For All Mankind is one of those shows that should get much more love and attention than it does. It’s complicated, it’s deep, it’s well acted and it never fails to make us think not just about the characters, but about the implications of the situations they find themselves in.
The show is in the middle of season 2, and we had a chance to talk to star Casey W. Johnson about this new season and his character. Before we go into what Casey told us, though, here’s the synopsis for season 2:
“For All Mankind” season two picks up a decade later in 1983. It’s the height of the Cold War and tensions between the United States and the USSR are at their peak. Ronald Reagan is president and the greater ambitions of science and space exploration are at threat of being squandered as the US and Soviets go head-to-head to control sites rich in resources on the moon.
The Department of Defense has moved into Mission Control, and the militarization of NASA becomes central to several characters’ stories: some fight it, some use it as an opportunity to advance their own interests, and some find themselves at the height of a conflict that may lead to nuclear war.
Here’s what we learned from Casey W. Johnson:
Being in For All Mankind has amplified Casey’s interest in space travel
This makes absolute sense to us, but Casey discussed how being on the show has “definitely amplified my interest in space travel, and what is possible,” which we admit would also be true of us if we were so deep into a story about this stuff. Especially since it’s such a cool, interesting story, that borrows from reality so heavily. Casey was particularly interested in “the things we will be able to achieve some day,” in that regard, and honestly, we can see keeping
He’d love to star in a show set in the 2000’s
Between GLOW and For All Mankind, Casey has spent a lot of time in the 80’s, fictionally, at least. When asked what time period he’d like to star in again, he went for the safe, if interesting choice of the 2000s. Which, sure, feels like it wasn’t that long ago, but in truth, so much has changed since then – and also, Casey grew up in that time, so he feels like would perfectly know how to play living in that time.
He loves the Danny/Kelly dynamics and can’t see them changing
One of our favorite things in the show is the dynamics between Danny and Kelly, so we wanted to know if Casey felt the same, and if he could see them growing apart in the future. He shared that the dynamics between the two of them were also one of his favorite things to play, and that they cared so much about each other that he couldn’t see them truly changing or ever being content with being apart for too long.
He would love a flash-forward
A chance to play astronaut, maybe? Or at least see where his character will end up? Casey isn’t the one to try to write the show, he’s pretty happy with what the writers of For All Mankind have done for his character, but he wouldn’t mind getting a peek into the future, if they think that’s an interesting storyline for them to pursue. He trusts the writers, and he’s in for whatever they want to try.
He hopes audiences connect to the character as much as he does
Casey has really connected to the character of Danny, and as an actor there’s nothing you want more than for other people to connect to the character you’re playing the same way you have connected to it, for people to understand him and relate to him. That’s one of the most important things Casey wanted to share with us, and we absolutely get it. You aren’t your character, but in some ways, you are, and you want people to see that.
New episodes of For All Mankind are available Fridays on Apple TV+.