{"id":375117,"date":"2026-03-31T18:54:09","date_gmt":"2026-03-31T18:54:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/375117\/"},"modified":"2026-03-31T18:54:09","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T18:54:09","slug":"paradise-finale-sinatra-death-julianne-nicholson-interview","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/375117\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Paradise’ Finale Sinatra Death: Julianne Nicholson Interview"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\t[This story contains MAJOR spoilers from the\u00a0Paradise<\/a>\u00a0season two finale, \u201cExodus.\u201d]<\/p>\n

Julianne Nicholson<\/a> didn\u2019t know Sinatra\u2019s fate when she first signed on to play the villain of Paradise. Creator Dan Fogelman likes to keep some mystery even among the cast, so the actress didn\u2019t find out that Sinatra was going to sacrifice herself until they started production on season two.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cGoing down with the ship, quite literally and visually, it\u2019s pretty astounding,\u201d Nicholson tells The Hollywood Reporter in the conversation below with Thomas Doherty<\/a>, who plays Link\/Dylan.<\/p>\n

\n\tYou can now perhaps call Doherty her onscreen son \u2014 as that revelation was dropped in the season two finale<\/a>, titled \u201cExodus,\u201d before Sinatra stayed behind to destroy the bunker she helped create, dying in the process. Paradise answered season two\u2019s big looming question \u2014 Who is Alex? \u2014 by revealing that \u201cAlex\u201d is a quantum computer that is designed to play with time. When Sinatra meets Doherty\u2019s character \u2014 who had been going by the nickname Link until now \u2014 she believes that he is her son, who died as a child, and that his existence is proof that Alex works.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cYou have to believe in the story \u2014 and then go get your PhD in quantum physics and it will all make sense,\u201d says Nicholson with a laugh. \u201cBut Samantha believes that Link\/Dylan is her son, so that\u2019s what I had to hold onto.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tBelow, the co-stars share what the writers explained to them about the AI quantum computer named Alex that will steer Paradise into season three<\/a>, now that Sterling K. Brown<\/a>\u2018s Xavier has been tasked with going to find Alex and saving the world, while Nicholson shares how she\u2019s processing that moving goodbye to Sinatra after two seasons: \u201cShe kind of breaks my heart.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t***<\/p>\n

\n\tNow knowing the connection between you two, did you have a chemistry read before Thomas was cast? Julianne, were you involved in his casting? You two look alike.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tJULIANNE NICHOLSON No, we didn\u2019t know that. Dan [Fogelman, creator] did the casting. But that\u2019s the feedback we\u2019ve been getting!<\/p>\n

\n\tTHOMAS DOHERTY People keep saying it\u2019s our eyes.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tHow much did you know once he was cast about this Link\/Dylan role and how it would connect to Sinatra by the end of the season?<\/p>\n

\n\tNICHOLSON I don\u2019t think I knew right away. I probably knew two or three episodes in what was coming down the road. But then it was trying to make sense of that. How does that work? Which I\u2019m still trying to figure out. (Laughs.)<\/p>\n

\n\tDOHERTY And then [the writers] try and explain it to you, and it just makes it worse. It\u2019s all quantum physics and mechanics and stuff.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tWhat was your casting story, Thomas?<\/p>\n

\n\tDOHERTY\u00a0I wasn\u2019t even going to do the audition. I was a huge fan of Paradise, and then we got the breakdown for the character, and it said, \u201cBurly man.\u201d I don\u2019t generally fall into that category or description. (Laughs.) But, I was burly enough! It was really, really quick. I auditioned a few times in New York. Then I flew out to L.A. to meet with Dan and John [Requa] and Glenn [Ficarra], who directed the first two episodes and who are producers as well. Then I got told that Shailene [Woodley] was going to be playing Annie<\/a>. I got the job on a Thursday. By Monday, I had moved to LA.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tI had a week in L.A. to prepare, but Shailene went into fittings on Wednesday and started shooting on Friday. It was really, really quick.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tNicholson as Sinatra saying goodbye to Thomas Doherty as Link\/Dylan in the finale.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tHulu<\/p>\n

\n\tDid you have the full scope of your character?<\/p>\n

\n\tDOHERTY No. You have to go to Dan and be like, \u201cPlease tell me!\u201d So he told me. He gave me a general idea of the direction that it was heading, which is amazing and quite rare in television. A lot of the time, they haven\u2019t even written the scripts while you\u2019re filming. So that was really good to know directionally where I was going to go.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe beginning of the season did dabble in the time and space realm with those memory flashes. Were you playing that straight in the beginning, where it could be effects from the blast or from radiation, or were you leaning into the Alex of it all?<\/p>\n

\n\tNICHOLSON\u00a0I had no idea. The nose bleeds and all those things were a complete mystery to me. It wasn\u2019t until further into the episodes that it started to make sense in terms of alternate timelines, and when people come into your life \u2014\u00a0\u00a0you know, the mind of Dan Fogelman.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tI looked back on the conversation I had with you, Julianne, and Dan Fogelman<\/a> after the season one finale, and he confirmed you were not dead after that finale and that you would be in season two, but you didn\u2019t know what that was going to look like. He said he threw some big things at you right before our interview. Did he bring up Alex before our chat?<\/p>\n

