'Tomorrow People' Interview: Aaron Yoo on Russell's Secret & Finding Closure From His Past

Aaron Yoo opens up about tonight’s episode of The Tomorrow People in this brand new interview!

During “Sorry For Your Loss,” we get a glimpse into Russell’s dark past after he learns that his dad has passed away.

PHOTOS: Check out the latest pics of Tomorrow People

Because he’s not sure whether he should go home or not, John (Luke Mitchell) volunteers to go with him to help keep him out of trouble.

JJJ caught up with Aaron – who had us cracking up – to chat about tonight’s episode, Russell’s serious side, and even his real-life dog Merlin!

The Tomorrow People airs TONIGHT @ 9PM on The CW!

Click inside to read our interview with Aaron Yoo…

JustJaredJr.com Interview – Aaron Yoo

JustJaredJr: Hi Aaron! Congrats on the pick-up! Every week this show gets even better. Last week’s episode was a doozy!

Aaron Yoo: Yeah, I think episode five is one of my favorite episodes that aired last week, all the crazy things that happened in that. We got real in that episode. There’s a lot of character building stuff over the next couple of episodes, but once you get to episode eight – I remember when we read the script, we we’re all like, “So you know the show we thought we were making?” It’s a whole other show (laughs). And we just recently read episodes 12 and 13, and I was like, “OK, so remember that other show we realized we were making around episode reight? It’s like a whole other show.” By the time we get to 19, 20, the end of the season, it’s going to be totally crazy.

JJJ: I think it was Luke or Peyton who told us that you guys race to see the scripts now.

AY: It’s one of those things that you almost have to – not that I wouldn’t read the script immediately as soon as it drops in my inbox – but you kind of have to because if you don’t, Robbie [Amell] or Luke, or someone, will say, “Wait, have you read the new script? Do you know what happens to you?” And you’re like, “No! No! Shut up! Don’t tell me. I really want to be surprised when it’s on the page!” So it’s basically come to the point where we try to get copies of the script earlier than they’ll give them to us (laughs). There’s like a black market of scripts on the set of The Tomorrow People. Money has not started exchanging hands yet, but I wouldn’t be surprised if we get to that.

JJJ: Not surprising at all. No filler episodes with this show.

AY: Yeah, and the really good thing is that every episode is so different. Like around episode four, when Luke was doing a superhero, action blockbuster with the bad guy, I turned around to one of the writers and I was like, “We’re shooting a summer blockbuster!” He said, “Yeah, Phil [Klemmer] and Greg [Berlanti] are like, ‘Who knows how many episodes a season they are going to give us. Let’s just not fall into a pattern.’” It’s always a show every week. This week’s episode is…I remember I read the script and I was like, “Oh, so Russell and John go on a buddy comedy!” There’s a buddy comedy, a rom-com, and then it’s all really sad and depressing for half the episode. It’s such a tragic story, my character’s backstory. I was like, “Are we making a Korean soap opera? Are we tapping into that market?” It’s pretty great. No episode to-date has been anything like any of the other episodes. You’re never going to get bored by a pattern.

JJJ: Totally agree. So is the Russell we see during tonight’s flashbacks a very different person? We know John and Cara changed a lot since childhood…

AY: Russell as an adult is that person who’s like, “These are all the things that I didn’t get to do while I was a kid, so I’m going to do them.” You can get away with a lot as a kid and not get arrested. But if you don’t get the opportunity to be like that and end up in your 20′s, and then realize, “Oh, I missed my childhood” and now you want to do that, then you’re possibly in legal trouble. That’s basically where Russell finds himself. His past is actually very much familiar I think. We’ll feel familiar to a lot of people, a lot of Asian-American people in particular. It’s not a happy childhood. And you see that the Russell of today is in some ways a reaction to that. He’s got a secret that he’s held on to for a while and in this episode, it’s personally about him finding closure with having run away from his past.

JJJ: Last week, we saw Russell’s anger come out a bit (for good reason). Is that a glimpse of what we may see ahead?

AY: It is. I think from the very beginning of this whole process. When I was auditioning for it and I met Greg, he was saying he wanted this idea of Russell – even though the specifics weren’t full figured out or at least not explained to me yet – he was saying that this guy is not just a snarky, douchey clown. He has this other side to him. There were scenes that were written that have never been shot and I don’t know if they will come into play later on. But there were scenes I tested with for the character that didn’t make it because with the narrative of the pilot, there wasn’t time to show those sides to Russell. But they said that they were important because they will come into play later on. You’ll see a bunch of different facets of him tonight. And then later on, you’ll see that anger come back a few times. You’ll see him hit on a few women too (laughs). There’s a lot to play with him. It makes going to work every day a gift.

JJJ: Russell and John’s friendship is an interesting one. How would you describe their dynamic?

AY: I always imagined their relationship as a Wolverine/Cyclops relationship. They just have two different ways of handling a situation. Mine is claws out and his is “let’s think through this.” The other way we talk about John and Russell, me and Luke, we figured out during episode three or four. I have this dog Merlin who is basically the other half of my person. He’s become our set mascot. At one point, Luke and I were sitting around and we’re like, “Oh my God. Russell is John’s Merlin!” In the best way, we’re brothers. I’m the bad boy little brother he’s always tried to sort out after my public displays of stupid-ness.