@nicolemichele5 Published Feb. 24, 2026, 9:00 a.m. ET Where to Stream: Paradise Powered by Reelgood More On: Paradise ‘Paradise’ Season 2 Stars Shailene Woodley And Thomas Doherty Unpack Their Transformative Trip To Graceland Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Paradise’ Season 2 On Hulu, Where Collins Tries To Find His Wife While Things Change Inside The Bunker Who (Or What) Is Alex On ‘Paradise’? Unpacking ‘Paradise’ Season 2’s Big Mystery Who Plays Link In ‘Paradise’ Season 2? Meet ‘Tell Me Lies’ Star Thomas Doherty Get in Paradise fans, we’re going back to Graceland.
When Dan Fogelman’s hit Hulu thriller returned for its highly-anticipated sophomore season on February 23, many viewers imagined they’d swiftly reunite with Xavier Collins (Sterling K. Brown) and pick up right where Season 1’s compelling cliffhanger left off. Instead, Paradise took us on a delightful (and disastrous) detour to Elvis Presley’s Memphis, Tennessee estate to welcome Season 2 guest stars Shailene Woodley and Thomas Doherty to the series.
On “The Day” the world changed forever, medical school dropout Annie Clay (Woodley) was working as a tour guide at Graceland and frantically sought shelter in The King’s basement TV room. As a resourceful recluse, she made ends meet in the museum alone for years, until Link (Doherty) and his small group of survivors passed through tested her trust in humanity. In less than an hour, “Graceland” delivers an epic survivalist story, a moving exploration of grief, and a profound portrait of human connection. So in celebration of one of Paradise’s most rewarding episodes, Woodley and Doherty spoke with Decider about their powerhouse performances, the meticulous Graceland set design, and what it was like to experience Fogelman’s rich world-building and warm set firsthand.
Prior to Paradise, Doherty was well-known for roles in Tell Me Lies, Gossip Girl, and the Descendants films, but joining an Emmy-nominated series and starring alongside such incredible talents — including Woodley, who was on his list of Top 3 best actors alongside Ralph Fiennes and Stanley Tucci — was the opportunity of a lifetime.
“I’ve been such a fan of Shailene. I think she’s honestly, genuinely one of the best actors in the world. So when I heard she was doing it, I was so excited, but so nervous. I look up to her so much. She’s quite close in age, and I love what she’s done with her career and with her gift,” the 30-year-old Scottish actor and singer told Decider over Zoom. “You meet famous people all the time, but there are certain people where you’re like, ‘Oh!’ And she was one of them. She’s just the nicest woman. So lovely. Just a really beautiful heart. It was a dream.”
Woodley, whose main scene partners in Season 2’s three-episode premiere are Doherty and star/EP Sterling K. Brown, said it was “amazing” to form connections with her co-stars in such short spans of time. “The three of us are all very open people, curious people, people who live with a very open mind. And we really allowed ourselves to be honest and energetically comfortable with each other, which allowed us to play on set a lot,” she explained.
When reminiscing on Episode 201, both guest stars gushed over the intricate Graceland set — complete with white piano, colorful stained glass windows, flashy jumpsuit displays, shag carpets, and ornate furniture. Apart from a two-inch difference in couch length, the masterpiece from production designer Kevin Bird and team was a near replica that helped the actors feel fully immersed in scenes. And we only got a glimpse of the magic at home.
“You guys didn’t even see behind the corners and in cabinets and stuff. It looked like a real home,” Doherty explained, noting what a “bizarre” and “trippy” experience it was to spend hours “surrendering to the space,” then walk outside to a Los Angeles studio lot. “When the smells, sounds, look and feel are all consistent and in alignment with each other it’s the biggest gift you can imagine.”
Since Annie gave her fair share of Graceland tours and hunkered down in Elvis’ safe space for years, Woodley said she spent a lot of time alone on set shooting loads of extra footage that didn’t make the final cut. (Release the unedited Graceland tapes!)
“The first director’s cut was over two hours long. It was a proper feature film,” the Season 2 star shared, explaining she dove deep into Annie’s psyche to imagine how she would utilize the unique space in extreme isolation. “If she was stuck in this home for years, would she be talking to the framed photo of Elvis? What would she be saying? Would she put on his clothes and pretend to be him? Or would she not? There were these textural ideas of being in solitude and a place of play and wonder. It was really fun,” Woodley recalled.
