Manifest Will Peltz Talks Joining the NBC Series as Levi Teaming Up With Olive

Manifest: Will Peltz Talks Joining the NBC Series as Levi, Teaming Up With Olive

Will Peltz, who joins the cast of Manifest in the Season 3 episode “Wingman,” spoke to CBR about who his character is and what’s coming next.

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Manifest Will Peltz Talks Joining the NBC Series as Levi Teaming Up With Olive

NBC’s Manifest revolves around the mysterious return of the passengers of a flight who were believed dead after their plane supposedly crashed. Now in its third season, the series’ characters have been enmeshed in a quest for answers that has created a deep mythology that only seems to get more complicated as the episodes continue.

To help shed some light on what it could all mean is new character Levi, played by Will Peltz, a research assistant to Ben (Josh Dallas), who is introduced in this week’s episode, “Wingman.” Levi teams up with Olive (Luna Blaise) to study and make sense of the artifacts coming from Egypt, which just might provide some insight into why the lost plane’s passengers are back.

Just before his character’s debut on Manifest, Peltz spoke to CBR about joining the show’s cast, the challenges of shooting during a pandemic and what’s coming up for Levi in future episodes.

CBR: What was it like to learn you were going to be part of Manifest?

Will Peltz: I was super-duper excited. Right from the get-go I saw the writing is just so great. And even from my audition scene, I was like, “This character just makes sense.” It’s so cool — it’s so not stereotypical and just out of the box. And it was something refreshing for me to do, and the show’s so cool. So I was just really thrilled. It was a great experience.

How would you describe your character and how he fits into the show?

Well, obviously, there’s the whole Al-Zuras aspect and working with that. He helps [determine] if it’s connected or if it’s not connected. And I think he’s just a cool character. Also, obviously, he’s mostly involved with Olive and her storyline and just helping her sift through and handle some of these artifacts and this research that’s coming through.

It’s such a mythology-rich show. Were you familiar with Al-Zuras and the Egyptian mythology aspect of it before you got the part?

Weirdly, a little bit. I did not know who Al-Zuras was when I first saw all of this. But my older brother is a little bit of a history geek, and he knows all this crazy ancient history stuff. Through the years, I’ve picked up facts here and there. So I would say I’d be familiar with it but not to this degree.

Were you familiar with Manifest before you joined?

I was definitely familiar with the show. And actually, when I got my audition, I watched the pilot because I’d never seen it before, […] and I was really impressed. I was like, “Oh, wow. This is really cool,” just the backstory and stuff. So yes, I was definitely familiar with it but I hadn’t really seen it until I got my audition, and then once I got my audition, watching the pilot, I was like, “Wow, great pilot.” I’m kind of hooked.

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Your character is Ben’s assistant, but the first time we see Levi, he introduces himself to Olive and Angelina. Was it fun for you to start on the show that way?

Honestly, just right off the bat, me and Luna [Blaise] who plays Olive and Holly [Taylor] who plays Angelina, we all just hit it off right away on set and it was really cool. We did film through [coronavirus], so hanging out in the in-between shots and whatever was kind of a bummer because we’d just get quarantined. But they were great and I loved the way it all unfolds, and I think you guys will really enjoy it too.

As you said, you filmed this during COVID. Did that make it harder for you to work into the cast because you couldn’t have a natural interaction with them outside of work?

I would say yes. It was even not just outside of work but even during work because part of the amazing thing about being on set is, obviously, you’re making a movie or a show or whatever it is, but you’re also making these connections and you’re bonding with people. There’s so much random sitting around time that you would never have in real life, so that’s something magic of being on set. Unfortunately, with Corona and stuff, our lunches where you get to meet everybody and talk to maybe some people you might not talk to as much and that you interact with, […] we weren’t able to do that because everyone has to go back to their own separate rooms and eat separately. And then we’d come out and we’d shoot the scene. We’d rehearse with our masks on, then we’d have to do makeup, then we’d shoot the scene and then put our masks right back on and then separate, so it’s kind of a weird experience, to be honest. But obviously, the show and everything is such a great experience, but shooting through Corona was not a lot of fun.

Did that impact how you developed Levi and his perspective since you didn’t have the other actors to speak with in the way you normally would?

In a weird way, I think it kind of actually maybe helped with me and Luna because I feel like if we had been able to chill and bond and whatever right away and became besties, then right away, when we shoot, maybe it could’ve bled though in our performance or you could’ve seen it or whatever. And I think the fact that it was like, “Oh, hey, hi. I’m Will.” Then she ‘s like, “Hi, I’m Luna.” And then it was like, “Okay, shoot.” There’s a little bit of an awkwardness that was nice for [Levi and Olive’s] relationship and nice for their rapport and doesn’t seem like right off the bat they’re these two besties.

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Your character doesn’t make the best first impression on Olive. Was it difficult to be that prickly at first?

Most of the time I’m very prickly [in the roles I play]; I’m kind of a dick. So it was nice to only have to be a little bit of a dick. And actually, I think overall, Levi, I think he is a good guy. And it felt genuine, it felt real. Some of my best friends in my life are people who we didn’t hit it off at first. And that weirdly, for the long run, it made it better. It was like, “Oh, remember when we hated each other?” And now we’re best of friends. So I’ve had plenty of relationships that started off like that.

The rest of the characters on Manifest are trying to solve a puzzle that is affecting their lives, but Levi’s interest is academic. Was that contrast helpful for setting the character up in your mind?

Yes, it was helpful, to be honest, because I think that’s a big part of his identity and who he is. This is his life; he is the academic who’s very studied and learned and educated on all this Egyptian history. And I think it was cool for it actually to not be his personal thing or solving his own puzzle but he’s just very helpful. And he’s the go-to guy for all these crazy questions. It was fun to be able to be that guy.

Can you tease what’s coming up next for Levi?

You’re definitely going to see, when it comes to [Levi], a lot of this whole archeology aspect, and that’s most of the world I’ll be living in with Olive. So I think there’s that, and then we have a cool rapport and, as you see, we have our ups and downs, so I think it will be made for a little bit of juice for the rest of the season.

Manifest stars Melissa Roxburgh, Josh Dallas, Athena Karkanis, J.R. Ramirez, Luna Blaise, Jack Messina and Parveen Kaur. It airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on NBC.

Link Source : https://www.cbr.com/manifest-will-peltz-interview/

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