Premiering on Netflix August 8th is the fourth and final season of the popular superhero series ‘The Umbrella Academy’, which stars Elliot Page (‘Juno’), Tom Hopper (‘Space Cadet’), David Castañeda (‘End of Watch’), Emmy Raver-Lampman (‘The Beekeeper’), Robert Sheehan (‘Mortal Engines’), Aidan Gallagher (‘Modern Family’), Justin H. Min (‘After Yang’), Ritu Arya (‘Polite Society’), and Colm Feore (‘Thor’).
Related Article: Emma Roberts and Tom Hopper Talk Prime Video’s ‘Space Cadet’
(L to R) Tom Hopper and Aidan Gallagher star in Netflix’s ‘The Umbrella Academy’ season 4.
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Tom Hopper and Aidan Gallagher about their work on ‘The Umbrella Academy’ season 4, their reaction to the final scripts and if they met their expectations, what the show has meant to them personally, what they’ll miss most about the series, and working with showrunner Steve Blackman.
You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interviews with Hopper, Gallagher, Robert Sheehan, Justin H. Min, Ritu Arya, and showrunner Steve Blackman.
(L to R) Emmy Raver-Lampman as Allison Hargreeves, Elliot Page as Viktor Hargreeves, Tom Hopper as Luther Hargreeves in ‘The Umbrella Academy’. Photo: Christos Kalohoridis/Netflix © 2024.
Moviefone: To begin with, Tom, what was your first reaction to the screenplays for the final season and did they meet your expectations?
Tom Hopper: I thought the screenplays of the season, just what I recognized straight off the bat, they were funnier. There was across the board, they were much more comedic and fun, but then they never lost what the deeper meaning of what the show is all about, which is the family and their struggles. It’s through those themes that is why it’s so great as a show. But I loved it, and my concern really was that we were going to be able to tell this story in 6 episodes instead of 10 to really finish it off, but I thought Steve Blackman did a great job at sculpting it.
MF: Aidan, what was your reaction to the final screenplays and the direction your character would take this season?
Aidan Gallagher: Well, we don’t receive them all at once. As we’re shooting, we’ll get further and further episodes, but there is a pitch meeting where they’ll talk about arcs, so at least you know where you’re going, and you can lay the foundation for your path. But that kind of makes it better as a viewer because by the time you get around to watching the show, a lot of it feels like a new thing to you, and you don’t know what the sets look like or how the performances are edited. By the time everyone’s done their bit in collaborating, you’re left with something you didn’t expect, which is wonderful. The screenplays specifically of just reading the scripts, I was incredibly happy for the arc that Five goes on this year. I thought it was a universal thing and just an interesting place to find and leave the character.
Aidan Gallagher as Number Five in ‘The Umbrella Academy’. Photo: Courtesy of Netflix © 2024.
MF: Aidan, how much were you told about your character’s arc before you started shooting season 4?
AG: When we’re approaching a new season, there is a pitch meeting of what we’re told is going to happen on a story arc level, but we don’t know everyone else’s bits. We just know our own character arc. So, there’s a day-to-day thing of you arrive on set with the crew and try and make the best of the scene, and it is only as good as everybody else around you, and we have incredible production and cast, and every day I just try not to bring that down and try and maintain the bar of excellence.
MF: Tom, what has it meant to you to be part of this series and work with this cast?
TH: From day one it’s been a real gift for me personally and as an actor. I think if you get one gig like this your entire career where it hits all the boxes like this one has, then I think you’re very lucky. I feel very fortunate. It ticks the box in terms of success, the fun we have on the show, how it comes across, the whole shebang, and the friendships you’ve made. We really created a family environment on this and became so tight as people on and off camera. So, it’s been such an amazing journey.
(L to R) Robert Sheehan as Klaus Hargreeves, Emmy Raver-Lampman as Allison Hargreeves, Tom Hopper as Luther Hargreeves, Justin H. Min as Ben Hargreeves, Aidan Gallagher as Number Five, Elliot Page as Viktor Hargreeves, David Castañeda as Diego Hargreeves, Ritu Arya as Lila Pitts in ‘The Umbrella Academy’. Photo: Christos Kalohoridis/Netflix © 2024.
MF: Aidan, what will you miss about working on this show?
AG: The experience of getting to work on this show over the course of from 13-years-old to, I think I was maybe 19 or 20 when we left off shooting, but it’s a big chunk of your life. I learned a lot. I get to work with some incredible people. It’s a hard thing to sum up, but I’m going to miss the specific way that that all felt. Everything in life has its own colors that come together to make the way that you feel and your own perspective of it, and I’m never going to get that exact combination again. So, I’m just trying to appreciate it while it’s fading away.
MF: Finally, Tom, what was it like working with showrunner Steve Blackman on this series and watching him execute his unique vision for the show?
TH: Steve’s just been the best. He’s become a very close friend as well. His ability to collaborate and give us freedom as actors has been, I think one of the best things about the experience really. We’ve been able to play and really find these guys ourselves and bring ourselves to these roles. He’s given us that license. But he’s very good. He’s so talented at sculpting out a show and giving us the best material to work with. As I said at the beginning, it’s truly a gift, what he’s created for us here. I’m very grateful to Steve for the opportunity to come and play this role and get to play with these guys.
“Too many siblings. Not enough timeline.”
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4 SeasonsFebruary 15th, 2019
What is the plot of ‘The Umbrella Academy’ Season 4?
The Hargreeves siblings (Elliot Page, Tom Hopper, David Castañeda, Emmy Raver-Lampman, Robert Sheehan, Aidan Gallagher, and Justin H. Min) have scattered after the climactic showdown at the Hotel Oblivion led to a complete reset of their timeline. Stripped of their powers, each is left to fend for themselves and find a new normal — with wildly varying degrees of success. Yet the trappings of their uncanny new world prove too hard to ignore for very long. Their father Reginald (Colm Feore), alive and well, has stepped out of the shadows and into the public eye, overseeing a powerful and nefarious business empire. A mysterious association known as The Keepers holds clandestine meetings believing the reality, they’re living in is a lie and a great reckoning is coming. As these strange new forces conspire around them, the Umbrella Academy must come together one last time — and risk upsetting the shaky peace they’ve all endured so much to secure — to finally set things right.
Who is in the cast of ‘The Umbrella Academy’ Season 4?
- Elliot Page as Viktor Hargreeves
- Tom Hopper as Luther Hargreeves
- David Castañeda as Diego Hargreeves
- Emmy Raver-Lampman as Allison Hargreeves
- Robert Sheehan as Klaus Hargreeves
- Aidan Gallagher as Five Hargreeves
- Justin H. Min as Ben Hargreeves
- Ritu Arya as Lila Pitts
- Colm Feore as Sir Reginald Hargreeves
- Nick Offerman as Dr. Gene Thibodeau
- Megan Mullally as Dr. Jean Thibodeau
- David Cross as Sy Grossman
(L to R) Elliot Page as Viktor Hargreeves, Emmy Raver-Lampman as Allison Hargreeves, Aidan Gallagher as Number Five, Robert Sheehan as Klaus Hargreeves, David Castañeda as Diego Hargreeves, Justin H. Min as Ben Hargreeves, Ritu Arya as Lila Pitts in ‘The Umbrella Academy’. Photo: Courtesy of Netflix © 2024.