Lost In Space’s Taylor Russell talks Judy Robinson, filming those ice scenes, and more!
Taylor Russell breaks down the headstrong Judy Robinson on Netflix’s Lost In Space and shares some crazy trivia about that fuel rescue scene in episode 7.
A doctor at age 18 and the oldest of the three Robinson siblings, Judy is a mentally and physically strong character who’s the first to face serious trauma in the premiere episode. Actress Taylor Russell brings this confident, intuitive character to life, adding layers of emotional vulnerability that help make Judy a stand-out in season 1.
A few weeks before Lost In Space premiered on Netflix, we spoke with Russell about what makes this new version of Judy Robinson unique, what it was like to film that heart-pounding ice scene, and how (just like on the planet) last minute weather changes can add some extra intensity during filming.
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“I do love the original Judy as well. There are a lot of parts about her that I love,” Russell said. “I think she had some more questions about her future than the updated Judy now has. I think I’m much… my character is a little bit more headstrong in some ways.” Russell also spoke on why it was so important for her to be able to step into this role for the reimagining of the series. “I think girls who look like me don’t get a lot of roles like this,” she said. “It’s just the facts, and it’s changing, but I love playing a character that’s this strong and capable, and takes responsibility for the other children in a lot of ways, and knows who she is.”
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We learn early on in the series that the Robinson children have all undergone the same physical training and skills tests as the adults on the mission, but Judy has an additional responsibility as a medic, and her advanced scientific knowledge often makes her seem much older than she is. “It’s funny because she wants to be an adult so much… and she gets so angry at herself and throws these internal tantrums,” Russell shared. “I don’t know if that comes through, but that in turn makes her a teenager. It’s kind of this balance between the two, and I had a really awesome, explorative time playing the middle and leaning into each of those things.”
During the heart-pounding ice scenes in the first episode, the executive producers shared that they had created a helmet and suit mounted inside an enclosed dome, so Russell would have to crawl under the dome and stand up into the helmet when filming those scenes, causing her to feel more trapped. When asked which scene she was most excited to see when watching the series herself, she first thought of episode 7. A pivotal scene in Judy’s arc, there’s an risky escape from dangerous elements on the planet, combined with both a rescue and retrieval mission, where Judy takes on a leadership role and is forced to make decisions that affect everyone on the planet. But just like weather issues that cause problems for the Robinsons in Lost In Space, filming in Vancouver presented its own challenges.
When you watch the full scene, all of which takes place in a matter of minutes, you might notice that some shots have visible rain (and some people have rain drops on their shirt) and some don’t. The cast and crew raced time to finish filming the scene before the rain really started coming down.
“It wasn’t supposed to be pouring rain. We had already shot the beginning of the scene the day before when it was dry. So I’m starting the scene dry, and then it goes to pouring rain, and then I’m ending the scene dry,” Russell said. She explained that it did all work out in the end, but with 3 cameras going, she only had one take to get the scene, and we think she nailed it.
Next: Talking robots with Lost In Space's Will Robinson
Lost In Space is currently streaming on Netflix! Grab a pack of Oreos and get ready to launch to a new planet with the Robinsons.