Travis Van Winkle likens 'Fubar' S2 to 'Real World: Road Rules'
1 of 2 | Left to right, Travis Van Winkle, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Fortune Feimster attend the Netflix "FUBAR" Season 2 Los Angeles Premiere at Netflix Tudum Theater in Los Angeles on June 11. File Photo by Greg Grudt/UPI | License Photo
NEW YORK, June 21 (UPI) -- You and The Last Ship alum Travis Van Winkle says Season 2 of his action-comedy, Fubar, starts off looking a bit like a 1990s reality TV show.
"it's kind of like Real World: Road Rules meets the CIA and there's a lot of chaos," Van Winkle told UPI in a recent Zoom interview.
Season 1 ended with Tally Brunner (Fabiana Udenio) discovering both her ex-husband Luke (Arnold Schwarzenegger) and their daughter Emma (Monica Barbaro) are secret agents who have been lying to her for years about their globe-trotting adventures.
After a dangerous mission goes sideways, Luke, Tally and Emma, as well as Luke's team -- Barry (Milan Carter), Roo (Fortune Feimster) and Aldon (Van Winkle) -- end up in the witness protection program, sharing a house with Tally's miserable former fiance Donnie (Andy Buckley) and Emma's ex, Carter, (Jay Baruchel).
That's where Season 2 -- now streaming on Netflix -- picks up.
"I think having us all in the same room, trying to figure it out, for me, was always so fun. It felt like a big party on set when we were all there," Van Winkle said.
Carter agreed with Van Winkle's categorization of the on-set vibe, but he also detailed some of the challenges that came with capturing those hilarious group scenes.
"It felt like a party, but, I will say, Season 1, when we had to go to the CIA room, you knew you were going to be there for a long time because everybody's got to get [camera] coverage," he said.
"So, you're shooting in the house and you've got 11 people, just know you're going to be there all day," he laughed. "When Season 2 kicks off, we have a lot of cabin fever. It's like three months after the church scene, where identities are revealed. So, now, we have spent way too much time with each other and are at the point of breaking, but we've got to save the world."
A big change story-wise in Season 2 is that a lot of civilians now know more than they should about the agents' secret identities and missions.
"It ain't fun having your mom, which Fabiana plays, she's basically Barry's mama in the show, knowing all of your business and, while you're trying to save the world, you've also got to talk her off a ledge and comfort her. It ain't easy."
Feimster said her character Roo takes on added responsibility this season.
"My character has a journey of kind of growing up a little bit and and taking some leadership roles," Feimster said.
"It was interesting to go from like the super-ridiculous, inappropriate one last season, which I still have that, but having to step it up a little bit more."
Van Winkle's favorite part of Season 2 was working with a new member of the cast -- a pig.
"I've always loved animals and I actually grew up with a pig," the actor said.
"My pig's name was Crazy Carl," he added. "He was a small, little guy we rescued from a farm and he turned into this massive pig, so I got to reunite with a swine and I really enjoyed having most of my scenes with this cute little guy named Dexter."
Carter was most excited to explore Barry's crush on Tina (Aparna Brielle), an NSA analyst who is probably a double agent.
"It's like going to your family reunion and everybody says, 'Yo, you know Tina's not for you, bro,'" Carter said about his team's lack of support for his budding relationship.
"It made me really look forward to seeing where Barry and Tina were going to go this season and it's quite the journey."
The cast members said they are still having fun working with Schwarzenegger, an action-movie legend they grew up watching in films like Terminator, Total Recall and True Lies.
"He's such a treat because you never know what you're going to get," Feimster said.
"You're either going to laugh a lot with him or you're going to get a motivational speech or learn about some kind of fascinating Hollywood story or all these iconic movies or actors you've heard of your whole life," she added. "It's never a dull moment."
Van Winkle said the crew has learned the best way to get Schwarzenegger to where he needs to be isn't to interrupt him.
"They just kind of walk behind him [and nudge him along] to try and let him finish his story," Van Winkle said. "Sometimes, that went on for quite a while, but when Arnold is telling you a Hollywood story, you've just got to let it play out."
