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THE ORVILLE'S JESSICA SZOHR AND J LEE (VIDEO)

Will Seth MacFarlane’s epic space adventure series, The Orville: New Horizons, finally be renewed on Hulu or some other streaming platform? No news yet, but last July of 2022 fans and journalists from around the country gathered in a crowded San Diego Comic-Con press room for the chance to speak with the stars of the space epic Jessica Szohr (Talla) and J Lee (Lt. John LaMarr).  The Orville: New Horizons finds the crew of the U.S.S. Orville continuing their mission of exploration, as they navigate both the mysteries of the universe and the complexities of their own interpersonal relationships.

Szohr and Lee made themselves comfortable at the roundtable as they told Bleeding Cool how it felt, personally, to be a part of a show that is not only teaching life lessons about inclusion and dealing with suicide but potentially changing people’s lives. Lee responded, “As an artist if I can make people laugh, cry, think, and do better, I’ve done my job here.”

Szohr followed him up explaining “I think it's beautiful. I will say in probably my whole career, this last season of The Orville, with some of the subject matters that we touch on and dive into that’s some of the most special… moments of my career because it is talking about things. She chokes up a little as she further explains, “ We don’t have to make it a big issue. It’s like talking about someone that writes with their right hand, it’s ok if someone wants to do this. It doesn’t need to be heavy because a lot of people are going through it. I like that we are able to, I don’t want to say tackle, but shine light on things and show people another perspective, another view. We all don’t understand how it is to walk in someone else’s shoes.”  

Photo: Mark Escardia

In the laughter and emotion filled video below the duo also discussed the struggles of Lamarr and Talla’s “How do you love someone who, otherwise, you might not be able to love? That’s pretty powerful.” relationship, and more.

The ensemble cast includes MacFarlane, Adrianne Palicki, Penny Johnson Jerald, Scott Grimes, Peter Macon, J Lee, Mark Jackson, Chad L. Coleman, Jessica Szohr, and Anne Winters.