NEW YORK, March 16 (UPI) — The Fosters and Good Trouble alum Maia Mitchell says Lady Belle Fox, the brilliant, self-trained scientist she plays in The Artful Dodger, is a bit more serious in Season 2 after surviving a personal health crisis AND seeing her lover locked behind bars.
“We’re meeting Belle six months after the finale of Season 1 and it’s a very different Belle. She’s, literally, running for Jack’s life when we see her. So, she’s physically recovered, although there is always the risk of rupture. So, that is kind of always at play,” Mitchell, 32, told UPI in a recent Zoom interview.
“She’s kind of lost a bit of her innocence and a bit of her naivete. She has survived a life-or- death surgery,” Mitchell said.
“She’s spent six months advocating for the love of her life, who’s facing the real possibility of death and a horrible death. When we see her, she’s facing that within minutes. So, you’re seeing kind of an evolved Belle and less plucky and perky, that’s for sure.”
Set in 19th century Australia and based on the characters from Charles Dickens’ classic novel, Oliver Twist, both seasons of the original adventure are now streaming on Hulu.
Thomas Brodie-Sangster plays the show’s dashing title character, also known as Jack Dawkins, who is a gifted surgeon with a criminal past.
He is in love with Lady Belle, the daughter of Gov. Edmund Fox (Damien Garvey) and his wife, Lady Jane (Susie Porter), who will do anything to keep the young couple apart.
“It was just such high stakes at the end of Season 1 and so stressful for both the governor and Lady Jane and everyone involved,” Porter, 54, said.
“So, the idea to get rid of the fly in the ointment, so to speak, is what is the name of the game for Lady Jane.”
What Porter loved about Season 2 is the unexpected consequences of the ultimatum that Lady Jane gives Belle — renounce Jack and her powerful parents will support her pursuit of a career in medicine, or remain committed to Jack and they will see him hanged.
“You can’t control how things unfold and that’s to do with all the social stuff and just life stuff,” Porter said.
“Lady Jane can sometimes be in the delusion that you can control everything. But the fact is, life happens in spite of that. So, it just takes on a whole new world, which I think is interesting for all of the characters.”
The actress said Lady Jane’s actions might seem harsh, but she truly does have her daughter’s best interests at heart.
“If people knew what Lady Belle and Jack got up to, their social standing, everything would be ruined, our reputation. Who knows where we’d be sent? To another colony?” Porter said.
“It is imperative, socially, for us to do that and, also, as a parent, to want the absolute best for their child.”
Mitchell said Belle is starting to realize that Jack’s recklessness might keep them from ever settling down in peace and happiness, even though they love each other madly.
“Jack is addicted to adrenaline and there’s a reason why he’s constantly facing the noose,” she noted.
“Facing death and living on the edge? That’s what’s safe to him because that’s what he’s known,” Mitchell added. “That’s not the best prospect for marriage.”
Luke Bracey plays Police Inspector Henry Boxer, 36, a handsome newcomer to town, who seems upstanding and stable.
“Boxer is the antithesis of [Jack] and a really good man. Of course, naturally, Lady Jane would be advocating for Boxer as an option,” Mitchell said.
“He’s a good person. He’s educated. So, he and Belle are on the same kind of mental wavelength,” she added. “He’s easy on the eyes and charming.”
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