Netflix Geeked Week: The Cast of “The Umbrella Academy” Teases Season 3 and Shares Some New Clips

(L to R) Emmy Raver-Lampman as Allison Hargreeves, Elliot Page, Tom Hopper as Luther Hargreeves, Aidan Gallagher as Number Five, David Castañeda as Diego Hargreeves, Robert Sheehan as Klaus Hargreeves in The Umbrella Academy. Courtesy of Netflix © 2022

At today’s Netflix Geeked Week event, Umbrella Academy cast members Tom Hopper (Luther), David Castañeda (Diego), Emmy Raver-Lampman (Allison), Aidan Gallagher (Five), Justin H. Min (Ben), and Genesis Rodriguez (Sloane) joined moderator Felicia Day for a panel all about the show’s upcoming third season. The panel featured some sneak-peek clips and a ton of fun teases for what fans can expect from the new season. Read on for some of the highlights from the panel.

The Sparrow Academy

Debuting this season is the mysterious Sparrow Academy. New cast member Genesis Rodriguez explained what fans need to know about the Sparrows, saying:

The Sparrow Academy is a completely different family. Um, equally as dysfunctional. But they really are crime fighters. They’re organized, they have trained their entire lives. And they’ve dedicated their lives to stopping crime. And they’re kind of, um, they’re kind of a big deal.

Justin H. Min on the New Ben

Joining the Sparrow Academy is a very-much-alive Ben. Actor Justin H. Min shared a bit about where Ben begins the season, saying:

We are set up where we’re having a typical day at the Sparrow Academy, our beautiful home, and then suddenly out of nowhere these strangers appear, and they’re looking at Ben in this odd way. So it’s, I think he’s startled and also suspicious of who these people are and why they’re here.

Asked by a fan if this Ben is different from the one we’ve previously seen, Min replied:

Absolutely. I think a lot of what Steve Blackman and I, Steve Blackman our showrunner and I talked about was sort of playing around with this whole idea of nature versus nurture and how much of, um, sort of the essence of Ben we wanted to keep, and how much he would change because of this sort of different environment that he grew up in. And I think Ben, as his essence is a very impressionable person. So the nurture part of it plays a much, much larger role in his life than for potentially other characters. So to grow up in an environment that felt more militant and, you know, training to be a, a crime fighter in all of these ways, it really toughened him up in a– in a way that he wasn’t in the previous timeline. He sort of has a large chip on his shoulder, so that’s something that we wanted to bring into play as well.

How Do the Umbrella Academy Siblings React to the New Ben?

Naturally, Ben’s (former) siblings have a pretty strong reaction to seeing their brother in such a new light, as Min elaborated during the panel, saying:

They’re very conflicted because obviously he looks like their Ben, but he acts very differently. And there are many looks shared throughout the show. Uh, especially in the first few episodes where they, sort of, see their Ben, but it’s not who they think he is anymore.

New Sides to Familiar Characters

A new side of Ben isn’t the only thing fans have to look forward to, though. The cast teased that many of the characters get to show a bit of a new side this season.

This season, Luther gets to be a bit looser, as Tom Hopper explained:

I think Luther lets go of a lot of his hang-ups. Um, so he’s more fun to play this year. … I feel like this year he gets to play out his missed teenage years a little bit. I’ll say that.

David Castañeda elaborated on Diego’s journey of self-discovery this season, saying: 

I think it’s more about, um, you know, he’s always wanting to save, well, prove himself and now he’s not at home anymore and there’s another academy, so, he’s a bit lost. He doesn’t know what to do. So he wants to just focus his whole attention into like trying to get the Sparrow Academy out. Obviously, you know, surprises happen that lead him in a different direction that, you know, kind of helps him find purpose, you know? So he’s kind of purposesless at the beginning. He doesn’t know what to do with himself.

For Allison, this season is all about overcoming trauma, as Emmy Raver-Lampman explained:

Allison’s got some trauma that she needs to, to kind of deal with and move through and work through. And, so, I think that’s a lot of, a lot of her season is kind of coming back from the ’60s and dealing with what she experienced and witnessed and lived through and survived to be completely honest. Um, and that affects her emotionally, mentally, physically. Um, so I think that’s, that’s a lot of her season is kind of dealing with the aftermath of coming back from the, being a black woman in the ’60s in Dallas, Texas.

The Hotel Obsidian

One of the newest settings in season three is the Hotel Obsidian. In the panel, Castañeda talked a little about what the new setting adds to the season, saying:

Well, I mean, just the production of it is just insane. When we got to walk in the first time, it was like you were transported into a different world. It was beautiful how they were able to put it, and we shot throughout that whole thing. So, it pretty much became the backbone to the whole story.

Hopper added:

I think it looks a little tired, the Obsidian. It looks like one of those older Vegas hotels. You know, stained carpet. Lots of, uh, smoke stained ceilings.

Favorite New Character in Season 3

As for who the cast’s favorite new character is, Hopper had an easy answer:

I would probably say the new Ben… He’s pretty great. He’s great. Because he’s such a, he’s so different to the Ben that we knew as the Umbrella. So, I think it’s just such a great shift in the show.

And on getting to work with Justin H. Min more this season, Hopper added:

You know, working with Justin this year was, it was so much fun. And, uh, yeah. So I can’t wait for people to see it. It’s gonna be good.

New Clips and the Full Panel

Also debuting during the panel were two new clips from the upcoming season, showcasing a training session with the Sparrow Academy and the Umbrella Academy’s arrival at the mysterious Hotel Obsidian. To see the clips and the full panel, visit Netflix’s official YouTube channel or check out the player below.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7g0e3AsP8M]

Season three of The Umbrella Academy debuts on June 22 exclusively on Netflix.