Amazon Prime's Original Series UPLOAD

Creator, executive
producer and director Greg Daniels

Andy Allo

Robbie Arnell

Kevin Bigley

Allegra Edwards

Zainab Johnson

Moderator Cherlynn Low

A futuristic series where you can upload and become a digital self in the afterlife as Nathan ends
up in Lakeview. The world has changed such as no cell phones, and other apps.
The idea came from Greg Daniels time as a writer on SNL.

The idea of tech is what UPLOAD is about, tell about the idea?

Greg: This is not a lot like my original idea. The idea came to me from an ad for CD players. I'm a
very old comedy writer. The original idea came when you can a gramophone
without a wax cylinder. I didn't start this version until 2014 and I was able
to include the big tech company's. The last time I did a panel for Comic Con I
was doing a panel called People of Earth and people asked me what I was doing
there. I told them it was a sci-fi project, well, this is that sci-fi project.
It's mostly high tech company's that merge with fast food and that's what is
happening in the future. The show is very much about unfairness because we, as
human beings, create our own heaven and it's for profit and not supernatural
for this show. It has all the greedy downsides and someone like Nora is
struggling to pay for uploads for her dad and wealthy people might not
necessarily deserve it but they are there. I remember reading in a business
book that when they make printer, they only make one kind of printer and it’s
the fastest one but you have to have others for different price points. So the
slower printers are the fast printer with a chip that slows them down. That's
the spirit behind it.

Talking about corporate greed, when Nathan says "it's code"…?

Robbie: I never thought about that and now I am. The big thing for me when I was reading that
line for the first time and the hundredth time is about how fair it is about
the incoming inequality. It's not heaven, its built by corporations and the
parts of life are involved in it. He starts off a bit of a shallow douchebag
but you see a different side of him when he sees the 2 gigs and people don't
have it as well off as he is.

Greg: There is a line that he says later "I'm a piece of software in a machine but you are
a piece of software run by a computer made of meat". I think he might be
aware that personality and who you are is like code.

Robbie: He talks a little about the soul and the idea of going to heaven - whether it be real
heaven or digital heaven. I love that conversation.

Greg: In a nutshell it’s a show about meat, its all about meat.

Nora and Nathan's character, talk about their roles and complexity?

Andy: Isn't that the best thing when you are dating someone and you shape them into someone that is
perfect for you? That is great, I had a hand in creating Nathan. I also get to
see all his memories and there is a scene with my dad where he asks if the reason
I like dead Nathan so much is because you've seen his memories. That's partly
true. Nora gets a chance to know Nathan first and make judgements. She gets to
know Nathan from his point of view.

Robbie: I think one of the really nice thing about the Nora and Nathan relationship is because its
not suppose to work. There is no pressure and we are able to become friends and
there shouldn't be a romantic side of things but you can't deny the chemistry
sharing so many experiences. Nathan at the beginning is pretty shallow and self
centered and then this happens and he thinks his world is over and then he
meets Nora. She has real problems and working her butt off to save her father
and there is a perspective shift in Nathan. I think Greg is so good at creating
these relationships that feel so real because there are what people go through
in life in their own relationships.

What about Nathan's real life girlfriend?

Allegra: I think that the thing that is so fun that we explore in the show is the modern long
distance relationship. There are choices I can make on his behalf with a push
of a button and that's all it takes to change his day or make his week worse.
In that respect yes there is an abuse of power going on there. I think what
made it authentic and close to home as a long distance relationship. The
miscommunication and trying to stay on the same page and trying to stay
connected, I think that's the human element that people resonate with because
they've experienced it. We are thinking a lot more about long distance
relationships because of what is going on.

Robbie: Allegra gets to act a certain way on the show but she is so kind and sweet in real life.
Being in the middle of the love triangle I'm very lucky because I have to
pretend I don't like her but she is really so sweet.

Allegra: I think it takes a certain level of adventurous spirit to wiggle into a hug suit. I think
it's better than putting it into practice. It's difficult to hear and that was
one of the most fun but difficult parts of shooting that scene. I had a layer
underneath and then foam and then a scuba suit and then goggles and then a
skull cap. No, I don't think I could go the distance but then again we want to
be with the ones you love.

Kevin: I have one.

Zainab: No, you have to own the hug suit to use the hug suit but rent one, no, no, no.

