Violett photographed by Lesley Bryce

GOD FRIENDED ME tells the story of a man (Miles Finer, played by THE MAYOR’s Brandon Michael Hall) who doesn’t believe in God, and who has the podcast to back it up.  He ends up receiving a friend request on FB from someone claiming to be God and he starts to question his faith (while also believing he’s the target of a massive online prank). Miles’ connection to this mysterious “God” character leads him directly into the life of Cara Bloom, played by Violett Beane.

Though the pilot was released earlier this month, on Facebook, the show officially hits CBS’ Sunday night schedule tonight at 8/7c, and I got on the phone with Violett to talk reactions, working on this show, and what it all might mean.

What have you been hearing from people who have watched the show early?
Actually a lot of people have been tweeting at me and commenting on my posts. And so far everyone’s been really enjoying it. I think I’ve noticed a lot of people saying that they have been waiting for a show that’s so positive that they can enjoy with their family and stuff, which I think is cool that they’re getting the message and liking it.

What was it when you read the script, or when you heard about this role, that you thought, “Okay, I want to be Cara.” What led you to the show?
I think it’s that. It’s actually that. It’s like when I read the pilot, I left having a good feeling and having a positive impact after reading it. And I think there’s a lot of shows out there that don’t necessarily have that, or that are dark. And those are great too, but I think in the world that we’re in right now, and with everything that is going on, it’s kind of nice to have a little bit of a refuge from it.

How are you describing the show, like a log line that you’re giving people? “Here’s what GOD FRIENDED ME is,” when they’re asking, “Oh, what is this show?”
On the surface, it’s a show about a guy who is an atheist, and he runs a podcast, and he gets friended by this person or thing calling themselves God on Facebook. And he denies the request, and eventually he accepts it, and this account starts sending him friend suggestions for people. And he sort of inadvertently becomes this force of change in people’s lives and starts helping them figure out what’s going on. And it’s special because it’s really about how we could connect with each other, and how we can be there for each other with all the things that are going on today.

You know what I really liked about it is that it doesn’t take a long time to get to the premise. Brandon’s character gets this, then it jumps right in. And that’s so different, I think, from a lot of shows where it’s drawn out and you don’t get the point of the story right away.
Yeah, absolutely. And I think it’s, definitely in that regard, it’s kind of like you can pick it up at any episode, you know, once we start airing, and you can get a nice message, you know? It doesn’t have to be connected and drawn out.

Violett photographed by Lesley Bryce

And kind of along those lines, is there a through line? Obviously the relationships we’ll see develop weekly, but is there an overarching theme and then a more procedural aspect every week? Is that what we’ll see? 
I think that’s what we’ll see. I mean there definitely is the hunt for who’s behind the God account, but along the way there’s sort of a friend of the week, is what we like to call them. Where Miles will get a friend suggestion and then the whole team has to sort of figure out how to help them, or what’s going on with them. And it’s fun because each person of the team brings something different. So with Brandon, it’s kind of like this disbelief and this need to help. And for Rakesh, he is a hacker, so he’s like, “This code is amazing,” and as a hacker he has to figure it out, you know, he won’t let it go. He has to get to the bottom of it. And with Cara, she’s a journalist, so she’s really interested in people, and their lives, and what’s happening. So it’s kind of cool. They get to each come at it from a different perspective.

It felt like even though we knew that you guys were just meeting, you were welcomed into their group right away. There was a chemistry there right away. Was that feeling there on set?
Oh, absolutely. And I was fortunate enough to do a chemistry read with Brandon during my audition process, which isn’t always the case. So right off the bat, I felt super-invited, and he was a really warm person to be there. And it’s the same on set, yeah. We all get along really well, which is amazing.

And I sense, in watching the pilot, that there’s obviously going to be a little bit of something between Miles and Cara. Is it romantic relationship? Is it a working relationship? How would you classify them, as we kind of go through season one?
I mean I definitely think there is an interest on both ends. I think that they both find each other very interesting and different, like they have a different perspective about things. Cara is somewhat of a believer and Miles is a non-believer, so they both kind of like battle it out a little bit. But there is definitely some flirting going on, and I think that there’s a reason why Cara is sticking around, more than just the stories.

