Animal Kingdom’s Jasper Polish & Kevin Csolak on the Cody Twins’ Bond & “Heartwrenching” Series Finale

As we’ve tuned into Animal Kingdom Season 6, it’s undeniably clear that Julia Cody is at the center of this story.

And the relationship between the Cody twins has shaped so much of everything.

With Animal Kingdom Season 6 Episode 13 teasing that Andrew commits the Original Sin, it’s safe to say that there will be some focus on the Cody twins during the series’ final hour.

TV Fanatic had the distinct pleasure of catching up with humble and supremely talented stars Jasper Polish and Kevin Csolak to discuss their incredible work throughout the season and what we can expect from the highly-anticipated series finale of this hit show.

And not even a shoddy connection kept us from getting all the details and teases that we could from the two about the complicated relationship between the twins, Julia’s tragic descent, and whether or not viewers are on the right path regarding the wild theories pertaining to the twins’ bond.

Of course, Csolak and Polish were pretty tight-lipped about some of the speculation, only suggesting that we tune into the finale to find out.

Throughout the season, Csolak’s sublime performance has impressed viewers. Fans cannot stop raving about his uncanny portrayal of teen Andrew “Pope” Cody and just how much it mirrors that of star Shawn Hatosy.

And while he denied that they created him in a bottle specifically for this role, he did share that he binge-watched the show after his callback and approached the character from a physical standpoint, as he tends to do as an equally talented dancer.

Even he cracks a few jokes about Pope’s trademark rigid posture. Csolak shares that his approach to channeling Pope started from “the outside in” and reveals that he and Hatosy spent some time together when he began the season discussing their interpretations of the character.

While we felt Polish had a unique challenge of her own by bringing Julia, a character we barely spent time with, alive in such a raw, honest, endearing way that made viewers utterly fall in love with her, Polish didn’t think her job was as tough.

“I feel like I was so lucky because I was given so many bits and pieces of her over the years,” Polish admitted. She discusses how interesting it was that at the start of the series, all you heard were bad things about Julia; however, as it progressed, Julia became a more multifaceted character.

“I just felt like I was able to mold her, and luckily, people like what I have done so far.”

If you had any doubts about whether or not these two gracious actors get along as well as their characters, let them be squashed. They have nothing but praise for one another and genuinely loved working with each other as they brought the Cody twins and their seemingly unshakeable bond to life.

Polish even shares how sweet and supportive Csolak was during what was arguably one of the most intense, gut-wrenching Julia scenes to date when Smurf kicked Julia out. Csolak would come in between takes to check on the women and make sure they were okay after so many takes of that scene.

It was an incredible performance by both Jasper Polish and Leila George, and Polish breaks down how emotional everyone got during the filming.

“I felt like that scene wouldn’t have been amazing as it turned out if I didn’t have someone as talented as Leila George to work across from,” Polish shared.

But in the final installment, Polish shares that Julia is not in the best spot right now, and she doesn’t believe it can get any better for her.

Of course, that moment may have put a fracture between the twins as Pope watched in horror as his sister got thrown out, but he didn’t do anything about it. “That wasn’t my decision; that was the writers,” Csolak jokes.

“It points you in the direction of how much Smurf has Pope around her finger,” he shares.

Polish says that the flashbacks have been necessary in seeing how this family got to this place and why things are the way they are.

The final episode will bring even more of that to light, as we see that whether it was Julia or Pope, “they never had a chance.”

We asked what one word they would use to describe the finale, and Polish said “heartwrenching,” while Csolak described it as “thrilling.”

Either way, it’s evident that we need to buckle our seatbelts for one hell of a last ride!

Check out the full interview with Jasper Polish and Kevin Csolak below, and hit the comments with all of your thoughts and theories.

The series finale of Animal Kingdom airs Sunday, August 28 at 9/8c on TNT.

Don’t forget to check back with us for a full review and a post-mortem chat with showrunner Daniele Nathanson.

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