Y: The Last Man’s cast and crew describe the feeling they get when talking about their experiences together in a single word, which would be community. Each member of the cast, crew and showrunners repeated how close they felt to their fellow cast members.
As you know, The Last Man is based on the hit Vertigo comic by Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra. The post-apocalyptic show was set to begin recording in April of 2020, but was delayed due to the pandemic. This is how actor Ben Schnetzer, who plays Yorick Brown, Y of Y: The Last Man, described it: “I remember the first call. They’re going to delay it for two weeks. Cut to seven months later.” Julianna Canfield, who portrays Beth Deville in Y: The Last Man, said: We were supposed to start on April 13, 2020, but then we didn’t know if we’d get to make the show at all. All of us were just so happy to be working and be on set after all this time sitting and wondering if we ever would.”
A lengthy quarantine was required once cast and crew had arrived on set due to quarantine requirements and travel restrictions.Nina Jacobson, the Executive Producer on Y: The Last Man explained, “We were trapped in Toronto for the entirety of the shoot. If you left, you had to quarantine.” We asked what it was like to be stuck in Toronto, actress Ashley Romans had this to say: “I didn’t feel constricted by the city of Toronto, but did feel constricted about the border being closed. It felt claustrophobic.” However, Nina Jacobson added: “The pandemic created an incredibly close camaraderie” along with the benefits of filming during the pandemic.
Photo Credit: Julian Cannon
As Juliana Canfield explains, she was worried about disappointing long-time fans, saying “Going into a property with such a dedicated fan base, I was worried. But I’ve seen such a thumb’s up from the fans.” She had never read the original source material and won’t begin until the show is over. As she explained, “I never read the comics before I got the part. I went into the audition very context free. I’m just going to stick to the scripts and when we’re finished, then I’ll go and read them as a fan out of pure interest.”
On the other hand, showrunner Eli Clark has definitely read the comic. Even though it was her favorite comic, she felt it needed an update for today’s audience. She added, “I think the conversation about gender diversity is different in 2021.” Half the population dying doesn’t mean the patriarchy or white supremacy will disappear. Although gender is altered, it still sheds light on what it is.”
Y: The Last Man was also influenced by current day politics. Eli said, “I was thinking about the conspiratorial mindset of America right now.” Eli is happy that comic book fans won’t know what to expect.