Created in 2019 by Steve Blackman and Jeremy Slater, this highly popular Netflix series was adapted from Gerard Way and Gabriel Ba’s The Umbrella Academy, and revolved around a dysfunctional family who ended the second season with a major cliffhanger.
In the second season, the increased number of daddy issues compelled the titular Umbrella Academy to fail to end the apocalypse that wiped out the entire existence of the year 2019 unique to the. It also brought to life the alternate versions of themselves that will most likely lead to major havoc in the third season.
The older cast, including Elliot Page, Aidan Gallagher, Justin H. Min, Robert Sheehan, David Castaneda, Tom Hopper, Colm Feore and more, shall make a return. They shall be joined by new faces like Justin Cornwell, Britney Oldford, Genesis Rodriguez, Cazzie David and Jake Epstein.
After releasing the official character posters of the upcoming Sparrow Academy, fans are already excited to see what the third season has in store for them, especially after the unfathomable delay caused by the pandemic.
While we wait for the release of the highly-anticipated third season, here are five insane behind-the-scenes secrets from The Umbrella Academy:
5 behind-the-scenes secrets from ‘The Umbrella Academy’
5. The actors were in for a surprise at the end of season 2
The entire production of the show has been well-guarded and a quiet affair. Even the actors themselves do not know what to expect, as confirmed in the video by Elliot Page, Aidan Gallagher and the rest of the cast. The other members of the UmbrellaAcademy were indeed taken aback by Ben’s appearance.
According to Tom Hopper, since they did not cast the Sparrow Academy yet, the cast had to deal with the silhouettes of the supposed characters. Now that the Sparrow Academy is in action, it will be interesting to see a chaotic clash ensue between these two groups.
4. They shot in extreme weather conditions
Although the second season is supposedly set in Dallas, most of the filming took place in Toronto and other locations in Canada. The cast and the crew were met with the usual extreme Canadian weather conditions. The crew shot at a mind-numbingly cold temperature of -10 degrees in the first season. With artificial rain being poured on them, they are fortunate enough to have not contracted hypothermia.
While working on the final fight sequence of season 2, they had shot in the aftermath of a snowstorm. Thus, the snow around the barn was not artificial and very much the remnants of a blizzard.
3. Elliot Page’s wife Emma was a crucial part of season 1
While Elliot Page went to great lengths to suit his role as Vanya, taking up violin lessons, his wife, Emma had a major role in season one. A professional choreographer, Emma Portner, helped choreograph the dance sequence between Luther and Allison.
Gushing over his wife, Elliot said, “She choreographed this beautiful dance scene, in the park with the lights, this very long dance and Tom hadn’t danced that much before, and she’s just so fun, and she’s just so good at breaking all that down.”
2. Justin H. Min’s role as Ben was a well-guarded secret
Justin H. Min played Ben on the series, which was indeed a well-guarded secret. While his co-stars revealed how ecstatic they were to finally meet him in person after two long seasons, Min spoke about how neither his manager nor he knew about the actual role. To keep it a secret, he even told his friends and family on the day of the first season’s premiere that he would be travelling to take “a semester abroad” in Toronto.
The trailer he got dressed in had “many many” fake codenames for his role. To hide his actual identity as Number 6, aka Ben, Justin said how he had various names ranging from “Miller, Jerry, Jake”, with someone calling him “Rebecca at one point”.
1. Tom Hopper’s character was inspired by the creator’s personal physical struggles
Tom Hopper played the role of the buff Luther Hargreeves. While Hooper underwent a lot of training to get into shape, the crew later used a muscle suit to go with the comic book interpretation of Luther’s build. In the show, Luther has body dysmorphia and is often seen struggling with his body image. This was inspired by Gerard Way’s personal struggles with his body.
On Instagram, Way shared, “One of the things the show tackled more than the comic was body horror, and I think they did a great job with that. Also, a feeling that I have had, and I know some of us have had where we aren’t comfortable in your own skin, or you are unhappy with your body or how it will be judged or finding yourself covering up (I spent years doing this).”