Siren: Rena Owen on the Show’s ‘Dynamic’ Second Season, Helen’s Past, and More [Exclusive Interview]

Freeform’s hit series Siren has returned for its second season and fans are already going crazy for what’s to come.

You might recognize Rena Owen from the television show The Straits, or from Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones.

I recently had the opportunity to chat with Siren’s Rena Owen, who you might also recognize from The Straits or Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones, about her role as Helen and what we can expect as the new season moves forward.

Siren follows the hectic adventures of Ryn, Ben, and Maddie, otherwise known as the trio, as they work together to make sure Ryn fits in on land. Helen is an antique shop owner who has an extensive background in knowledge of mermaid lore.

One thing that’s particularly exciting for Owen is getting the scripts delivered every week.

“There’s a lot going on in every script. I mean, we’ve just had fantastic scripts, and it’s kind of exciting for us as actors because we never know what’s going to happen,” Owen said.

“We don’t find out [what’s going to happen] until we get the script. So we’re all anxious to get the next script to find out,” she added. “So much new stuff happens in Season 2, and as we see from trailers, there are a whole lot of new merpeople that come to land. So, obviously, the trio, which is Ryn, Ben, and Maddie, are involved in a lot of Mermaid wrangling.”

There’s also plenty to look forward to from Owen’s character, specifically. “Helen gets a whole new storyline that goes in a different direction which is pretty juicy,” she teased.

Siren Season 2 is all about self-discovery and bigger storylines for other characters outside of the leading trio.

“Helen gets to discover things with the audience about her past and present that she didn’t even know about. Xander also gets a whole new storyline in Season 2, particularly in the latter part of Season 2. It’s a real ensemble where everyone’s getting stuff to do,” Owen said.

“We’ve had great scripts, and we’ve had great directors, and we have had some really fantastic new actors on board for Season 2. I like to think that the audience is going to be as intrigued as we’ve been with getting every episode and shooting it. Listen, really awesome stuff goes down in Season 2.”

Helen has been almost like a guardian angel to the trio since Season 1. Now it’s time that we learn about her heritage and her family, mermaids.

“We will find out more about Helen’s heritage, and the nice thing about that is it’s a whole new discovery for her as well,” Owen noted. “She’s involved in helping the new people because she considers them her family.”

In Siren Season 1, it’s revealed that Ben and Helen are family, but there’s more to be explored.

“She [Helen] is like an auntie to Ben and always [has] a soft spot for him. Absolutely nothing changes between us in terms of it doesn’t fall apart, and it doesn’t necessarily go closer because he gets very caught up with Ryn and Maddie. That’s always a central part of our storyline as a trio. Helen’s always there for him, and he’s always there for Helen, but some family stuff is about to come out later in the season, and that’s a dynamic that’s going to affect Ryn.”

Owen hinted that we would find out what the siren song is and how it works in this season, and when asked to describe Season 2 in three words, she said the season is “dynamic, dramatic, and dynamite.”

There are a few people in the industry Owen would love to work with at some point. 

“James Cameron, as an actor, I hope to maybe get to do one of his Avatars in the future. I’d also love to work with Spielberg again on a more substantial role. I’d love to work with George Lucas again, but then there’s also Christopher Nolan,” she said.

“I’m so thrilled for Black Panther getting all of the Oscar nominations, but you can’t help but think back to his Batman, and they should have had a best film nomination. That was one of the best ever,” Owen continued.

“I’d also love to work with Patty Jenkins. I’ll never forget seeing [Wonder Woman] because I went to see it at the best screen in L.A. which is at the DGA (Directors Guild of America) on Sunset,” she recalled. “I remember going into the bathroom afterward, and it was just silent, and then somebody broke the silence and goes ‘wasn’t that great?’ And everyone just gushed. There was just an immense pride in the bathroom because it felt like so many different things had arrived in that movie. It’s extraordinary.”

Owen doesn’t get a lot of time to keep up with television, but Netflix and talent shows are always there for her.

“I loved David Fincher’s Mindhunter, which was on Netflix. I also really liked Ozark on Netflix. I also recently watched The Wife because Glenn Close got a Golden Globe for it and I’ve always liked her work. I also love, I’m going to fess up, I love watching talent shows. I really like watching The Voice.”

When asked what television could use right now Owen instead answered with what we could see in the future.

“A lot of things have been done already, but the one thing that we haven’t seen, and you can mark my words, don’t be surprised if you start seeing a TV series that’s about unicorns.”

Be sure to catch Rena Owen as Helen on Siren, airing Thursdays at 8/7c on Freeform.

Follow @telltaletv_ 

Want more from Tell-Tale TV? Subscribe to our newsletter here!