Prime Video original series that tells the story of high school outsiders who find a sense of community through a shared love of street racing. The show is from creator John A. Norris, a writer and producer best known for his work on All American, One Tree Hill, and the TV series Beauty and the Beast. Across 10 episodes, the coming-of-age drama not only sees its young characters find themselves through high-octane racing, but also discover secretive truths about themselves and their families.

A family mystery is a huge component of Motorheads, and it’s set to be at least partially unraveled through the relationship between a young man named Zac and his uncle, Logan Maddox. Zac is played by Big Sky, Crash, and Peacock’s MacGruber series. Zac knows very little about his father in Motorheads, but Logan can step in as a sort of mentor–who also has a wealth of street racing experience.

ScreenRant’s Joe Deckelmeier spoke with Ryan Phillippe and Michael Cimino about their work on Motorheads. The pair discussed what cars mean for their characters and how the past feels very present throughout the series. Plus, Phillippe and Cimino discussed the key themes of family at the heart of Motorheads.

Cars Represent “Romance” & “Salvation” In Motorheads

Ryan Phillippe & Michael Cimino Explain Their Characters’ Connections To Their Vehicles

Cars were always going to be a big part of any show that centers around street racers, but the characters in Motorheads have deeper connections with their vehicles than one might expect. “Cars represent a lifelong love affair and romance for my character,” Ryan Phillippe said of Logan Maddox, adding, “From a very young age, it was an area of interest of his.”

Phillippe continued to explain the continued importance cars had in Logan’s life, saying, “We learned he sort of trained his younger brother to be a driver, and to race. He then got into NASCAR, which was his dream–to work in NASCAR as a top mechanic. So it’s been his primary interest, focus, [and] hobby his whole life.”

It gives Zac a sense of being, which he never really had before.

Michael Cimino reflected on Zac’s mindset, saying, “Not to be corny, but I do feel like it’s a sense of salvation for Zac. It’s a sense of hope and like, ‘Wow, I can actually be something.’ It’s the future and the past, because there’s obviously his whole backstory with his father.”

Expect The Past To Be Very Present Through Flashbacks

“It … Heavily Reshapes The Way You View Almost Everyone”

Motorheads appears to have a gripping present-day story to tell, but it’s one upon which the past weighs heavy. Zac’s father, Christian Maddox, and his actions are a mystery to his children, but that mystery is unraveled through flashbacks and revelations. “It really heavily reshapes the way you view almost everyone in the story,” Phillippe said about the past, “and that’s what I love about the show: we’ve got all of the coming-of-age moments, and we’ve got the humor and the heart, but there [are] also multiple mysteries going on.”

You get glimpses into how they unfolded in the past, and the puzzle starts to come together by the end of our first season.

“It gives a lot of insight as to why my character left his dream job to come back home,” Phillippe added, continuing, “it gives a lot of insight as to why they don’t know their father and where he is at this point in time, and so it’s very cool to follow that part of the story as well.”

Because of such revelations, Phillippe expressed his hope that audiences are engaged enough to binge Motorheads when the full season drops: “It's an incredibly bingeable series, and every episode ends with a cliffhanger. It leads you right into the next one, so I hope that people are just going to watch this thing all in one go.”

Ryan Phillippe & Michael Cimino Discuss The Personalities Of Logan & Zac

From Multi-Generational Rivalries To Protecting Families

Ryan Phillippe’s Logan and Michael Cimino’s Zac may be related, but they are characters in very different situations. As a high school student, Zac is in the middle of very high school-level dramas and rivalries, especially with a student named Harris Bowers. But it’s a rivalry with history, Cimino revealed: “I think it’s cool because there’s a big parallel here. My father was also Harris’ father’s biggest challenger.”

“It’s a parallel, except it’s a paradigm shift where my father was a legendary racer, and then Harris became the legendary racer,” Cimino continued. “Now, I”m coming back into town, and I’m trying to work my way up to that level [to] try to sur him, and life up to my father’s legacy, too.”

Luckily for Zac, he does have allies on his journey to prove himself. One is his sister Caitlyn (Melissa Collazo), who Cimino says is “so on the same team” as Zac, “even when they’re butting heads.” Ciminio continued to share that “no matter what happens and no matter what’s going on between them, if Caitlyn called, he would be there. That’s the kind of relationship that he has with his sister. He loves her to death, and she loves him to death.”

Another of Zac’s allies is a character named Marcel, played by Nicholas Cantu. “I think when Zac first finds Marcel, he thinks he’s kind of a quirky dude,” Cimino shared. “He just kind of writes him off. But, as the show goes along, he realizes how much heart [Marcel] has, how human he is, and what kind of friend he is, and I think Zac hasn’t really had that kind of camaraderie–at least in a long time–so he really appreciates it and comes to love Marcel.”

When it comes to Logan, Phillippe is playing a character who is attempting to fix what may be unfixable. “The town is struggling a bit,” Phillippe said, “and I think part of [Logan’s] coming back home is to try to breathe new life into it in whatever small ways he can.” He credits this to Logan’s realization that “community is so important.”

Logan also specifically wants to be there for the younger generation. “That comes along with the Torres family coming to live with him,” Phillippe said, “it’s like we build a new family of our own. It may not look like everyone else’s, but the same needs, wants, and desires are there.”

Phillippe continued to share why that’s so important to Logan: “I think he’s always felt the loss of their father and wanted to make up for that, and is a paternal figure in that way. [Not just to them, but] also to some of the other kids in town. Marcel has a rough home life, and it's clear that Logan has a soft spot for him.”

Motorheads season 1 releases May 20 on Prime Video.

Source: Screen Rant Plus