Arnold Schwarzenegger, Carrie-Anne Moss attend 'Fubar' S2 premiere
Star Arnold Schwarzenegger attends Netflix's Season 2 premiere of "Fubar" in Los Angeles on June 11, 2025. Photo by Greg Grudt/UPI | License Photo
Now streaming on Netflix.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Forbes
an hour ago
- Forbes
‘Squid Game' Director Hwang Dong-Hyuk On Making Seasons 2 And 3
Squid Game creator, writer and director Hwang Dong-hyuk (Photo by Ji Sang Chung) Squid Game season 3 has finally dropped, and once again, the dystopian survival thriller is captivating audiences worldwide. When the series first premiered in 2021, it became Netflix's most watched show ever and launched K-dramas into mainstream conversations in the West. For Squid Game creator, writer and director Hwang Dong-hyuk, the show's unprecedented success was unexpected—and so was the prospect of doing multiple seasons. Despite the first season's open ending—in which protagonist Seong Gi-hun is about to board a plane but instead turns around and looks directly at the camera—Hwang says that it wasn't done with a second season in mind. 'Through Gi-hun, I wanted to have the audience think about how the world that we live in—the system that we live in—isn't something that we should just take for granted. We should face it directly, question it and think about what we can do about it.' Hwang admits that at the time, he figured that if the series happened to do well and there was a strong demand for a second season, the story could pick up from the moment Gi-hun turns around. 'But I wasn't seriously considering that possibility, nor was I particularly eager to do it,' Hwang says in Korean. 'Physically and mentally, making the first season was so exhausting, so I never thought I'd want to make another season,' he adds in English. LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - MAY 30: Hwang Dong-hyuk speaks during Netflix's FYSEE Squid Game Season 2 ... More ATAS Official at The Egyptian Theatre Hollywood on May 30, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo byfor Netflix) South Korean actor Lee Jung-jae (L) poses with the award for Outstanding Lead Actor In A Drama ... More Series and South Korean director Hwang Dong-hyuk (R) with the Emmy for Outstanding Directing For A Drama Series for "Squid Game" during the 74th Emmy Awards at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, California, on September 12, 2022. (Photo by FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images) What Director Hwang Considered While Making Squid Game Seasons 2 And 3 But as fate would have it, the unprecedented global success of Squid Game meant that the show would be renewed for another season. Hwang initially intended to make only one more season but ended up writing 13 episodes in six months, so he decided to break them up into two separate seasons. (L-R): Director Hwang Dong-hyuk, Lee Jung-jae as Seong Gi-hun, and Oh Yeong-su as Oh Il-nam in Squid ... More Game season 1 His most important consideration while creating seasons 2 and 3 was showing Gi-hun's transformation. 'At the beginning of season 1, you see him as this very naïve, loser-like character who's below average on all fronts. But after joining the games and going through that experience, he learns a lesson, and by the end of season 1, he's become a different person," Hwang explains. "So the main focus was, what is Gi-hun going to be capable of doing after he returns to the games? And as he recklessly attempts to stop the games, what kind of person will he become?" Hwang adds that he also wanted to explore the question that Oh Il-nam poses to Gi-hun in season 1: 'Do you still believe in humanity?' Hwang points out that "the most important theme for seasons 2 and 3 was showing what kind of answer Gi-hun arrives at by the end of his journey.' Squid Game Director Admits He's 'Kind Of A Perfectionist' Because Hwang was given only six months to write 13 episodes, he felt the script was lacking in detail. 'So all throughout pre-production and production, I kept revising the script. I'd come back from a shoot, get new ideas and then revise upcoming scenes accordingly,' he reveals. He ended up making a lot of changes to the story, including some substantial ones like rewriting the season 3 finale and altering the fates of Nam-gyu and Min-su. Besides those examples, he admits, 'It's hard to say exactly what stayed true from the beginning and which things changed, because so many details changed. I thought that was the only way I could create a script that was up to my standards.' Director Hwang Dong-hyuk and Lee Jung-jae as Seong Gi-hun in Squid Game S1 Listening to Director Hwang describe his creative process and attention to detail, one can't help but get the sense that he's very meticulous and dedicated to his craft. 'Would you say you're a perfectionist?' I ask. 'I think I can say that,' he replies. 