Holland Roden: Lydia's Like The Hatch From 'Lost'

By
MTV

In just three weeks, MTV's Teen Wolf has presented enough mysteries to round out three seasons of any series -- from the poorly timed return of Derek's presumed dead sister to the Alpha's apocalyptic arrival in Beacon Hills. And I believe it will be Lydia Martin who (eventually) unites all these disparate storylines.

A belief that was further reinforced when I hit up the Teen Wolf set and actress Holland Roden likened her character to The Hatch on Lost! But that wasn't her only eyebrow-raising admission! Keep reading to find out what Lydia's love life will look like this season and how her circle of friends will continue to expand even as the population of Beacon Hills decreases.


ETonline: Coming into season three, what were you most excited about?

Holland Roden: I'm obviously the most over the top character on Teen Wolf ... except for the actual fur that comes out of peoples skin [laughs], which is fun. But, this year, in terms of being an actor, I get to be a little more natural, a little more real. To people she's still that cartoon-ish character, but I think that falls away a bit this season. Although she still has a lot of walls.


ETonline: Obviously Lydia is lusting after one of the twins, but, in reality, how much of a focus is there on her love life?

Roden: It's not the first priority, but she does get a new love interest this season. The thing that excites me is Lydia's true love becomes her friends. I love that Lydia actually has friends this season because, think about it: who was Lydia's friend aside from Allison? Who was she ever hanging out with? She was literally the Tracy Flick; no one was friends with her, they were intimidated by her. You see more of the real side to her in season three, which, before, you really only saw when she let her guard down around Jackson.


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ETonline: Which character has she been spending the most time with this year?

Roden: She becomes Stiles' sidekick. They develop a really strong friendship this year, which I think the Stydia fans will like. Basically we become a detective duo. It's really fun working with Dylan [O'Brien] and I just love watching Stiles with Lydia. I've said since the beginning that they're basically the same person at their core: intelligent people who are a little misunderstood. One just evolved into the perfectionist prom queen and the other evolved into the awkward outsider. It's fun to see them meet in the middle ground and reveal how much they have in common.


ETonline: The show's creator, Jeff Davis, told me this season would be much darker, and so far that's really been true. What excites you about that darker tone?

Roden: I love that it allows us to bring in a lot more werewolf mythology. Also, you'll see a lot of that darkness in how some of the villains manifest themselves. It's very weird. If you manifest your true self through nature and your normal surroundings, I find that the most eerie. Like when you see birds suddenly start flying in a different direction or when you see moths forming weird shapes, I think that's the weirdest way to let yourself be known.


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ETonline: Did losing Jackson mean Lydia's character arc had to be changed at all?

Roden: In terms of her relationships with other people, by taking Jackson away, she's forced to open up to others. But in terms of the ultimate reason Lydia's part of Teen Wolf, it didn't make a difference. Jeff talked to me about her big journey on the show after season one, and I don't think that would have changed either way. You saw bits and pieces of that in season two, but no one truly understood what was going on with her. I always say that Lydia didn't know she was on a werewolf show until the end of season two. You saw the bits and pieces in season two, you saw the physicality of her being involved with the supernatural stuff, this year, you'll understand the psyche behind it.


ETonline: So her screaming in the night and absent-mindedly driving to crime scenes is all tied into the Peter Hale story from last year?

Roden: Yes, it's all tied in. There are no coincidences in Beacon Hills. It's very much tied in with what is happening in Beacon Hills and what happened to Lydia in season two. I have this analogy: I was obsessed with Lost, and I think Lydia is The Hatch. Teen Wolf season two was like the moment Locke uncovered the door. This season, you go in and hear the weird, creepy Buddy Holly music and hear the treadmill running. You understood that this was real last season, and now this season is about finding out how it's possible.


Teen Wolf
airs Mondays at 10 p.m. on MTV.