13 Reasons Why Season 2 Is a "Redemptive and Hope-Filled Story," According to Kate Walsh

Get the scoop on the new season of the Netflix teen drama that took the world by storm

By Chris Harnick Apr 19, 2018 2:56 PMTags
Watch: Kate Walsh Says "13 Reasons Why" Season 2 Is Intense

Not much is known about 13 Reasons Why season two…until now. The Netflix series is "going off book," still living in the world based on Jay Asher's book, but going further with the characters, Kate Walsh told E! News.

"It's a very exciting season for a lot of reasons," Walsh said. "You see us sort of following the trail of Bryce Walker [Justin Prentice], so this season deals with sexual assault, it deals with truth, it deals with responsibility, it deals with the aftermath of Hannah's death…And really trying to, again, look for responsibility and accountability. It's very intense and very, I think, still totally addictive."

photos
Renewed or Canceled? Find Out the Fate of All Your Favorite Shows
Netflix

On 13 Reasons Why, Walsh plays Olivia Baker, the mother of Hannah Baker (Katherine Langford). The story in the first season followed the events that took place before Hannah, a high school student, took her own life. She left tapes behind explaining why she took her life. The season ended with the Baker parents, who were in the midst of a lawsuit with the school, getting the tapes.

Walsh said the second season is a much more "redemptive and hope-filled story," than season one.

"You see my character having different relationships with different kids," Walsh teased. "That part was really exciting to me, being able to play with different actors. All of them are so good."

Langford's Hannah Baker will still be around. She teased that "it was a very different season to season one for a lot of reasons."

"But I'm super grateful that I was asked back, ‘cause I think there's so much left to tell and I'm really glad we got to focus on some important storylines for other characters," Langford told Jimmy Fallon. "The Hannah in season one is gone…she's still there this season, but I would prepare audiences to see a different Hannah this season."

photos
Bubble Watch 2018: All the TV Shows Yet to Be Renewed

During season one, Langford told us she would play the piano to shake off the heavy material they were dealing with. For Walsh, she used shooting Girls Trip in season one to unwind, but this year she relied on eating right, exercising and rest. Walsh partnered with Abbott for their Ensure shakes after she had brain surgery and a nutritionist advocated for the use of protein shakes. "So when Abbott approached me about working with them for Ensure Max Protein, it was literally a no-brainer, pun intended," Walsh said.

Click play on the video above to get more 13 Reasons Why scoop.