True Detectivebecame a phenomenon by trawling psychological depths and intertwining humanitys unimaginable evils with the supernatural.
At the shows helm is Mexican filmmaker Issa Lopez, who directed and wrote every episode.
(Early reviews forNight Countryhave seta record highfor the franchise.)
Jodie Foster (as Liz Danvers) and Kali Reis (as Evangeline Navarro) inTrue Detective: Night Country, premiering on HBO January 14
Vogue: Issa, were you a fan ofTrue Detective?
Issa Lopez:I have never met anyone who didnt love the first season.
Issa Lopez on the set ofTrue Detective: Night Country
Talk about your actors.
Issa López on the set ofTrue Detective: Night Country
It seems like no one else could have been cast, theyre so perfect in their roles.
There were only four years between the two films.
So I knew I would write Danvers for Jodie Foster.
Photo: Courtesy of Max
But who could play this force of nature that is Navarro?
Kali and Jodie, what drew you to these characters?
Jodie Foster:You just have that instinct where you know somethings right.
I felt that way aboutSilence of the Lambstoo.
Kali, do you find any similarities between boxing and acting in a role like this?
Reis:I find a lot of parallels.
The biggest is always being present.
Im a perfectionist, a little OCD Virgo.
Whats something you learned from Jodie, and vice versa?
Reis:Always know your lines.
[All laugh.]
No, its laughter.
Foster:I learned a lot from Kali about instinct and connection to the soul.
[Reis and Lopez laugh.]
Ask Kali a question about her character, and it could be 20 minutes of such thoughtful spiritual connection.
Id like to be the person who thinks more that way.
Im going to try and be more like you.
There is a fair amount of physicality in the show, often in brutal conditions.
Jodie and Kali, did you feel intimidated by anything?
Reis:The intimacy scenes.
Im a newcomer, so I had so many questions.
On paper I was like, How am I going to pull this off?
But I was blessed with a wonderful scene partner.
And my intimacy scenes were a piece of cake compared to Jodies.
Foster:Ours were funwe did a lot of laughing.
For me, I kept asking about the falling-through-the-ice [into freezing water] business.
I asked for a couple of months and never got answers.
Then I started getting worriedI was like, Were not really doing it in the water, right?
We did do it in a tank.
And even though I was busy pretending it was all okay, it was pretty scary.
And then we shoot, and shes just sinking, and I could feelmyselfpanicking.
When she comes up, I go, Jodie, are you okay?
Because it seems fucking terrifying.
She was like, [gasping] Its good.
Shes such a trooper and will do anything you ask her to.
She wouldnt say she was scared.
Were seeing so manyIndigenous storiesin Hollywood.
Do you see this as part of that wave?
Lopez:It is never by chance that stories start revolving around something.
Something in our psyches is asking to be heard.
We brought on two Inuit and Inupiac producers, whom we worked closely with to make the story true.
It has to be about centering Indigenous stories.
Its not my time, its their time.
And nothing makes me happier than supporting the focus on other peoples stories.
Will there be another season ofTrue Detective?
Reis:Day Country.
[All laugh.]
Foster:In the Caribbean.
This interview has been edited and condensed.
