EXCLUSIVE: Joel Edgerton and Jennifer Connelly on Creative Input, Pressure and Picking Favorites in “Dark Matter” Season 2

I interviewed Joel Edgerton and Jennifer Connelly ahead of Dark Matter returning on Apple TV+. And if I must be honest, I went into the interview with a whirlwind of emotions. I wanted to understand what it means to steer a ship without a map. I was trying to figure out whether it’s a blessing or a curse. And with two of the most respected actors in a generation sitting in front of me, it wasn’t hard to mention each other in the conversation.

To start off, I confessed my admiration for the show and asked right away: both actors aren’t just stars in the show, but also executive producers. What, if anything, was something they specifically lobbied for during the development of season two, now that the show is completely separate from Blake Crouch’s book?

Edgerton responded first with complete honesty about how much of season two’s structure was already in place.

“I mean, I think that by the time they came to me, at least the architecture of the story was pretty much in place and they knew where they wanted the characters to go,” Edgerton said. “I was invited into, I think we were invited into conversations more about our characters and the couple and how we would flesh out that journey that they were on.”

And Edgerton praised Connelly for her ability to establish the idea that is the backbone of this season.

“I remember one good example was something that came from Jennifer,” he said. “You know, talking about reminding us of the sort of putting the lens on human behavior even though the show was full of spectacle. And we had these early conversations about, we wanted to see, the two of us wanted to see, and this is Jennifer’s idea, of going, what is it like if you need to get money or enroll your kid in school, how do you get ID? These simple things that are easy to glance over in a show like this, and you go, that actually is quite a dramatic concept. You go, we don’t have identification in this world we’ve entered. So then how do you go and enroll Charlie in school? And it was nice to be able for us to enter into that sort of murky, almost criminal terrain of going, oh, what if we were to step outside our comfort zones? And I love little details like that in the show.”

And this brought me to my next question, now that the book is behind them and fans are eager to see whether they stay faithful to it: do they feel freer or more pressure this time around?

Edgerton did not try to make it seem easy for them.

“Yeah, the abundance of opportunity felt a little bit daunting, but that’s really on Blake to create the pathways and roads you want to travel down for each character,” he said. “But it definitely did mean that, well, if we have input, I always worry that my input is hopefully good, you know, like because you don’t want to be that actor that’s like, hey, I don’t think I should do this, I think I should do that, and realize in hindsight that you’ve offered up a terrible idea, you know? So that pressure does exist. You’ve got to be careful what you put your hand up for.”

For Connelly, season two of the show is an opportunity to live in a marriage finally they hinted at in the previous season.

“I felt excited to have the opportunity to see how this couple was together, because they’re kind of fighting for the idea of each other,” she said. “We don’t get to really see them as a couple in season one for very long. So here we get to spend a little more time with them, and granted, it’s pretty unstable circumstances, but it’s still interesting, I think, to spend time with; for me, it was interesting to spend time with them and see how they work and get to see how the marriage works, in what ways it isn’t working.”

So I asked my final question, one that has nothing to do with the show. Having two career actors in front of me, I just had to ask each one to tell me their favorite project of the other.

And Connelly didn’t hesitate.

“He was so amazing in ‘Train Dreams,'” she said. “He was so great in that movie. I mean, Joel’s great in everything, but that was such a beautiful performance, I thought.”

And I had to interrupt here, since that, along with Black Mass, is the two projects I return to whenever I watch Edgerton. He thanked us both and paused, then started naming a list I found myself nodding along to.

“As hard as it is to watch, ‘Requiem for a Dream’ I think is an exceptional piece of work, especially knowing how young Jennifer was at the time, too,” he said. “And another one is ‘A Beautiful Mind,’ which I think is extraordinary, an extraordinary film. There’s so many. And also, we’ve talked about it today, but I haven’t seen ‘Labyrinth’ in years, but it’s now in my mind of going, I’ve got to go and rewatch this movie.”

And I laughed because those three are also mine. We shared a laugh, and that’s where we left it.

Dark Matter, one of the best science fiction novels ever written, marks its 10th anniversary this year. The show follows Jason Dessen (Joel Edgerton), a physicist, professor, and family man who is abducted in Chicago into an alternative version of his reality. Wonder quickly turns into a nightmare as he tries to return to his reality on a reality-bending journey through lives he could have led. In season two, the Dessens settle into a peaceful life in a world that seems safe until unbelievable forces make them run again. As Jason becomes obsessed with the Box, Daniela’s (Jennifer Connelly) increasing paranoia drives her to the edge and threatens their newfound safety. Elsewhere, Amanda (Alice Braga) and Ryan (Jimmi Simpson) team up to find their way home. Blair (Amanda Brugel), meanwhile, makes it her mission to stop Leighton (Dayo Okeniyi) from realizing his vision of a perfect world.

Sony Pictures Television developed Dark Matter for Apple TV+. Blake Crouch is the creator, executive producer, showrunner, and writer of the show. Alongside Crouch, Matt Tolmach, Richard Lederer, and Jacquelyn Ben Zekry serve as executive producers, and all four wrote every episode of season two. In addition to being in the show, Edgerton and Connelly also act as executive producers.

Dark Matter Season 2 will debut globally with the first episode on August 28, followed by one new episode every Friday through October 30, 2026.