Are there stories you can tease, maybe some of your favorite episodes you’ve read or shot so far for the season, that you’re looking forward to audiences also connecting to?
There’s an episode we’re filming right now that I’m really excited for. The God account kind of takes a little turn and gets a bit more personal. And so that’s going to be a really exciting episode, I think, for the fans to watch once you start to get to know all of these characters.

Have the writers, and the creators, sat you down and said, “Here’s kind of what the plan …” Do you know if there’s like a plan for how we find out more about what this God account is? Or is it just kind of right now you’re reading the scripts and getting the stories week to week, and just kind of going with it?
It’s great. This is the first time where I’ve really kind of known as much as I know. Our creators from the beginning have … They were in the very first audition I went to, which generally they might not even be there until the tests, but they’ve always been hands on since the beginning. Brian and Steven call me once a week and they’re like, “What do you think? Give me your honest opinion. We want to have an open book communication.” And they’ve been really great. So before we even started filming the rest of the season, I went in and they kind of gave me a little breakdown. But of course, everything changes and everything’s not set in stone, but they do want us to like what we’re doing, which I think is pretty special.

You don’t really hear that happen a lot with new shows. Where you talk to actors who are in season three, and it’s like, “Yeah, I know this character and I get to give feedback.” But it’s not often that the actors are also involved with the creators like that, to say, “Yes, I like where this is going,” or, “I understand this.”
Oh, absolutely. Absolutely, especially in past projects I’ve worked on. For instance, THE FLASH, it’s such a big production and there’s so many things riding on it, and then there’s the comic books and the fans. The creator’s like, “You don’t have any say over anything like that.” At least I didn’t [laughs]. That was definitely very much I got the script and I did it. So this is fun, and different, and I really like it.

Violett photographed by Lesley Bryce

Being a regular on a show might make it difficult for you to go back to that DC world. Is there an opening for you to get back on the Waverider at some point? Is that an option, that we might see you in the Flashverse, the Arrowverse again?
I mean, Jesse is fighting, and protecting an entire world but I know the writers over at FLASH talked about some speedsters coming back next season, so it’s definitely possible.

Is this a show you can compare to other things? 
A lot of people have compared it to other religious shows and things like that but I think what sets it apart from those is that while it says God in the title, and there are different religions explored, it’s really not so much about faith. It’s more about humanity in general, and our connectivity with each other, and it doesn’t really explore faith as much as I think people are thinking it will.

With such a high concept, the fact that there are billions of people on Earth means that the friend suggestions really don’t have to end. You get the sense that there isn’t a “where can this possibly go from here,” feeling.
I think that’s kind of part of the power of having it here in New York, is that you just meet so many different people. I do just in my daily life, not even in the show. But just people that have a different story to tell, and come from a different background, and have experienced things, because it’s not easy living out here in New York. So when you meet someone, they’ve gone through it, you know?

New York is its own whole different world.
Absolutely.

Like you said, there’s so much going on. What is that like to film New York for New York, basically?
I have been totally loving it. We do have some stages but we film at two or three days per episode. But when we’re on location, I actually really enjoy it. Not only am I seeing different parts of the city that I wouldn’t normally go to, but you also just never know what you’re going to get. There is so many crazy people that walk down the street and say things, and you get it right there on camera in the middle of your day, because for better or for worse, but it’s definitely an experience.

Do you get a chance to sit and watch TV? There’s so much on right now. We’re in kind of this golden age of TV. 
Yeah, I definitely watch TV. I am excited for the second season of THE SINNER, haven’t started it yet, but I loved the first season. And what else do I watch? What do I watch? HANDMAID’S TALE. What’s the one about the serial killer? KILLING EVE!

KILLING EVE is so good. Oh, my God, I can’t wait for season two.
It’s so good. I mean, we have to wait so long. But that’s a very, very, very good series.

What else do you have going on besides this right now?
This is pretty time consuming. I mean we’re on episode six and it’s every day but I’m looking at stuff for the summer and getting situated in New York. 

GOD FRIENDED ME airs Sunday nights at 8/7c (check local listings, though could be bumped to 8:30/7:30c or later due to sports related overruns).

You can find Violett on Twitter @violettbeane.