'I'm usually a really lazy person—extremely lazy. But once I start something, I have to go all in and see it through to the end. I can't let go of it, so I end up exhausting myself. In that sense, I'm kind of a perfectionist, and maybe that's why it makes me lazier. Because I know how hard I'm going to be on myself when I start something, so I often don't want to start at all,' he says with a laugh. Director Hwang Dong-hyuk in Squid Game S2 Squid Game Casting Controversies Around T.O.P And Park Sung-Hoon Despite his somewhat perfectionist tendencies, not everything went according to plan. In particular, he shares that he wasn't quite prepared for the casting controversies that arose ahead of season 2. When Netflix announced that the cast for the second season would include South Korean rapper, actor and former BIGBANG member T.O.P (real name Choi Seung-hyun), many Koreans protested due to his past marijuana use (drug abuse is often treated as a serious crime in South Korea), though international fans largely seemed to support his casting. Choi Seung-hyun as Thanos in Squid Game S2 "I expected some backlash around T.O.P, but the reaction from the media and the internet in Korea was even more negative than I had anticipated," Hwang says. "Since there'd been many previous cases of celebrities having been away from the public eye after smoking marijuana and then making a comeback, I thought it'd be okay for Choi Seung-hyun to resume acting, since enough time had passed. I was genuinely surprised by how much backlash there was." But Hwang adds that public sentiment in Korea around T.O.P has improved since the release of season 2. "Fortunately, now that there are many people who really like his character [Thanos], and Seung-hyun has also been able to put out a sincere apology through interviews and other ways, I think the situation has been somewhat resolved." Park Sung-hoon as Hyun-ju in Squid Game S3 Meanwhile, the casting of cisgender male actor Park Sung-hoon as the transgender character Hyun-ju also sparked criticism, but mostly from international viewers. "When I first considered him for the role, I thought it was a natural choice because in Korea, there aren't any transgender actors available to play a transgender character. There's literally only one person you see on TV in Korea who is openly trans," Hwang says. "But I know there was quite a bit of backlash about that decision overseas, especially in Western countries where people may not fully understand the reality in Korea." Hwang says that both he and Park did their best to explain the casting choice publicly and mentions a moment that gave him particular comfort. 'One day, I saw this YouTube video from an American transgender influencer who said that she was initially very concerned,' Hwang says. 'But she said that after watching the show, she was extremely taken by the genuineness of Hyun-ju's character and loved her. So that made me very happy and relieved to know that our intentions had really worked.' INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA - MAY 31: Choi Seung-hyun aka T.O.P, Kang Ae-shim and Park Sung-hoon pose with ... More Squid Game pink guards at NETFLIX TUDUM 2025: THE LIVE EVENT at The Kia Forum on May 31, 2025 in Inglewood, California. (Photo byfor Netflix) Will There Be A Season 4 Of Squid Game? As for what's next for the Squid Game franchise, Hwang laughs off the possibility of a fourth season. "No, not another season. Maybe a spinoff, if the opportunity comes up. I know many people out there are curious to know the backstory of many of these characters, so I do think a spinoff could be fun,' he says. 'But it's just something that I'm tossing around—nothing has been decided yet.' NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JUNE 18: (L-R) Park Sung-hoon, Kang Ae-shim, Lee Jung-jae, Hwang Dong-hyuk, Lee ... More Byung-hun, Jo Yu-ri and Yim Si-wan attend the Netflix's Squid Game S3 New York Premiere at The Paris Theater on June 18, 2025 in New York City. (Photo byfor Netflix) With the third and final season of Squid Game finally being released out into the world, I ask him how he feels now that the blockbuster series he's created is coming to an end. 'It feels bittersweet in every sense of the word,' he answers. 'There was just so much pressure working on this show for the past six years. At first, I was worried that people might not like it. And then came the pressure of people liking it too much, and feeling like I had to meet their expectations. It felt like I was carrying a huge load on my shoulders for six years. And now that it's gone, I feel a great sense of relief." He quickly adds, 'At the same time, this project also gave me so many wonderful memories and allowed me to meet so many wonderful people. These were six of the most amazing years of my life, so I'm going to be sad to say goodbye to those moments. I'm just feeling a mix of a lot of different emotions." Squid Game season 3 is now streaming on Netflix. SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA - JUNE 09: Director Hwang Dong-Hyuk, actors Lee Jung-Jae, Lee Byung-Hun, Yim ... More Si-Wan, Kang Ha-Neul, Wi Ha-Joon, Park Sung-Hoon, Lee Jin-Uk, Park Gyu-Young, Yang Dong-Geun, Chae Gook-Hee, Roh Jae-Won, Lee David, Kang Ae-Sim and Jo Yuri attend a press conference for Netflix's "Squid Game Season 3" at Seoul Dragon City on June 09, 2025 in Seoul, South Korea. (Photo by Han Myung-Gu/WireImage)
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Only Aaron Rodgers could complain about attention to get attention
