Inside Apple TV’+s Wild New Thriller ‘The Last Frontier’—From the Stars Themselves (EXCLUSIVE)
The show brings brings chaos to Alaska with escaped inmates and shocking twists
Apple TV+’s highly anticipated new show, The Last Frontier, premieres this Friday, October 10, and between the plane crash that allows dozens of inmates to escape and the Alaskan backdrop, it truly is one wild ride. To celebrate, we caught up with two of the stars—Simone Kessell and Alfre Woodard—and the show’s co-creator to discover what drew them to the project and what really went on behind the scenes. Read on for more.
What is Apple TV’+s ‘The Last Frontier’ about?
Apple TV’+s The Last Frontier is a high-stakes survival thriller set in Alaska. The story starts when a prison transport plane crashes in the wilderness, causing dozens of dangerous inmates to escape. As chaos erupts, a small-town sheriff must go well beyond his skillset to crack the case and catch the inmates.
Co-creator Jon Bokenkamp on crafting a ‘Prison Break’ at 30,000 feet
The idea of a plane crash isn’t exactly new in the world of entertainment; however, the plane being filled with a variety of inmates is.
“My dear friend Richard D’Ovidio [the other creator] and I, years ago, were kicking around an idea of what would happen if a prison transport plane like this landed in Manhattan, and all these inmates escaped,” he shared. “Years had passed and we revisited the idea. And somehow we thought it’d be far more interesting if it happened in the middle of nowhere and there’s a survival element to the story. All these inmates are confronted by a man who is not really prepared to handle anything like this. He’s capable, but he’s never seen anything like this. That was our starting point.”
Despite having the show revolve around a plane crash, Bokenkamp joked that he “used to have a huge fear of flying. I think it had to do with the movie Fearless. That plane crash sequence freaked me out so badly. I think that’s where it sort of started.”
“But what’s different about this is it’s not only bad enough that it’s a plane crash, it’s also its inmates and they’re now out. We say in the show, it’s like a Prison Break at 30,000 feet,” he continued. “I want each episode to feel like a movie, and I hope that we delivered on that at the end of the day.”
Simone Kessell on playing a fearless Alaska nurse
With over 60 acting credits to her name, Kessell is no stranger to the screen, though her latest role as nurse Sarah Remnick in The Last Frontier might just be her most daring project yet.
“It’s an absolute privilege and honor, because the women in the show are incredibly strong,” the actress said. “Sarah’s a nurse, she’s a working woman, she’s in Alaska. I mean, she’s tough. I hadn’t played a character like this before, so I wanted to bring an authentic, realistic portrayal to her. On top of that, I have utmost respect for nurses and so it all came together.”
Speaking of nurses, Kessell said that “when I was young, I wanted to be a nurse, until I found out about sponge baths, so I moved on.”
Alfre Woodard reveals why her CIA role pushed her limits
Also in the show is Alfre Woodard, an Oscar-nominated actress who most people know from Cross Creek (1984) and 12 Years a Slave (2013). In The Last Frontier, she plays Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Deputy Director Bradford, a role that she says got her out of her comfort zone.
“I always like to do something that steps out of my own sphere and my preferences and my way of looking at the world,” the actress said. “I know you always have to grow to do that, because any character you do, you have to be able to look out of their eyes at the world and think the way they think and not judge it.”
Woodard also shared that, despite playing the deputy director, she “didn’t have to go to the CIA. Frankly, she operates outside of all of the regulations; she has been given autonomy over a secret project that even the CIA doesn’t really know about.”
With its blend of survival, suspense and powerhouse performances, The Last Frontier proves Alaska can be as dangerous as it is breathtaking.
When do new episodes of ‘The Last Frontier’ come out?
The Last Frontier premieres this Friday, October 10 and will air every Friday on Apple TV+ until December 5.
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