A crucial element of the satisfying conclusion to Apple TV’s Drops of God Season 1 was the implied “happily ever after” for protagonist Camille Léger (Fleur Geffrier) when she and childhood friend and fellow legacy wine connoisseur, Thomas Chassangre, bond in love and business.
As Chassangre, Tom Wozniczka carves out the figure of a solid partner, a loving son, and an expert winemaker. He is the foundation upon which Camille begins to rebuild her life and helps her reconnect with the wine her father valued so highly.
Despite the seemingly secure relationship established in Season 1, the road isn’t smooth for Chassangre and Camille in Season 2. Speaking with the Televixen from France, Wozniczka examines how two characters with so much invested in each other could lose touch.
How did you become involved with the Drops of God series?
It was about five or six years ago. I had an audition, a normal audition. I was in Avignon for the Festival. They brought me back to Paris for the callback, and five days later, I was chosen by the director.
And did you know anything about wine or the manga series before landing the role?
Absolutely nothing! [laughs] I did not know anything about wine, and I didn’t even know about the manga. I don’t really read manga, just a few [series] when I was a boy. So I discovered everything — the manga, the story, the wine, and the wine industry.
How do you feel about wine now?
I feel more… not an expert… but I know more. It is a very interesting industry, and I learned a lot about the technical [steps] of how to recognize the flavours, the different fruits. It’s like an art, and when they speak about it — the sommeliers and the wine-makers — I know why I’m going to like this wine, not this one. So interesting.
The relationship between Thomas and Camille evolves considerably between Seasons 1 and 2. And then they hit a rough patch. How does Thomas feel when Camille becomes distracted by this new quest?
It’s all about this if I speak about my arc and the evolution of my character in the second season. The second season starts pretty well — he’s happy to be with her, they are [engaged], and they work together, living together in the same house.
Thomas didn’t expect the way she was going to behave, and that it was going to get worse and worse, episode after episode.
But I was glad. When I read it the first time, I was very surprised, and I didn’t expect this evolution. None of it. But it’s really well done.
How did you balance Thomas’s conflict between his love for Camille and his duty to his father and the winery?
This is a good point. Thomas is very lost. He can’t really understand their relationship and the bond she’s created with her brother. He can’t really understand the bond with her dad, who is dead, but y’know. [Thomas] lost his mom when he was a kid, too. So they have things in common, but they are very, very, very different characters.
As I said, he’s a bit lost, very lost, and he doesn’t know how to behave with her. Sometimes, he can be a little bit mean and impatient because he just doesn’t understand her, and he wants things to stay as they are, which means to have Camille with him and to work together and nothing else.
He doesn’t understand why she wants to run all over the world. He feels that she is running away from him. That is the big conflict between them.
Would you say that he sees her distraction as a betrayal?
Yes, he is not a very confident man. When I read it the first time, I thought that the way he talks sometimes is a bit of a “red flag” of sorts. I did not expect that he could be mean. And at the same time, this show is about humanity and human relationships. We are not perfect. This is why I really like this arc and how he’s going to try to get over it, but he can’t, and step by step, it’s going to get worse.
Do you think there is hope for Camille and Thomas’s future together?
Honestly, I have no idea. I can’t say a lot about how the show ends, but we’ll see.
Drops of God Season 2 concludes on March 11. Both Seasons 1 and 2 are available to stream on Apple TV.
