Going into the show's sixth and final season, the Cody family in Animal Kingdom find themselves in a tricky situation. While their most recent criminal acts have been largely successful, their personal lives are threatening to splinter them apart -- only exacerbating the long-simmering drama between Pope (Shawn Hatosy), Craig (Ben Robson), Deran (Jake Weary), and J (Finn Cole). While things may be tough for the Codys themselves, the performers who've spent over half a decade bringing the characters to life are just thankful for the chance to become a family themselves.

Ahead of Animal Kingdom's Season 6 two-episode premiere, "1992" and "Rise," on June19 on TNT, CBR sat down for an exclusive interview with Jake Weary and Ben Robson. The pair discussed what it was like going through the show's final scripts and what lessons they'll take away after spending six seasons as members of the criminal Cody family.

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CBR: Going into this season, the Cody family sure seems to have some dark tidings in their future. How much trepidation did you both go through when first opening the scripts for this season?

Jake Weary: I mean, it was nerve-wracking.

Ben Robson: Yeah. I think there was such an unpredictability with the show that happens with things with Smurf, and I think everyone's job security was always a question every season. Every time a script would come out, though, I think as much fear as it would bring, I think that's kind of been one of the strengths of the show -- no one's safe. It's very much the world that [the Codys] live in, where their lives [are] on the line every time they do something. So yeah, a lot of trepidation. Every time you read a script, you just felt you may get a few more pages before it's too late.

Weary: I feel like we always thought we knew what was going to happen with our characters. Then, every year, the series would just kind of pull the rug out from under us. It was just like, always be ready for something completely different from what you thought was going to happen. I think that... being able to do that was kind of the strength of the show. I think that's what keeps people watching it.

RELATED: Stranger Things' Deadliest Enemy Proves Eleven Was Never a Monster Over just a season of TV, any performer will find surprising layers to their characters. Not only have you two had six seasons with Craig and Deran, but you've played them through some radical life changes. What would you say has surprised you the most, especially going into Season 6?

Robson: I think the incredibly opposing beliefs... especially the ones Craig had maybe in Season 1 and the polarizing view that he now has, especially at the top of Season 6. I also think just the sheer shift of the power dynamics within the family, how they have changed so often and quite extravagantly every season, so it's where they believe they fit in the family and where the power struggle is and their dynamic, what they believe is right, what's wrong. So I think in terms of that arc, of where we've been from, from Season 1 to 6, even the dynamic between Craig and Darren has been a roller coaster of how close they've been and how they haven't wanted responsibilities and were quite jovial to now, this hatred that's between the two of them. I mean, it's very extreme how it's evolved over the years.

Weary: I would have never guessed at what happens in those final episodes that we shot for this upcoming season, just that we would be in the situations we were in as our characters, handling things the way we're handling them. I would have never guessed that that would be the situation five years ago, six years ago, when we started this thing. I think that is a big surprise. Just being like whoa... Pope and J and Craig are looking to Deran for advice on what to do. I was doing that the entire first three seasons and was so lost, and now to see all of our characters kind of gain these new responsibilities, the power dynamics constantly shifting as a result of that... That's been really fun.

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After six seasons of being a Cody, what would you say has been the most important lesson you've taken from this experience?

Robson: I would say, honestly, the comfort and kind of security blanket effect of having one another and working with one another. I mean, when you go and work on features and singular projects with theater... you don't have to come back every year to your family and your crew. It creates such a safety net, which is such a luxury for a performer, to be able to find that freedom of the performance that you want to give because you have that security of knowing everyone, and everyone knows what you like and what they like. It allows you to take the extra risks that you might be a bit more fearful of doing in a room full of strangers.

It's been incredible. With the cast to work with, but also off-camera as well, I think we've all become so close. Six, seven years of our lives on Animal Kingdom, we've all grown up [as] people. It's been an incredible journey. I feel very lucky to have been with such a cast and crew that have got on so closely.

Weary: I'd say the same. I think being able to share all these experiences with other people is the most beautiful thing. You can just look back, and you're not alone in your gratitude that we've accomplished the show. Being able to share that with people you love is incredibly important. Even during the pandemic, [Executive Producer John Wells] made sure that we were all in communication constantly, when there [were] a lot of unknowns. We had no idea if we were gonna go back to work. We would still all get on zoom, the whole cast with John, and just talk like people -- not talking about the show and not talking about the scripts or anything that [was] coming in, just -- talking. It was just, "How are you doing?" We all got to share. Just having that experience, it's invaluable.

To see the Codys try one last time to get what they want and avoid what they deserve, check out Animal Kingdom's sixth and final season, premiering June 19 on TNT.