“The shag carpet, the carpeted ceiling, these jungle cats, these ornate tiki wood wooden chairs… Being able to play with that from Annie’s perspective and getting to understand Elvis’ interpretation of what was beautiful was a ride.”
Though the cast and crew were struck by every inch of the Graceland set’s grandeur, the iconic Jungle Room — home to some of Woodley’s key scenes with Doherty and Brown — stole her heart. “It’s just so weird. The shag carpet, the carpeted ceiling, these jungle cats, these ornate tiki wood wooden chairs. Elvis’ choice of ’70s decor was so odd, and yet, to him, when he was curating that home, it was the peak of design; the ultimate interior aesthetic,” she said. “Being able to play with that from Annie’s perspective and getting to understand Elvis’ interpretation of what was beautiful was a ride.”
Despite the rather aggressive arrival of Link and his crew, the men make it clear they mean Annie no harm. Before she learns their true intentions, however, she smashes Link over the head, steals his gun, and locks herself alone in a room. When she emerges three days later, the men are waiting with a warm breakfast and insightful conversation about the state of the world and a rumored Colorado bunker. Link’s burly beard and unkempt appearance help him look like a tough leader, but deep down, he’s a nerd. He exudes charm, flexes his refreshing sense of humor, and shows his smarts as he recounts the events of the last few years. As the days pass, he proves himself a gentle, caring soul, and a distrusting Annie lets her guard down enough for the two to share a few emotionally intimate, electrically-charged moments alone. On the group’s last night at Graceland, when everyone dresses up for a final dinner and a tour, she and Link find themselves alone in the enchanting Jungle Room.
Dimly lit by kitschy Graceland candles, Link catches Annie nervously picking at her fingers and grabs her hands to calm her. She shares her favorite Elvis song, “Are You Lonesome Tonight,” which he misinterprets as a question, and the moment of levity breaks the tension enough for Link to pull Annie close and kiss her head. Rather than passionately rush into physical intimacy, the two tightly embrace and unexpectedly break down in tears, processing their solitude and everything they’ve survived since “The Day.” The gorgeous, heart-wrenching, vulnerable moment is the standout from “Graceland,” and the fact that it was the pair’s first scene together makes it all the more impressive.
“If I can paint the picture for you, this is the first scene that I was shooting on a TV show that I loved, with a showrunner I’ve always wanted to work with, opposite an actor who is my Top 3. It was a lot of emotions, and a lot of anxieties…”
“We didn’t know each other. We’d met once before that, but it allowed us to show up. We both committed fully, and we both just gave everything we had to the other person,” Woodley recalled. “That scene in particular, just imagining not having had human contact for years and years and years, then experiencing it for the first time in such an intimate way feels scary thinking about it. To choose to go beyond that fear with another person, it was almost like they were children or teenagers again. This idea of encountering flesh for the first time, even though it wasn’t their first time, there was a lot of beauty and a lot of tenderness.”
Doherty described the emotions he released on-screen as a combination of Link’s and his own, since the scene marked a pivotal point in his career. “If I can paint the picture for you, this is the first scene that I was shooting on a TV show that I loved, with a showrunner I’ve always wanted to work with, opposite an actor who is my Top 3. It was a lot of emotions, and a lot of anxieties surrounding that,” Doherty shared. “But something just clicks. She just drops in and takes you with her. Three years can change someone. They can harden someone. And that first touch, it’s really this beautiful moment where I felt that ripple through my whole body, and that melting away of all those barriers that Link had created. And that’s a testament to Shailene. It was one take, as well. It was really, really special.”
After their emotional night together, a terrified Annie turns down Link’s invitation to accompany him to the bunker and the two part ways. But thankfully, this isn’t the last we’ve seen of their characters on Paradise, a project they each hold dear to their hearts.
“Being around people like Julianne Nicholson, Sterling, Shailene, and everyone in the cast — to see the successes of these people, the gifts, the talent, and the overriding humility of all of them, that really made me self-evaluate. It really made me look at where I am, and how I am,” Doherty reflected.
“It’s definitely been a highlight in my career,” Woodley added. “Dan really creates a set that feels like a family… It felt like when I was five years old on a commercial set, where it was just a matter of play. There wasn’t any BS or this elusive nature that some people have about what Hollywood sets should feel like, and look like, or the way someone should be treated or shouldn’t be treated. Everyone was treated equally… If every film that I’m ever on could be like this, it would be a miracle. It would be heaven.”
New episodes of Paradise Season 2 premiere Mondays on Hulu.
