Amanda Collin Is An Utterly Unconventional Mother In Raised By Wolves

You may not recognize Amanda Collin’s name today, but if you take the time to watch Ridley Scott and Aaron Guzikowski’s impressive new series “Raised by Wolves” you certainly won’t forget her face. Set about 150 years in the future, Collin portrays Mother, an android charged with raising an arc full of human children on a hostile alien planet. And, as the HBO Max series unfolds, Mother turns out to be one of the most complex and compelling non-organic characters brought to the screen. And, of course, a ton of credit for making Mother compelling goes directly to her performance.

READ MORE: “Raised by Wolves” review

The Danish actress has had a steady career in her homeland but after casting director Kate Rhodes James who caught her performance in 2017’s “A Horrible Woman,” at the 2018 Subtitles Film Festival in Ireland, that this life-changing opportunity came to pass. James sought Collin out while she was visiting the festival and asked her to audition. Collins recalls it “was fortunate for me because I didn’t have time to think about how crazy it was so I just learned my lines and went in blindfolded.”

And she admits she didn’t really comprehend how unique the project was until after she’d auditioned.

“I mean, to be honest, when you were given a script to Ridley Scott’s, new Sci-Fi TV show, and you’re about to do the casting the day after, there’s not much of considering what the script is about, just read it and learn your lines,” Collin says. “It’s only afterward I started working on the script…and there’s no way I could have predicted what a gift this part is. I’m so, so happy, proud, fortunate, lucky to be able to give Mother a voice. I just think it’s such an incredible and special gift in my life really.”

Amanda Collin, Raised By Wolves

Because Mother was reprogrammed from an all-powerful killing mechanism to a protector of young children, her actions can often come across as unholy. Over the course of the series viewers might at times deem her the villain, other times an anti-hero, and often, a character attempting to just do the best it can under unwieldy circumstances. While some actors who insist on learning the twists and turns of where their character is headed over a season, Collin didn’t really have that option.

“I think Aaron was very secretive and I think that was okay because Mother as a character doesn’t know where she’s going either,” Collin says. “So, it’s not like I have to have specific things planned out. I think there’s a beauty and letting go of control, especially when you’re surrounded by geniuses all the time. Like everyone that has worked on the show has just been so incredibly talented from, in every department.”

“I think it was much more interesting to dive into Mother’s involvement while watching the children grow up. And what happens to the children? What is it like being a human? How do they react to one another? They have a life there. They have hearts beating, and I think from studying them over the years, their pain, there’s not envy because but there’s a want or a need to experience that for herself. That was very interesting.”

At one point in the series, Mother experiences an event that might be construed as intercourse but also might be interpreted as something else. It did, however, involve shooting a “sex scene” with another actor and Collin says that when it’s on a show this big you “question” it. That prompted storyboards and a lot of talks with that particular episode’s director, Sergio [Mimica-Gezzan].

“I remember the storyboards looking at them, showing them to my husband,” Collin says. “And then I was like, ‘Well, if you’ve got to do a sex scene just make it freaking epic.’ And I think it’s pretty epic. And I just saw it the other day. And what was remarkable about it was that it wasn’t even sexy. It was more about mating or having like a spiritual experience, or I don’t know. It was very, very asexual in a way and just beautiful. Wow, I’m so proud of that scene. Probably like once in a lifetime, you know?”

While Scott didn’t helm that particular chapter of “Raised by Wolves,” he did oversee the first two episodes and his influence as co-creator of the series is almost everywhere.

“I think for me he created a very safe space, a very playful set and encouraged to be courageous and take risks,” Collin says of her experience with Scott. “And with that much experience, you always know that he’s going to catch you. He’ll always be honest. And most of the time his opinion is the right one. And yeah, I loved working with him. As always, with directors, it’s about chemistry. I really dig Ridley Scott.”

After months of shooting on some absolutely stunning sets in South Africa in 2019, Collin, like everyone else, has finally been able to watch the completed version filled with a slew of impressive visual effects. And there is one scene in particular that she’s most proud of. The moment when Mother learns of her true abilities and lays waste to a ship full of people attempting to steal her children. (A moment also spoiled in all the show’s marketing materials).

Raised by Wolves HBO Max

“I know it sounds very absurd, but it’s very Ridley Scott, and the way it was done, it was so much fun that day,” Collin says. “I think also for Mother. I mean, you’re always like, ‘How do you play evil?’ But this was such a lovely way to dive into something evil because it was her nature sort of. We had so much fun that day. I know it sounds crazy, but trust me. It was like the best day on set and that I will definitely remember.

Guzikowski has laid out plans for additional seasons, but when asked if the first season ends on a cliffhanger, Collin becomes uncharacteristically cagey. She laughs, replying “That’s a hard one. That in itself is a cliffhanger isn’t it?”

She then adds, “To be honest, I don’t even know. So much happens in edit and I’ve only seen up until episode six. So, I don’t know what the ending is.”

The first three episodes of “Raised by Wolves” debuts on HBO Max on Thursday. Additional batches of episodes will be released every Thursday thereafter.