'Snowpiercer' Actress Annalise Basso Teases How TNT Series Differs From 2013 Movie: 'Expect the Unexpected' (Exclusive)

06/10/2020 06:30 pm EDT

In May, TNT debuted Snowpiercer, a thriller series based off both the 2013 movie and 1982 graphic novel series, of the same name. The series, set in 2021, takes place seven years after the earth has become a frozen wasteland with the last remaining humans all aboard the Snowpiercer — a train that continually circles the globe, outrunning human extinction. Co-starring in the series alongside Jennifer Connelly (Top Gun: Maverick) and Daveed Diggs (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt), actress Annalise Basso explains exclusively to PopCulture.com that while the film and series are rooted in the same story with similar themes, they have noticeable differences.

"The show takes place seven years after the freeze and the movie takes place 15 years after the freeze," she explained. "So in terms of the story world, that would be the biggest difference. But for the most part, Snowpiercer, the show tells its own unique story."

Another big difference between the two is in the way they tell their own stories. "The movie starts in the tail and goes through the engine. It's a pretty linear plotline," Basso explains, adding that the series "tells all the stories of characters and all the classes on the train" in more traditional narrative. Without spilling any spoilers, Basso added, "I would tell fans and viewers to expect the unexpected."

In the series, Basso plays Lilah Folger Jr., or L.J. In the earliest version of the story, L.J. was more of a reserved and quiet character, but in the final version, she is wildly different. So much so, that Basso confesses she has "never played a character like L.J. before." She adds how this made the character a "challenge to play," but also "so much fun" because "she's so crazy and unpredictable."

Offering an example of why L.J. was a challenging character to portray, came when she had scenes with Diggs that were "awkward. "L.J. is completely different from me as a person I'm happy to say, she just is a lot more comfortable with her body," she explained. "She's more confident and manipulative and she has some great scenes with Daveed, one, in particular, that was challenging, but I think and I hope people will be surprised and shocked in all the right ways."

Finally, Basso opened up about working with Connelly, an Oscar and Golden Globe winner. "My first day on set, I had a scene with Jennifer and I was really intimidated, but then once we started working together, I learned so much from just working with and observing her," Basso shared. She praised Connelly for how professional she was to work with, and how well "she communicates with everybody who comes on set." Basso concluded, "It was really inspiring. I don't want to sound cheesy, but I did learn a lot from her." New episodes of Snowpiercer air every Sunday at 9 P.M. ET on TNT.

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