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How the Cast of Manifest Stayed in Touch Between Cancelation and Netflix Pick-Up

In an exclusive interview with E! News, the cast of Manifest—which was resurrected by Netflix after being canceled by NBC—revealed how they kept their bond alive throughout the journey.

By Daniel Trainor Nov 04, 2022 3:00 PMTags
Watch: Manifest Stars React to Show Being Saved By Netflix

The story of Manifest is a uniquely modern television tale. 

In June 2021, the supernatural drama—about the passengers and crew of a commercial flight who reappear after being presumed dead for five-and-a-half years—was canceled after three seasons on NBC.

Right around the time of its cancelation, however, the series was added to Netflix. Almost immediately, Manifest skyrocketed to the top of the streamer's viewing charts. Impressed with its performance, Netflix decided to renew the show for a 20-episode fourth and final season. The first 10 episodes drop Nov 4.

Though the show's journey has been a rollercoaster, the members of its ensemble cast never lost touch with each other.

"There's definitely a group text chain with all of us," Josh Dallas, who plays Ben Stone, exclusively told E! News.

He and Melissa Roxburgh, who plays his sister Michaela Stone were "constantly in contact throughout the whole thing," he said. "It was incredibly exciting. It was exciting when it was all going down."

As it turns out, it was actually Melissa was told Manifest creator Jeff Rake that the show was even on Netflix in the first place. 

"I definitely feel like I should not have been the person to tell him, but I accidentally was," she joked. "I think that means I watch too much TV, or maybe just too much Netflix. This was after I had been told so many times that we were never going to finish the story. No one wanted to pick us up. No one wanted to have an unfinished story. So when I turned on Netflix and we were there, I was mostly confused."

That confusion, of course, was eventually replaced with elation—and the whole gang got back together.

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"These are genuinely good people. Everybody is a good person," Daryl Edwards, who plays Robert Vance, said about reuniting with the cast. "It makes it a joy to show up. There's nobody that you dread having a scene with. It's wonderful."

Parveen Kaur, who plays Saanvi Bahl, revealed that it's not a coincidence the cast bonded so fiercely—which is all thanks to their boss.

"Jeff has told me that when he was casting the show, it's not just about finding actors that can portray the characters," she said. "He gets references and finds out, 'Are they a good person? What are they like to work with?' He just has good taste in people. Because he's such a good person, he can recognize that in other people and that's who he gravitates towards."

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While Manifest fans still have 20 new episodes to look forward to, the cast recently had a very emotional final day on set.

"The whole thing has just been an incredible journey. I cried like a baby for the last week when we finished," J.R. Ramirez, who plays Jared Vasquez, said. "It was hard to let go. We've all gotten so damn close. The cast, crew and everybody, we really cultivated a special bond."

The first 10 episodes of Manifest's final season drop on Netflix Nov. 4.

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