Corteon Moore Talks From Season 2 + A Preview of “Belly of the Beast” 

[Warning: General spoilers ahead.]

From keeps the momentum going this week as Boyd, Kristi, and Kenny discuss what to do with Smiley, while Marielle’s problem, now out in the open, splits Kristi’s focus. Fatima and Ellis head back home to Colony House, and Fatima shares news with Donna that offers a silver lining on the mysteries of what the town does to its people. We also get a fun wink-nod scene between Donna and (Dammit) Dale – real-life couple Elizabeth and Cliff Saunders – as she mulls what to do with him after he stabbed Ellis.

The Matthews clan spreads out and connects with a new and old mix of people. Jim finally finds someone to hear him out on his theory. Unfortunately, that someone is Randall. Ethan and Victor reconcile to help Victor inventory the changing trees. Elgin confides in Julie about the night at the clinic. And Tabitha compares notes with Jade. Brad Turner directs a script by John Griffin based on his story with Jeff Pinkner.

Last week, I caught up with Corteon Moore to talk about Ellis’s near miss, working with bestie Ricky He, and how Ellis stays so Zen amid all the turmoil. Moore is no stranger to playing imperiled characters and Ellis’ runaway train of events in episode six are just part of what kicked the series into hyperdrive as it starts the back half of its sophomore year.

“Episode six is the craziest episode out of the two seasons, because that’s the episode where things get completely changed. We kill our monster. That’s the episode where I almost die. The episode where Boyd gets rid of the worms. There’s just all of these insane, crazy things. And even within the surgery scene… we have all of these [other little little moments]. Kristi doesn’t trust Marielle and Kenny is looking at Kristi and Marielle’s thing going on,” he laughs.

“All of Season 2 has just been such a wild ride. I think we’ve taken Season 1 and just quadrupled it and then quadrupled that and then quadrupled that. It’s just insane. And so shooting it was nuts. I keep telling people that we’ve got, in my opinion, the strongest crew I’ve ever worked with. All of our creative heads are some of the greatest in the industry.”

“Then you’re working with Oscar nominated Catalina Sandino Moreno, then you’ve got the legendary Harold Perinneau. You’ve got Eion Bailey leading the pack, and then you’ve got all of these wonderful new talents, including, hopefully myself. All of these people who get to showcase their talents and it’s just a whirlwind of magic. And so although it was tough, I think we pulled it together and made a really great season.”

Moore and He freely share their brofest on social media, but their onscreen interactions have been limited. Following last season’s near-throwdown in the Colony House kitchen, this season found Ellis and Kenny’s snarking interrupted by a young woman left by the monsters to die in the forest. Moore was thrilled to dive into such a juicy episode with his friend.

“First and foremost, Ricky and I have established this reputation of being the two friends who have so much fun and goof off, which is all true. But also from my POV, he’s one of the most serious and talented actors I’ve ever met and have had the pleasure of watching on screen. He is a force to be reckoned with,” shares Moore.

“When we do get these scripts, we lose it. We freak out jumping around my apartment. But then we get on set and we’re still joking around sometimes, but it’s work time. It’s go time, because we know that the fans are really looking forward to a great season. So when we started episode three together, we both said, ‘I want to keep doing this. So let’s go full throttle. Let’s make sure that we’re prepped more than we’ve ever been prepped in our lives. Let’s make sure that we are really on it.’”

“And working with him is one of the most special things I’ve ever gotten to do as an actor. And I’ve gotten to work with legends like David Cronenberg, who I worked with on Slasher, and now Harold as my father, but I’ve never met somebody at the exact same stage with me in my career.”

“When we started, we were basically in the exact same moment. And I’ve gotten to learn so much from him as we’ve both grown as professionals, as artists, and as people. And it’s just been an honor to be able to stand by his side, and be able to work off of him. I’m just over the moon. I hope I get to work with him on literally everything.”

Despite the flurry of boogedy things and Fatima starting to fray a bit at the constant barrage of threats, Ellis remains steady, and Moore says Ellis taps into that calm from a few sources. “First of all, his parents were Army and Marines. I think with that comes a bit of stature. You’re a little bit more composed in certain situations, which I think is why, although he’s a kid and he is developing these emotional aspects of himself and learning how to deal with them, he has been able to remain calm,” he explains.

“And he and Fatima have discovered there’s no use sometimes in over complicating things. They’re so lucky to have love and be in love. They get to have one another. They get to propose to say yes to hopefully be married, to hopefully have a kid. They get all of these things.”

“And I think especially now that Eliis is at this new place in his life where he’s shedding himself of this trauma, he’s allowing himself to say, ‘I can take a breath. I know that this world is so messed up, but I can take a breath because I’m alive.’ I think that’s not lost on them.”

Earlier this year, Moore launched his inaugural Marmalade film festival in Toronto to celebrate and amplify diverse filmmakers. “It was such a huge success and I’m so happy for it because now I am fully geared up to continue to do this for years to come. I think we sold out over 222 tickets in three days, and then with a wait list of over a hundred people,” he shares.

“I came up with that name because I’ve been a fan of Paddington Bear for as long as I can remember. And what does he always keep in his cap? A Marmalade sandwich. When I was wondering how to connect my love for movies with my love for Paddington, I decided, ‘Let’s just call it Marmalade.’”

“It was such an inspiration to myself and to my community in Toronto, I’m hoping to continue that in Toronto, Montreal, New York, LA, et cetera. And it’s just a way for me to bring movies to everybody and really eventize it and make it something worthwhile. I want to take the regular movie experience and elevate it and make it fun and show movies that aren’t as easily accessible.”

New episodes of From start streaming at 3:01 am ET Sundays on MGM+ online and via the app and on Prime Video, where you can watch the first six episodes this season so far. New episodes air linearly on MGM+ Sundays at 9 pm/8c. All ten episodes of Season 1 are streaming online on MGM+ for free here.

In Canada, you can stream Season 1 and the latest episodes on Paramount+ via Prime Video subscription channels. If you missed any of our conversations for Season 1 and my new chats for Season 2, they’re all here. Here’s a sneak peek of “Belly of the Beast” plus a look at the geniuses behind the set decoration.

From an automobile graveyard to a vast network of secret tunnels, our set designers go above and beyond to create the world of #FROM. pic.twitter.com/vwCGv6jECs

— FROM on MGM+ (@FROMonMGM) June 1, 2023

Photos and video courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.