The following contains spoilers for Kaleidoscope, now streaming on Netflix.
Kaleidoscope -- now streaming on Netflix -- is a classic crime/thriller told in a unique manner. While the show's ending is always set to be the climactic heist at the heart of the narrative, the ways fans get there are randomized. This means that the largely non-linear series reveals more and more about its cast in a uniquely disjointed manner that adds to the overarching mystery of the show.
It turns out that was an element some of the show's cast got to experience as well, as they discovered plenty about their characters in some unexpected places. During interviews with CBR, Kaleidoscope stars Paz Vega (Ava), Peter Mark Kendall (Stan), and Niousha Noor (Nazan) spoke about the biggest twists their characters went through. The group dove into what surprised them the most about their work on the series and which episodes they were introduced to first.
CBR: Kaleidoscope is playing cops and robbers on the biggest scale possible. What was that like as performers?
Peter Mark Kendall: I mean, it's like a dream, right? It's the games that we played as children. Then all of a sudden, you're in your late 30s, and you're kind of doing the closest thing to it. We had to pinch ourselves every day when we'd go into work because it was just such fun... I think that the really amazing part about this show is that it contains a multitude of different tones. There's humor, and there are heart-wrenching dramatic things, all smashed up against this microcosm of Heat or something like that. The thing that I learned the most is just how storytelling can contain all of those different notes. It's even more exciting when it is all-encompassing like that.
Niousha, you had to play this very serious FBI agent, in contrast to the rest of the cast, in a far more straight-laced dramatic role that still fits into the show's overall orbit in so many little ways.
Niousha Noor: Yeah, it's pretty cool. There's this intricate triangle intertwining us -- the crew, the feds, and the security company, and it's really cool. Just [Nazan's] journey, trying to piece it together of who's who, who's getting rich, who's getting screwed -- and she's very complicated. She's not the typical character you see on TV, and I love that she's a complicated character.
Even as a recovering addict, Nazan still falls down this hole of obsession that quietly becomes a new addiction, so what should be positive growth for her just leads her down a dangerous path.
Noor: Right, exactly. In "Orange," Sarah, played by Vickie Tanner... During the AAA meeting, she says, "Sometimes we replace one addiction with another." So I think we're getting a Nazan who's clean, and she really has become obsessive about being right, but there are so many different layers to that because there are also elements of shame, wanting to kind of redeem herself and her reputation. There's also... With Nazan's character, she didn't really do the work of recovery to find enlightenment. She just wanted to get the job back and get back on track.
I think there's still a big part of her that's blaming Ava for her life getting ruined and falling apart... I actually really enjoyed finding or covering these key moments. A lot of what happens to Nazan happens off-screen. It was really enjoyable figuring out her character. That's what I love about acting -- after an initial glance you think, "How can I have something in common with someone like this?" Then you do. It's really important for her to be right. She wants to be right, and I have that trait. Also, just being a woman and being Middle Eastern in that space, in a sea of men... There are so many elements there of wanting to show herself and prove herself, so I just had to dig really deep.
I was curious, what were some of your first thoughts when you saw scripts for the first time? Which episodes did you read first?
Paz Vega: When I first got the scripts, I just read one -- it was "Yellow," and it heightened my love of the story and Ava because she's so rich as a character. She has so many layers... I really love her from the very, very first moment when I read that first episode. I didn't know where my character came from or where she was going, but I knew that I wanted to be on the show because it's so great. The dialogue and everything were so well written, so I jumped right away.
Kendall: My introduction was I got this audition material. You read scenes from the script and see if it is something that fits you if you want to make a tape for it. I got "Green" because that was a very Stan-heavy episode. I actually kind of didn't realize when I first read for it that there was going to be this kind of groundbreaking structural element to it. I just thought I was auditioning for a really well-written crime/thriller. So the great joy of in the callback, when I read for [Series Creator Eric Garcia], I was like, "Oh my gosh, this is so intricate." Even today, I don't know how one puts a story together like that, that is so intricate and so complex and so kind of dependent on every facet of every other episode.
Niousha, by contrast, I was curious if you read the rest of the script ahead of the season or if you remained as in the dark as Nazan.
Noor: I wasn't that big on wanting to know everything. I just wanted to know what Nazan was finding out... I didn't really read all of it. Initially, when I first auditioned, they just sent me part of "Orange." I had no idea of the format of the show. I didn't know it was going to be out of order and be non-linear. I had no idea. So I just read parts of "Orange" when I got the part.
Then I read "Orange" and "Pink," and then they sent me the rest of the scripts. They just told me to read "White" last. That's when I just found out what kind of show this is going to be. I think I actually read "Pink" fully first. I was very out of order. I was very genuinely confused until "White," and I started to fully connect the dots. Then I went back, and I reread the scripts in order. Then I had to... I'm a very visual person. So I just literally write the timelines of things, and then it clicked.
Paz, you really got to explore a lot of different versions of Ava over the course of the show. There's the lawyer, the gun-runner, the criminal, the rival, the friend, and even some real vulnerabilities. What would you say remained the core of the character across all these different beats and layers to the character?
Vega: I think that all the color in the show is also a reflection of all the characters. All of us, we have so many colors inside. It's not just one. It's not he's the bad guy, and he's a good guy. I think that is the most interesting part of the show. Every character has their own background and story and layers. It was very rich for me, especially Ava's character. I always liked the idea that she had a rough childhood. She lost all her family. She grew up almost entirely alone. I think that feeling built inside her and became this idea of, "I want to beat the system, no matter what. I want to beat the system because the system never protected me as a human being."
