Mayfair Witches Stars Harry Hamlin & Ben Feldman Address Parenting Foibles And Romantic Mishaps In Season 2

Rowan Mayfair returns in Anne Rice's Mayfair Witches season 2, which premieres January 5 on AMC. Part of the burgeoning Immortal Universe, the popular show expands on the supernatural world that began with Interview with the Vampire. Alexandra Daddario plays Rowan, a gifted neurosurgeon who can't quite explain her uncanny ability to heal or hurt. After reuniting with her birth family in season 1, she discovers that she is part of a lineage of witches to whom a spirit named Lasher has been attached for generations.

Mayfair Witches season 1 ended with Rowan giving into her calling as Lasher's chosen witch and literally giving birth to him in human form. While he grows at lightning speed, her powers grow with him, but the demon made flesh leaves a trail of blood that may be too high a price for Rowan to pay. Her attempt to maneuver motherhood dovetails with her father Cortland's (Harry Hamlin) own reckoning at the hands of his father Julien, which leaves him reconsidering his life choices. Roman's romantic prospects also get a boost with the introduction of Sam "Lark" Larkin (Ben Feldman), an ex-boyfriend who is very happy to be back in her orbit.

Related Mayfair Witches Season 2 Premiere Date Confirmed, First Look Images Revealed The premiere date for Mayfair Witches season 2 is revealed by AMC at New York Comic Con, along with a gallery of new first-look images.

ScreenRant interviewed Hamlin and Feldman about their roles in Mayfair Witches season 2, including how spending time with Julien makes Cortland re-evaluate his failures as a father and what previously separated Lark and Rowan. The actors also discussed the themes of motherhood in Rowan's story, and even the possibility of a guest spot on St. Denis Medical for Feldman (since the show was created by Superstore's Justin Spitzer).

Julien Mayfair Messes With Cortland’s Head In Mayfair Witches Season 2

“He was able to bring some s--t out of me that I don't know where it came from.”

Screen Rant: Harry, we last left Cortland stoned, but we know he’ll be back this season. Has he gotten to do any reflecting while in time out?

Harry Hamlin: After I get dressed down by my father [Julien] in the netherworld, I kind of become very contrite, and I do a lot of inner soul searching. And it was engendered by my scenes with Ted Levine, who was amazing to work with. I can't wait to see those scenes myself because the dynamic between the two of us was great. I'd never worked with him before, so when we show up on the set, there's this guy who I'm slightly intimidated by because I remember Silence of the Lambs. He was able to bring some s--t out of me that I don't know where it came from, but I went to some places I've never been to emotionally during those scenes with him. I can't wait to see them because it's like, "Where did I just go?"

Screen Rant: Ben, your character Lark has no idea what he’s stepping into when he reconnects with Rowan. Did you have a similar experience stepping into this cast, or were you already an Anne Rice fan?

Ben Feldman: Anne Rice has been a part of my life for a long time. My mom was a giant Anne Rice fan. She had posters, she went to the parties in New Orleans, and she considered herself a witch. She was Wiccan and read tarot cards. When she died, I scattered her ashes in France where she lived. A month later, I came back to the States, and Esta was on the phone asking if I wanted to do this. And I was like, "Well, that feels like a sign." So, yeah, I have a lot of respect for Anne Rice, and it was a lot of fun to get into this world. But it was also fun to not have to play that I understood or was okay with this world, which made my job easier as an actor.

Rowan’s Motherhood Affects All Facets Of Mayfair Witches Season 2

“I understand what a child does to you and how important they become to you.”

Screen Rant: Harry, I find Cortland’s dynamic with Jojo in particular fascinating. She resents him for clear reasons, but what can you say about his estrangement from her this season? Not to mention his relationship with his other daughter, Rowan.

Harry Hamlin: I'm kind of forced to do this self-reflection by dad, but my relationship to Jojo is terrible throughout the season too. I mean, she just hates my guts! I do want to get back into her good graces, though, so I spend most of the season thinking about my relationship to my daughter. With Rowan, I'm reaching for a connection in season 2 because I have all of a sudden realized, "Wait a minute, I was not such a good guy." I really want to improve in season 2, and I want to see if I can get back into the good graces of the family — back into the good graces of not only my daughters but everybody else in the family too. And then what happens in later episodes happens, and who knows where Cort's going after that.

Screen Rant: Ben, what can you tell me about Lark’s backstory with Rowan? Why does her reaching out throw him for such a loop?

Ben Feldman: Without giving too much of the story away, they were together and were very serious. And when they broke up, it was because the two of them just couldn't make it work for their own personal reasons. What made this nice to play is that they didn't break up because someone was cheating or some awful thing happened. It was situational, circumstantial, which kind of leaves the door open for a will-they, won't-they story when he's back in her life. But he's cautious nonetheless around her, and thankfully so because she's a witch.

Screen Rant: The question of whether Rowan cares more about her own power or the safety of her family looms large over the season. How do you personally feel about where her loyalties lie?

Ben Feldman: She's so nuanced and so conflicted. I can understand all points of view. Having two children, I understand what a child does to you and how important they become to you. So many other things fall by the wayside when that's the case, and I can see that element in her. But that's what the season is about. It's about power and what you do with it. Are you doing the right thing or doing the wrong thing? Sometimes either is justified. And I think that's where my character fits into it because he's constantly monitoring for, "What's the right thing?" Once he's figured it out, he wants to make sure that it's not a power that's being abused, and that there's a morality. Harry Hamlin: I see her struggle throughout season 2 with being the mother of a monster. But nevertheless, being a mother and being a lover, or having been a lover and a mother, it's very confusing for her. I think it's kind of interesting that Rowan just gave birth, and then the whole time Alex was gestating her own child as we were filming it. So she was questioning all of these things about motherhood as an actress, trying to figure that out.

Ben Feldman Is Waiting His Turn To Reunite With The Superstore Crew Again

“It's going to start to get obnoxious if he just keeps bringing me back.”

Custom Image by Ana Nieves

Screen Rant: Ben, the premiere of St. Denis Medical has renewed love for Superstore, which is very well deserved. Have there been any talks about doing a reunion?

Ben Feldman: Not right now. Justin, who created Superstore, had me play a part on American Auto, his show in between. He brought [Kaliko Kauahi] in for St. Denis, and he's probably going to go down the list, or it's going to start to get obnoxious if he just keeps bringing me back. But I would go on that show in a second. Those are my people. It's our writers, it's our crew, Kaliko's on it. It'd be a dream to go on that show. It's like a batting order. I've got to get to the back and let the other people go.

More About Anne Rice's Mayfair Witches Season 2

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Mayfair Witches’ new season continues the journey of Rowan Mayfair (Alexandra Daddario) after she has unwittingly given birth to the demon Lasher (Jack Huston). She is determined to understand what he has become – human or monster? – and to use him to fulfill her purpose as a healer, but when tragedy strikes, she must put aside her own desires and fight to protect her family.

Check out our other Mayfair Witches season 2 interview here:

Mayfair Witches season 2 premieres January 5 at 9pm ET/PT on AMC, and it will also be streaming on AMC+.