'Utopia' Stars John Cusack and Rainn Wilson Talk 'Morality' of Their Characters in Amazon Prime Ensemble Thriller (Exclusive)

Amazon Prime's newest hit series is Utopia, an ensemble thriller in the vein of The Boys and The [...]

By Stephen Andrew

Amazon Prime's newest hit series is Utopia, an ensemble thriller in the vein of The Boys and The Umbrella Academy is fast becoming a fan-favorite on the streaming platform. Based on the 2013 British series of the same name and adapted by author Gillian Flynn (Gone Girl, Widows), Utopia features an all-star cast features, including the likes of actors John Cusack and Rainn Wilson — both of whom play men of science determined to save the world from a deadly virus, which mirrors the pandemic currently happening off-screen. Of course, things are not always what they seem, as the nature of man is an unpredictable force.

In an exclusive with PopCulture.com, Wilson, who plays Dr. Michael Stearns shares that in spite of the odds and betrayal he faces, his character "ends up having a lot of integrity and he's not able to tell a lie is not able to sell himself out, he's not able to shortchange his values."

He goes on to explain how he feels this is something "we're all called up that" in our lives in some way or another. "I think the most unlikely people are called on to do something and find themselves with this resilience and integrity to say, 'No, I'm not going to do that. That's not right,'" Wilson said. "That's what we need people to do is stand up and say, 'No, this isn't right.' And that's really what makes a hero. I mean, it can be on a very small scale. It doesn't have to involve an international pandemic."

On the opposite side of the science table, there's Dr. Kevin Christie, played by Cusack. When asked about the potential grey areas of his character, Cusack shares with PopCulture: "I think in the sort of world that we live in, right? There are a lot of parallels for this type of a person throughout history and also through modern history as well."

The actor also praises Flynn for the depth she put into the character. "She created this great character and by the end of it, you almost think maybe he's not a bad guy at all," he said. "Maybe he's a good guy. All that morality keeps getting thrown into a blender. And by the time you're in episode eight and you think you know who everybody is and where everybody stands, you find out that that was just prologue."

In addition to Cusack and Wilson, Utopia also stars Sasha Lane, Dan Byrd, Jessica Rothe, Javon Walton, Cory Michael Smith, Ashleigh LaThrop, Desmin Borges, Christopher Denham, Farrah Mackenzie, Fiona Dourif and Jeanine Serralles. All eight episodes of Season 1 are currently streaming on Amazon Prime.

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