Angela Moore Talks ‘FROM’ Season 3 and the Evolution of Bakta [Interview]

MGM+’s hit series FROM, known for its mystery-fueled horror that keeps viewers on the edge of their seats, is just one episode from being over, and it’s proving to be the most frightening outing yet.

I recently had the opportunity to chat with Angela Moore, who plays Bakta on FROM, about her work on the series, interactions with the fandom, and where she wants to go moving forward.

Entering the series in Season 2, Bakta has come a long way in providing for the group. Dealing with her own trauma and coming to terms with reality, Bakta comes off as having a rough exterior in the beginning, but that’s something Moore finds to be normal for many first entering the town.

“When you first met her, she was pretty surly, right?” Moore said. “I know the fans are like, ‘Oh, what’s their problem? She doesn’t care.’ But you know, in her mind, that was her last ride, and she just wanted to get the heck out of there. She was pretty determined because she just really wanted to get on with her vacation and wanted to retire from her bus-driving job.”

“This season, she’s realizing the depth of their circumstances here, and trying to find a connection and a purpose. That’s how people keep their sanity on the show; finding a purpose to keep them going. I’m like that very much in life. I have to have a sort of purpose to my daily routine,” Moore continued.

Throughout Season 3, the audience has witnessed Bakta’s transformation into one of the other primary caregivers of the town, reviving Tian-Chen’s diner in an attempt to bring a sense of comfort back to those trapped.

The Bakta the audience has come to know and love is more nurturing, caring, and deeply committed to the well-being of others, something Moore attributes to spending more screentime with Ethan this season.

“I think Ethan really brings that out in her. I personally have a son, so you know, just trying to talk with him and deal with him, that sort of brought out my side naturally,” Moore said.

One facet of the Bakta we see in Season 2 that’s missing in Season 3 is the tension between her and Donna. At times, the two were quite explosive toward one another, but that has since changed.

However, the audience hasn’t been allowed to see the relationship development between the two truly play out. It’s only been shown in bits here and there, and sharing the screen again with Elizabeth Saunders is something Moore hopes to achieve in the future.

“I think [Saunders is] a fabulous actor,” Moore said. “I always learn something new when I work with her. We’re both from the theater, so we kind of vibe, and in season two we had a little bit of fire there. I was wondering what’s gonna happen, you know, if Bakta was going to butt heads with Donna or not, and we had just a little little bit of smattering of that.”

A key aspect that brings Moore pure enjoyment being attached to this series is spending time with the cast and crew; learning something new with each day on set.

“I really enjoyed working with the cast, producers, and the directors. The directors are fantastic to work with. They have always had a new vision, a new taste on each character.”

“It’s rare to be able to go to work and enjoy the company of your fellow colleagues,” Moore continued. “You don’t always get along with everybody, and I think for the most part, we all get along, so it’s always a joy to work with them. I learned something every time I watched people work, and I got to interact with them.”

Before joining the series, Moore had never seen an episode, but once aboard, she quickly learned she was in for a wild ride. Despite growing up a fan of the horror genre and reading the likes of Stephen King, surprisingly, that aspect of the series isn’t what naturally drew her in.

“What I enjoyed was the actual storyline because the show, for me, is about family. Not only the family of our origins but the family that you create with the community.”

During the height of Covid-19, Moore said that, as a collective, the cast and crew were just trying to survive themselves.

“I think that’s what piques people’s interest, that we’re safely out of it and our lives are going on. But, it’s something about people coming together under dire circumstances, trying to survive, trying to deal with whatever challenges that they’re facing and whatever obstacles come their way, that I think is intrinsic to the storytelling of human beings,” she said.

“We imagine ourselves in that circumstance and wonder what we would do so we can identify with maybe different characters. I’ve heard fans that [say] they like Bakta because they feel she resembles more of what they would be like. She’s a grounding presence, and they like that.”

Being fairly new to social media, Moore says she didn’t initially enjoy the fervor of the fans and how intense they can be online but has since come to love it.

“Sometimes I’d occasionally sort of interact with one because I have time or whatever. I wasn’t busy, but I didn’t really understand that they were really hanging on to everything that I said or didn’t say. So I’ve learned to be very careful of what I say online, because people are just combing my comments for any hint.”

With her newfound sense of appreciation for the fans’ enthusiasm and loyalty, Moore says she often finds herself scrolling through all of the fan theories online.

“I would say I lurk because I’m just generally interested to see what people are into and what kernels they’re gathering from all the clues we put out there,” she said. “So, now that I know that they’re there and that they’re totally with us, I’m checking it out quietly.”

FROM airs Sundays at 10/9c on MGM+.

Follow us on X and on Instagram!

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