saw it on the show they thought it was hilarious.

Finally, Allison actress Emmy Raver-Lampman offered some insight to how much was planned and how much was improvised, saying: “It took it took about two months, two and a half months of like planning and rehearsals and organizing to make that work. I do think that was  a highlight for all of us of being on this show. I think it was so wild and ridiculous and outrageous, but a lot of it was, the dance itself was definitely choreographed, but there’s all the little vignettes and stuff, all of that was just like us having fun on the day, messing around.”

All three seasons of The Umbrella Academy are now streaming on Netflix.