Robbie: I would be the first to try the hug suit and then everyone else can use it.

One of the lines is 'you have to believe it's real or you will go insane' as you tell Nathan, tell
us about it?

Kevin: I don't know if Luke deserves something better, Luke is like a hamster that really digs his
cage and instead of just accepting it as is, is trying to get creative with it
and find certain ways he can enjoy it all the more. You have Allegra and Andy
and Robbie and they have these existential themes and problems and Luke is just
the opposite. He is completely rejecting the deeper thought to figure out ways
to have earthly pleasures beyond Earth. He has a darker back story and if I can
compare him to an animal like a shark that if stops and thinks about it…

Greg: Half shark - half hamster!

Kevin: That would make great fan art and an awesome tattoo. I think Luke if he starts to consider
how depressing his life is or how depressing his life is he might implode. It's
like quarantine and who hasn't picked up sourdough rolls, everyone is trying to
distract themselves from the world tumbling around on them. Trying to figure it
out one day at a time, trying to figure out where in my cage is a different
corner that I haven't fully explored full of detail or a game.

Talk about Alisha's character.

Zainab: My character has one foot in and out of both worlds. I think that Alisha is kind of thankful
for Luke, yes Luke gets on Alisha's nerves but sometimes you are at the jobs
where it gets mundane an what allows the job to be interesting is that you lose
yourself in helping your friend, like Nora. I think Alisha kind of needs Luke a
bit.

Kevin: What animal combination would Alisha to go against Luke's shark-hamsters.

Zainab: I think Alisha would be a tiger-bear.

Kevin: That's not fair, I already gifted you my animals and you pick two formidable beasts that
would destroy me.

Zainab: The purpose of this is for me to always defeat you.

Andy: There is a scene in the breakroom where we are talking about Nathan and you tell me to
figure it out and I tell you the same. You say, 'no, I work at…' listing five
other jobs.

Zainab: I'd like to see how she got those jobs and the reasons for those jobs.

Andy: For Nora it's like this is her job for Alisha its one of her jobs.

Zainab: Nora is very transparent and Alisha, I don't know what her life is like, it might be chaotic
but no one knows. Nora lets it be known that this is all I have.

What's your favorite piece of tech in the show?

Zainab: I want printed food, I don't want to cook food anymore.

Greg: I want extra fat cartridges in my printer.

Kevin: That can't be good. I know my printers sucks so the food would be bad.

Allegra: I could go for a self driving car now and then. I don't want the ethical questions but
there are days.

Robbie: I love the memory parlor. It's one of the most fantastical things in the show. Just being
able to live any memory from any time is really sweet and beautiful and
something that was off beat from the rest of the show. Not necessarily used
that way in the show.

Greg: I have been working on the show for so long and the memory parlor is cool because you can
press enhance and the memories are sharper.

Would you UPLOAD?

Robbie: I think I've spent time thinking about this since the show. I look at uploading as the in
between because you can still jump in the torrent and still die. Nathan is
young and has family and friends and wants to continue in some version of this
life.

Greg: Yes, that's how I look at it too. When it's an option it will be normalized like a medical
treatment to keep persisting in the lives of your family when your body is
failing. I think when you are a little kid it is so inconceivable that your
consciousness wouldn't be around so when you go through life and the body
changes you realize that maybe your consciousness is the most important in
life. I don't know whether that's enough but its an option.

Kevin: If the wealthy have everything and removing the fear of death from them isn't going to
make them better people. I don't know. Also, fear of death removed from society
entirely also screws with the grieving process and already do it in social
media. It's already pretty creepy.

Zainab: I think continuing the consciousness is pretty cool but I don't trust corporations to
do the right thing. It's like when you go to a restaurant and you have to say
to please give me a real egg. I can't say the name of the restaurant

(They all yell TEXT ME!)

Andy: I would upload, I love it, I'm there. It's the chance to do all the things I didn't do
on Earth.

Zainab: Every upload doesn't end up in Lakeview.

Season Two, are there answers?

Greg: I kept listening and hearing things that are coming up in season two. We are right in
the middle of writing it so I don't want to get into to may specifics but I
think there is going to be a lot more of new tech and we are going to see Nora
and Nathan change Lakeview some. A lot of stuff coming up.