\n\tNICHOLSON Yes. Pretty much. He threw out the idea of Alex but also said, \u201cDon\u2019t say anything\u201d \u2014 as I\u2019m reeling and trying to make sense of it myself.\u00a0(Laughs.)<\/p>\n

\n\tWhen did you understand her full arc, and when did he tell you about her fate?<\/p>\n

\n\tNICHOLSON Pretty early on in the season. The scripts hadn\u2019t been written yet, but I knew how it was going to end and I loved it. Because I feel that Sinatra\u2019s been a little bit misunderstood, and people have been a bit harsh on her. She\u2019s deserved it in some regards. But giving her that humanity and that ultimate generosity was something I loved. I love her, so for her to have that as the way of saying goodbye felt really big and moving. Going down with the ship, quite literally and visually, it\u2019s pretty astounding.<\/p>\n

\n\tDid you know Sinatra was a two-season role from the start?<\/p>\n

\n\tNICHOLSON No, I didn\u2019t know. Dan likes to keep a little mystery around for everybody; keep everybody on their toes. But I didn\u2019t need to know. I was very happy to take it as it comes and trust that whatever storylines Dan was coming up with was going to be the right thing for the show and the characters.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tShe was more of a villain, I would say, in season one. She finds her humanity more in season two, and seems more recognizable to the person we saw in flashbacks. What was that like for you to uncover more layers to her, and how do you feel about her in the end when you think about her?\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tNICHOLSON I find her whole storyline so genuinely moving. To be able to explore those different colors of a person\u2019s life and to flesh those out was so fun.\u00a0She kind of breaks my heart, actually.\u00a0Dan is so good being in the gray area, which is like being a person. We\u2019re not all good. We are not all bad. Obviously, these are extreme circumstances. But I thought Dan did a great job, and I loved doing those last scenes with Sterling and finding that closure.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tDOHERTY You\u2019re also so good. Something in your eye changes, and it\u2019s almost like she goes from Sinatra to Samantha.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\u201cAlex,\u201d pictured here, was revealed to be a quantum computer in the finale.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tHulu<\/p>\n

\n\tWhen you started getting scripts for the final two, and given this era of AI that we\u2019re currently in, what did you make of Alex? Did she feel too realistic, in an unnerving way? What was your reaction?\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tDOHERTY For a long time, we discussed just trying to understand it!<\/p>\n

\n\tRight, a quantum computer that does\u2026 what?<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tDOHERTY Exactly.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tNICHOLSON \u201cSo, how is he my son? Somebody explain that to me?\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tDid you get it explained? Can you explain it to us?\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tNICHOLSON Yes, it was explained to me a few times, but if you start getting literal, the whole thing goes down the toilet. So you have to believe in the story \u2014 and then go get your PhD in quantum physics and it will all make sense. If you hold onto a detail, the whole thing falls apart. You have to give some grace, and just believe it. Samantha believes that Link\/Dylan is her son, so that\u2019s what I had to hold onto.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tWhat I was holding onto was Dylan\u2019s reaction when Sinatra called him her son. He didn\u2019t look at her like she was crazy. He looked at her almost with recognition. Can you talk about how you played that scene?<\/p>\n

\n\tDOHERTY It was that panic. He was bombarded with so much information in that hallway \u2014 hearing that you\u2019re my mother, that Annie [Shailene Woodley] was pregnant and has a child, and I have a child, and Annie\u2019s dead. That all happened in a minute. I played it as very, very overwhelmed, but it wasn\u2019t a denial. He built Alex. Link created Alex with the professor and someone stole her. So I think because of Link\u2019s knowledge of Alex, it\u2019s completely feasible and he understands. I like to think there were moments of him thinking about possibilities that this could exist, and be a reality.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tDid you have sit downs before these final scenes, where you would have lessons in quantum physics or debates about what was happening?\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tNICHOLSON There\u2019s always at least one writer on the set, so daily, we would have check-ins and say, \u201cOk, explain that to me?\u201d And they would explain it so clearly, and it made so much sense that you were like, \u201cOkay. I\u2019ve got it.\u201d Then if you try to describe it to somebody else, or explain how this could possibly be, it\u2019s like sand through the fingers. It sort of falls away.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tDOHERTY You\u2019re right, you have to just believe. You have to trust and believe. It\u2019s kind of an unusual thing. I\u2019ve never had to do that before [in acting].\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tIt gives Baby Annie a different layer of importance in this world. Do you have any idea about season three?<\/p>\n

\n\tDOHERTY I have no idea about season three.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tNICHOLSON I have literally heard nothing. So I\u2019m not quite sure.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\t[Note: Paradise was officially renewed <\/a>for the third and planned to be final season after this interview.]<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tHeading into season three, Sterling K. Brown\u2019s Xavier (left, pictured with Doherty\u2019s Link and Baby Annie) was tasked with saving the world, and going to find Alex.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tHulu<\/p>\n

