Interview: Emma Ishta Talks Stitchers Season 2 Finale – Exclusive

A lot has happened since we chatted with Stitchers stars Kyle Harris and Emma Ishta back in March! With the show’s sophomore season drawing to a close in just a few hours, we caught up with Emma Ishta about what to expect from the Stitchers season 2 finale. Check out our interview with Emma Ishta below:

Liam’s death was a dramatic end to last week’s episode, and it looks like Kirsten’s going to have to stitch into his memories in tonight’s Stitchers season 2 finale. What’s that experience going to be like for her?

Emma Ishta: Well, she’s going to find out a lot of things about him that she didn’t know. We’re sort of at the culmination of her emotional journey through this season, so there’ll be some pretty emotional revelations for her – it sets the rest of the episode off running!

The mystery surrounding Kirsten’s family has been unraveling little by little throughout the show, and now that Kirsten has connected with Ivy, she’s closer to finding her father than ever. In the Stitchers season 2 finale, does Kirsten find what she’s looking for, or does she uncover more questions than answers?

There are some questions answered, but there are also some questions asked! I can’t tell you exactly what happens, but definitely stitching into Liam answers some questions. Kirsten comes very close to getting what she wants, but she also finds out new information from Ivy that’s very shocking.

Speaking of Ivy, there were a lot of tweets last week about your strong resemblance to the actress who plays her [Sarah Davenport]. Some people were wondering if you’re really related!

Oh, no, we’re not, but they did do a good job casting! We’re the brown and blonde versions of each other, although I am envious of her eyebrows – she has great eyebrows! They’re much thicker than mine.

Last week, Kirsten told Cameron that she needs to find her father in order to prove that she isn’t like him, but it does seem as if they share at least some similarities. In fact, Ivy described both Kirsten and their dad as being “smart, driven, and relentless.” Do you agree with that description of Kirsten, and do you think those traits have been positive or negative for her?

I do agree with that description. I think she is smart, driven, and relentless, and I think what really matters is where does that come from and how do you apply it to your life? Her dad’s done a lot of bad things that have really negatively affected her and a lot of other people, and he’s hurt people very deeply. I think she’s on a mission to prove to herself that even though they share these traits, they are coming from a different place at their core, and that she’s a good person [who] uses those traits in a good way.

The whole Camsten situation has been part of the show in one way or another pretty much since the beginning. In last week’s episode, it seemed like Cameron chose Nina over Kirsten, but the preview for the Stitchers season 2 finale suggests it’s not quite that simple. Is there still hope for a Camsten romance?

He did [choose Nina], but there is still hope, although they’re not gonna be married by the end of the episode!

I think that’s one spoiler that’s safe to share – they’re not gonna be married by the end of the episode! And it’s more realistic if there’s a slower buildup as opposed to them suddenly declaring “I love you!”

Absolutely, and then where’s the reward, you know? Where do you go from there? We just enjoy being able to portray their relationship through all the different stages together.

Given that you have this ambiguous relationship onscreen, are you personally rooting for romance between Cameron and Kirsten, or would you rather they stay very close platonically?

You know, it’s hard to say. I think Kyle and I really enjoy their journey, whatever it is, and I think I can speak for Kyle when I say this: Often, the funnest parts of each episode that we get to shoot are the human relationship scenes – and usually that happens between Kirsten and Cameron, but it’s always nice with other characters as well. As an actor, it’s always fun to explore realness in people. As much as all of the case stuff is fun and interesting, as an actor it’s not necessarily as rewarding to get into, so we always enjoy shooting our scenes together. I think we’re just kind of rooting for their journey, whatever it may be, and we’re just really happy to be able to work out whatever it may be together. We don’t really have control over where they go, but when we’re given scripts, we talk a lot about how we’re going to play it [when] we work on scenes. I think we all know where it’s heading – or at least where they want it to seem like it’s heading – but we know it’s going to take some time to get there too, so we’ll see.

So the Stitchers season 2 finale is just a few hours away. How would you describe it in just a few words, and why should people make sure to watch?

It is shocking! Very emotional. And I think each character comes to the climactic point of their dramatic journey in this finale. Also, we shot two separate endings and I don’t even know which one they’re going to use, so watch to see what the ending is! I’ve heard that it’s one thing, but they could’ve changed it – who knows?!

What have you enjoyed most about the first two seasons of Stitchers?

It’s been a huge learning experience for me. I came into this show with very, very little experience as an actor and I can’t even begin to express how much I have learned over the course of the past two years shooting the show, and how much I’ve grown and how much I’ve learned from the people around me – not just in terms of my craft, but how you make shows and what goes into the whole process. I have so much respect for every single person on the crew; it takes a team of like 200 people working incredibly hard every day to put the show together. In so many ways, it’s been a huge experience for me, and I’m just so grateful to have been given the opportunity to be a part of something like this, and to be the lead on a show is insane! That’s what I’ve enjoyed the most – learning and growing and being a part of something that so many people pour so much time and effort and love into. It’s a real honor.

I’m glad you mentioned the crew! When you’re watching a TV show, it’s so easy to think that the people you see onscreen are the only ones involved in the process.

Oh, yeah, it’s amazing. I think there’s a really huge disconnect between the audience’s understanding and what goes into making a TV show. I get tweets all the time that are like, “How is she pregnant and doing this?” and it’s like, well, we shot it months and months ago! There’s so much that goes into making a TV show – it’s not like we’re just performing it live and they’re capturing it, you know? But if you’re not in the industry, you have a pretty limited understanding of how it works – and how could you know?

Fans of the show are currently campaigning to get Stitchers renewed for a third season. Why do you think the show deserves a season 3?

Because we do work incredibly hard and everybody does really pour their heart into it. Each season we try to look back at what we did and grow and learn from it. And I think the characters have a story to tell, and the story’s not quite done yet.

Emma, thank you so much for your time! We’re really excited about the Stitchers season 2 finale tonight, especially the mysterious ending!

Thank you, so are we! I can’t wait to see it!

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Thanks to Emma Ishta for giving us the scoop on the Stitchers season 2 finale! You can follow Emma on Twitter and Instagram, and don’t forget to tune in to Freeform tonight at 10/9c for the Stitchers season 2 finale.