Evan Rachel Wood no longer plays Dolores in Westworld, but there's something familiar about her new character Christina.
The actress admitted that, in some ways, Christina is like the Dolores viewers met in season one. "Christina is a little nerdier, a little bit more of a hermit, who lives inside of her head with her stories and her dreams," she told E! News. "But like Dolores, she seems to be rather sweet and romantic and values those sorts of ideas."
In other words, she's not as jaded as Dolores was in season three. She's lighter and more human, an aspect that executive producer Lisa Joy wanted to explore in the new episodes.
"I think the connection that you feel to Christina, it's much more relatable immediately because it doesn't feel like genre," Lisa explained. "It feels like, 'Oh, this is a girl with roommates and a job who could be anywhere in this world.'"
Before, Dolores' background as a host from the wild west seemed distant for viewers, who felt far removed from the threat of bandits and cowboys. But by placing Christina in a year closer to 2022, "we could speak more openly about some of the ways in which Christina is dismissed in this society," Lisa explained. "You don't have to be in the wild west to face the perils of a woman."
But Christina isn't just a tool for analyzing society. Lisa used the character to "explore the good parts of being human," like dating and having friends. "All of that was just wonderful to get to explore," Lisa said. "It's a very new world and Dolores and Christina are very different people, but yeah, there is a shared idealism."
It was fascinating for Evan to play into these new characteristics too. "I was very intrigued to return and get the first script for season four," the actress said, "to figure out, well, if I am not Dolores, then who am I? Where am I? What is my role? Which is really one of the fun parts of this season, getting to figure that stuff out."
See more from Evan and Lisa's conversation with E! above!
New episodes of Westworld premiere Sundays on HBO.