Aaron Rodgers is mad. Not actually mad, of course. But acting superior to other people is just part of his brand. He likes dishing out admonishment. So, on Tuesday, having no appreciation for irony, he went on the Pat McAfee show and complained about being in the public eye and all the unwanted attention he gets. Advertisement Rodgers voluntarily goes on TV to complain that he doesn't like attention? That's a good one. The only reason for him to be doing a stint on a talk show, especially McAfee's show, in June is because he craves attention. His big news this week was that this was probably his last season as a player. For a guy who was mistreated by Brett Favre when they were teammates, Rodgers is utilizing his 'How to Turn Retirement Uncertainty into Extra Attention' playbook to perfection. This is the same guy who wanted to host Jeopardy while still playing football. The same guy who milked the spotlight when Robert F. Kennedy leaked Rodgers as a possible vice presidential candidate. Advertisement And the same guy who gave his blessing to NETFLIX to make 'Enigma' a three-part documentary about his life. The only surprising thing is that the Steelers are putting up with this. Signing Rodgers is about the most uncharacteristic move they've made. This is a franchise that had the forethought to get out of the Antonio Brown business and then watched from a safe distance as he poisoned the Raiders, Patriots and Buccaneers. Rodgers is an aging, polarizing distraction who hasn't been good for a while and doesn't seem that committed to playing football anymore. Pittsburgh might be hoping Rodgers will be good again once he's washed all the Jets stink off himself, but he looked washed up in his last season in Green Bay. Advertisement ESPN's Mike Tannenbaum thinks Rodgers is washed up: 'I think Aaron Rodgers is gonna be irrelevant by Thanksgiving.' But his football struggles haven't moved the cameras away from him because he knows how to court them. If he really wanted less attention, he could stop saying every controversial thought out loud. Aaron Rodgers likes the public eye when it makes him money and gives him an audience for his debunked science. He doesn't like people exposing things that aren't true. Sick of the public eye? Start by getting off McAfee. Committing to the bit Whether it's real or legend, Wade Boggs famously claims to have consumed 73 beers on a cross-country flight between Boston and Los Angeles. Advertisement At last week's Fanatics Fest, a ComicCon for sports fans, two fans created a 73-pack of Miller Lite and brought it to the autograph session for Boggs to sign. Did he actually drink 73 beers or did his counting skills diminish somewhere in the 40s? It's amazing some New England Brewery hasn't partnered with Boggs to sell a 73-pack. Perfect for BBQs and flights to Anaheim. Why can't the Bruins make a good bear logo? The Spoked-B is terrific and the classic design is nice in the new Bruins uniforms unveiled on Wednesday. But somehow, in over 100 years of existence, the Bruins can't quite get a good Bear logo. Advertisement The difference between the 1980s Bruins jerseys and the new ones is the bear on the shoulder. Instead of Meth Bear, they'll get this one: It's the latest underwhelming ursine to grace and otherwise good jersey. Meth Bear looks deranged. Pooh Bear looks like a Build-a-Bear's dad. On the yellow shoulder patch (below), the bear is trying to be too detailed and the one on the white jersey barely (no pun intended) looks like a bear. As the old saying goes, bear problems lead to font problems with the new bear. With the off-putting letter-sizing used in the word Boston, the current looks like a bear that has just finished its last meal before hibernation. Would it have been worse with Devers? It's been 10 days since Craig Breslow said this quote about the Devers trade that will haunt him the rest of the year. Advertisement 'I do think there's a real chance we're looking back and we've won more games than we otherwise would have.' The Red Sox are 4-6 since, have lost five straight and are fading in the Wild Card race. There's a real chance Breslow never recovers from this move. Real Jeopardy! Clue Sports clues from actual editions of America's favorite quiz show. As always, mind the date CATEGORY: SPORTS- $400 - Nov. 11, 1989 One of two National Hockey League teams to retire Gordie Howe's uniform number — Answer below The Top 5 Top 5 Athletic Offspring of the Michael Jordan Era Bulls In honor of Ron Harper's son Dylan, who was drafted on Wednesday. Advertisement 5 - Marcus Jordan (I guess) 4 - Ron Harper Jr. 3 - Scottie Pippin Jr. 2 - Dylan Harper 1 - Trinity Rodman Today in Boston Sports History June 27 1938 - Red Sox slugger Jimmy Foxx hit his 400th home run off Bob Feller. At the time, only Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig had reached that milestone. Lightning round Tyrese Haiburton started the playoffs by getting banned from the arena and finished it as a spokesman for his son's injury. If the Flyers make their pick at 6 and James Hagens is still on the board, the Bruins should draft the BC star immediately. The word nerd in me really wanted Derik Queen to go to the Sacramento Kings. The NBA Draft should not be two nights long. At some point, Monteverde Prep coach Kevin Boyle should be in the Naismith Hall of Fame. His collection of NBA alumni is absurd Real Jeopardy! Question: The Detroit Red Wings and Hartford Whalers. Finally... If you need me, I'll be ordering myself the suit Tre Johnson bought from the AC/DC Collection. Read the original article on MassLive.
UPI
4 hours ago
- UPI
No Season 2 for 'Doctor Odyssey' on ABC
TV // 2 days ago Dane, Ackles: 'Countdown' cops collaborate well, but also butt heads NEW YORK, June 25 (UPI) -- Eric Dane and Jensen Ackles told UPI the cop characters they play in the new action-drama, "Countdown," may not always get along, but they work well together under pressure.
