The Umbrella Academy’s Robert Sheehan and Tom Hopper tease ‘unique’ second season

The Umbrella Academy’s Robert Sheehan and Tom Hooper teased the show’s ‘unique’ second season, which is set to be released on Netflix this Friday.

The Misfits star, 32, and actor, 35, chatted with MailOnline about the return of the Hargreeves family, as their characters -Klaus and Luther- and their siblings get stuck in the 1960s following the first season’s dramatic finale.

With the Kennedy assassination and the Civil Rights Movements key plot points in the season, Tom admitted it was ‘great’ to feature more politically-charged moments as he said: ‘There’s certain things that we’ve always talked about what we’d like to see happen in the show.

‘But to bring those into a political context as well is even better and tackling some things that are quite prominent in today’s world, literally today.’

One such storyline sees Luther and Klaus’ sister Alison (Emmy Raver-Lampman) fight at the forefront of Dallas’ Civil Rights Movement alongside her husband, which aptly reflects recent Black Lives Matter protests. 

Tom continued: ‘Even though we couldn’t predict the future there’s a lot of stuff happening in season two that is ringing true at the moment. 

‘So, it’s quite nice to – I suppose- experiment with that sort of stuff in a fantasy world but also crossing over into the real world.’

Robert, meanwhile, felt it was important to tackle those topics in a more subtle way as it has become ‘tricky’ not to do so without be being ‘virtue signalling’.

‘I think the intelligence of it is to deal with those issues from an honest character perspective that doesn’t feel like the show is making a political statement,’ Robert explained. ‘It’s not about the politics, it’s about the characters experiencing this sort of stuff which retrospectively we can apply. 

‘That is quite interesting but the actual execution of it cannot be through a political prism because I think that sort of broadcasts itself very much as virtue signalling, and that’s the kind of stuff I would want to avoid like the plague.’

Robert’s character Klaus finds himself the leader of a cult during his time in the 1960s thanks to his charismatic nature and deceased sibling Ben’s (Justin Min) ghostly presence giving him the power of the supernatural.

The actor admits it was ‘lovely’ to take his character in the new direction, as it was ‘good fun’ to ‘step into the shoes of a cult leader and have everyone bowing at you and stuff’.

‘I didn’t want him to become cliché cult, sort of like “oh I’m a cult leader I give you the crazy eyes”, he explained. ‘I wanted to stay away from all of the ways cults have been demonised over the years, I’m sure there are many, many examples of quite positive cults.’

‘If there are versions of something negative in the world there’s likely a positive, that’s how the universe works. 

‘I wanted Klaus’ cult to be quite positive, nobody is really having to drink the Kool-Aide or never talk to their family ever again.’

His character’s, which he felt was ‘lovely’ for the siblings.

Of their relationship, and working with Justin, Robert said: ‘Ben is still very much there as Klaus’ moral opposition, I think Klaus pushes his buttons just to be nudged back onto the straight and narrow. 

‘I think he’s got that, in the same way potentially how Luther has recast Five as his father, Klaus has done that to some degree with Ben. 

‘He acts out just to get put back in line, so that slightly quite toxic relationship still exists. But I will say it’s lovely, there’s a few scenes in the first few episodes where if Justin and I were any more relaxed we’d be in a coma!’

He went on: ‘It’s about Klaus and Ben’s relationship being pushed to tipping point, you know. 

‘The rules get changed and the power tables turn a bit, and it is about the breaking point of that relationship. 

‘So you know it was lovely and sparkly in the first season, and thankfully it was the same in the second, I work with him all day.’

Detailing his favourite moment between the two, Robert adeptly avoided spoilers as he claimed: ‘It’s stuff to do with the cult and to do with Ben, and for a change the tables being turned between Klaus and Ben. Ben is the puppet master for a change.’

Tom’s character Luther also talked about his character’s arc in the season, as he admits Number One ‘is far from wanting to have a relationship with any of them, he’s kind of done with the whole thing.’

‘Ultimately I think he realises he needs it underneath it all, but he’s being rebellious at the beginning,’ he detailed. ‘But I think once he realises that they’re all there, there is an inevitable pull to go back to them. 

‘It’s really nice to see them all, I love watching all the characters have their little two handers and you get a microscope into their relationship as kid,s and how it developed. It’s really nice to see that.’

A particular highlight of the season sees Luther and Five (Aidan Gallagher) team up, leading to the former seeing his time-travelling sibling as a ‘new father figure.’ 

Tom explained: ‘I have a lovely bit of storyline with Five which I particularly enjoyed, it’s a very fun, entertaining section of the story for me. 

‘I just really enjoyed doing it, and it brought another side of Luther out I thought.’

Going on to tease the season two finale, Tom admitted that he felt ‘fans will really love the climax’ and ‘will get a kick out of [it].’

‘There’s a nice build to the finale and it’s quite a finale,’ he admits.

Reiterating Tom’s sentiment, Robert added: ‘The opener is a pretty sexy sequence as well, it’s quite atypical of the Umbrella Academy. 

‘Something people will hopefully be quite taken aback by and think f*** me, am I watching the right show here?’

While Tom said of what he thinks fans will enjoy best: ‘There are some great family moments this year when we’re all together.

‘I think a lot of the things that fans fell in love with from the first season was the way we are and the dynamic as a family. 

‘We’re all separated at the beginning of the season and then it kind of earns it when we’re together, you remember why you love them as a family so much. There are some really great family moments.’ 

The Umbrella Academy season 2 launches on Netflix 31st July.