That's why she became an attorney, so she could beat the system from the inside. Also, she's a badass, and she's going to beat the system from the outside as a thief. She's on that path for revenge, and that's why I think she connects with Leo so well. They connect in a deep way because both of them need to survive. They lost their family. They are alone in this world, but they needed to survive. It's more than just a romantic relationship. It's more than that. It's so deep and so beautiful.
Peter, I did want to compliment you on your performance because I can imagine a lesser version of Stan as a character who comes across as more pitiable than defiant. Considering he's kind of the Charlie Brown of the crew, I think that's an important element that needed to not be pushed too hard. What was it like finding that balance?
Kendall: Thank you so much for saying that. I think that it's because Stan gets so much thrown at him and is getting beat up by almost everybody in the entire cast -- it's the fact that he has been kind of beaten down so much that gives him the will to come back harder to achieve the things that he wants, and ultimately, that is just a very simple life with the person that he loves the most. I think that, as with many of the characters in the series, Stan has such a will to live. Hopefully, there are some moments of levity and funny comedy with Stan's journey, but he doesn't find anything funny. So it's just kind of playing the reality of it. I think [that] is the only thing that I can do as a performer.
Niousha, what was it like finding the really fun push and pull between Nazan and Ava's relationship over the course of the show?
Noor: I love [Paz] so much. I've been such a fan of hers. So when I first met her, and I knew that she was going to play Ava, I was so excited. We just talked about it a lot. We really understood that power dynamic and the push and pull. She didn't need to know my thoughts, and I didn't need to know hers, but when we played together, it really worked.
Things don't really work out for Nazan, either, though in the long run, and her death just comes out of nowhere.
Noor: I know! Honestly, when I first read it, I didn't even get it. I had so many theories. I remember talking to [Series Creator Eric Garcia] about it, and he [was like], "No, wait, this is what happens." I missed the clue on my first reading. You miss a lot of things, and I have to go back to "Blue" because they do tease that sort of thing about the Triplets coming after you. I'm like, "Oh, that's what happened to me."
Peter, I did also love the ambiguity of Judy's final moments in the story, contemplating leaving Stan.
Kendall: I think the ambiguity of what she does is so much more interesting and human than revealing because then you get to see her agency and what she actually wants. As she's left at this crossroads, does she chase freedom, that happiness was Stan, or does she seek out Bob? I just love ambiguity and kind of not knowing in storytelling because it just makes you lean in just a little bit more.
Do you think there's ever any world where Stan gets over Judy? I can't ever see him getting over it.
Kendall: I think so, if that is the case and she leaves him. He's also just completely exploded his life. In a large way, his actions lead to the result of his mother and his wife dying. The one thing in his mind that makes it all worth it is this hope of happiness with Judy. So I agree, I don't know that he would get over her leaving, or if he did that, he would be a shell of his former self, but I love that this is a hypothetical thing, and we don't know what happened.
What surprised you all the most about this experience and these characters?
Noor: I was surprised at how easily... When we first started shooting, you have an idea. You say the lines, you've done the preparation, and you kind of just hope for the best. You have an idea of the character, and then the more you would kind of wear them -- like I was wearing Nazan, and it's just so interesting. Our FBI sequences were all shot at the end, which I'm so happy about. I really was very comfortable with Nazan. I remember when I first got the part, I never played an FBI agent. I didn't have an addiction problem. That's the fun of acting, but still, I remember feeling this sort of distance and thinking, "How am I going to make it very genuine and authentic?"
It was just so fascinating, especially by the middle and definitely by the end, because I really understood Nazan. I walked differently. I spoke differently. It's really easy to tap into your bond and connect with her... I love that transformation, going from the beginning and not feeling familiar with this character, and then by the end, I was like, "Wow, I really do have parts of this character in me."
Vega: When I first read some of the scripts, it was hard for me to understand everything. When I received all the scripts, and I started reading chronologically, I was surprised by the fact that Ava has this amazing sense of humor, like a dark sense of humor. She's very ironic, and the fact that she can dig really deep when she wants to be a bitch, and that idea that she's always in control... I want to be her in my own life. I want to be Ava all the time because she's so perfect, and I love especially her sense of humor. It's very dark and sharp. I also really enjoyed the action! I had so much training for that, so I really enjoyed that part, just shutting down parts of New York and running down the streets and things like that.
Kendall: It is an evolution. We had a couple of weeks of prep, where I started this Google doc, trying to create the most extensive and expansive backstory I could for Stan, kind of charting his growth throughout the show. What a great gift as a performer to have all of the episodes at the beginning of the series so you can really kind of craft your arc. A lot of the time on TV, you're getting scripts week by week. So it's always a surprise, and you're just kind of trying to play catch up.
I think the thing that surprised me the most is that unrelenting tenacity in Stan, of doing whatever it takes to get what he wants. I think that he's just kind of a punching bag, but nobody wants to be that, and so you're always trying to better your circumstances and trying to move forward to get the things that you want. What a great life lesson. I'm not saying that I'm going into the world of crime or anything like that, but just that kind of "going through the shit to get to wherever you're trying to go," and his attitude of never giving up no matter what the circumstances or the obstacles -- what a great lesson.
All eight episodes of Kaleidoscope are available on Netflix.