\n\tIn your final move as Sinatra, you task Xavier with saving the world. It seems like Dylan will have a role in that. What excites you about hypothetically teaming up with Sterling K. Brown to go and save the\u00a0Paradise\u00a0world?<\/p>\n

\n\tNICHOLSON I\u2019m imagining you guys flying around the world, popping into places and solving crimes.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tDOHERTY Yeah, we\u2019ll have a spinoff show. (Laughs.) But that would be amazing. I didn\u2019t really get a lot of onscreen time with Sterling, and I\u2019d love to love to work more intimately with him. So that would be awesome [if that happens]. And then, hypothetically, with Baby Annie, to play out as well.<\/p>\n

\n\tJulianne, what was the final scene that you filmed?<\/p>\n

\n\tNICHOLSON My very last day was that stuff with Sterling down the hallway when we have our goodbye. We filmed me walking through the ruins a little bit earlier. So the wrap on Sinatra was when she hands him the key and shuts the door and locks herself in.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tHow did you feel once they wrapped? What was it like to say goodbye to her?\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tNICHOLSON I found it really moving; genuinely moving. You grow to care for your characters. I remember feeling a little bit intimidated \u2014 that\u2019s a big ending, and I was wanting to do that justice. I remember feeling like I didn\u2019t know exactly what that was going to look like or feel like. Dan was there and I went over to him, and was like, \u201cDan, I just need a little help. Tell me something. Why am I saying this to Sterling?\u201d And he said, \u201cDon\u2019t forget: You\u2019re going to go away, but your husband and daughter are still going to be in this world. So you\u2019re asking for help, you need him to help them and keep the world going for them.\u201d That helped me so much to then say goodbye. I also love Sterling. He is so easy to be with, and I really love these two characters together: Sinatra and Xavier. It felt genuinely emotional and deep knowing where they\u2019ve come from\u00a0to now where they end.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tDOHERTY You said it was almost a relief when you saw him alive.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tNICHOLSON Yes, because\u00a0I haven\u2019t seen him for the whole season until the finale. I think Sinatra was genuinely happy to see him. They\u2019re adversaries, yes, but there\u2019s also a respect and admiration and care there, from her side anyway. Even though he does have a gun to her head \u2014 again \u2014 she\u2019s happy to see him and relieved he made it back.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tWhen you two said goodbye, Sinatra was so confident she\u2019ll see Dylan again. Is there anything in your writers\u2019 conversations that you could share to help make sense of that?<\/p>\n

\n\tNICHOLSON It\u2019s back to this idea of different timelines happening at the same time, and the possibilities that opens up. I feel like we also just needed some hope. We needed to hold onto love and hope, and whether that means we\u2019re in the same physical plane together again or you go into the spirits, who knows. It\u2019s more open than anything physical that you can put your finger on, I think.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tSeason one tackled climate issues, and this speaks to our current AI era. What do you hope viewers are thinking about in bigger picture terms, about how we treat and view the world?<\/p>\n

\n\tNICHOLSON Much like the first season and the way we treat our environment and the climate crisis, it is a wake-up call. It\u2019s alarm bells: Pay attention. And the whole AI thing is to really pay attention. Maybe ChatGPT helps you get your homework done, but there are bigger questions we need to be asking and holding people accountable to.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tDOHERTY It\u2019s absolutely petrifying. The climate crisis, and what the government has redacted in terms of policy is even scarier. The AI thing, I\u2019m not smart enough to understand it, so that\u2019s quite terrifying. There is something about this hyper-normalization of everything that\u2019s happening in the world right now, where you become so apathetic because you don\u2019t know what to trust. You don\u2019t know what to believe. It forces you to then say, \u201cOkay, what can I control?\u201d And it\u2019s how you conduct yourself in the world, how you move in the world and how you treat other people. When you can\u2019t trust outside, with all these voices and opinions, it forces you to turn inward and return to yourself, and trust yourself and your gut. I don\u2019t think anything bad can ever come from being more connected to yourself and knowing yourself more. That\u2019s the silver line I can draw.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tJulianne, you\u2019ve been doing some comedy. What\u2019s next for you?<\/p>\n

\n\tNICHOLSON I\u2019m doing a film next, a drama. It takes place in 1989; I play an American who grew up in Berlin.\u00a0I\u2019d love to do more comedy. It was so fun to break my way into that world. <\/p>\n

\n\t***<\/p>\n

\n\tParadise is now streaming seasons one and two on Hulu.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"[This story contains MAJOR spoilers from the\u00a0Paradise\u00a0season two finale, \u201cExodus.\u201d] Julianne Nicholson didn\u2019t know Sinatra\u2019s fate when she…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":375118,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[93,61,60,30286,97252,97355,78824,282],"class_list":{"0":"post-375117","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-tv","8":"tag-entertainment","9":"tag-ie","10":"tag-ireland","11":"tag-julianne-nicholson","12":"tag-paradise","13":"tag-sterling-k-brown","14":"tag-thomas-doherty","15":"tag-tv"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/375117","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=375117"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/375117\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/375118"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=375117"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=375117"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=375117"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}