Paradise’s Thomas Doherty Has Heard Your Dylan Theories, and He Isn’t Talking

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Spoilers follow for the second season of Paradise through the seventh episode, “The Final Countdown.”

Fans are curious about the identity of Thomas Doherty’s character in Paradise. Doherty occasionally refers to him as Link, the nickname given to the character when he’s presented as a Legend of Zelda enthusiast. He also uses the character’s given name, Dylan, which is also the name of Samantha’s (Julianne Nicholson) deceased son. Interestingly, both characters share the same birthday, a revelation that surprises Samantha during a crucial conversation in the second-to-last episode. This mystery surrounding Doherty’s character, combined with the show’s time-travel themes, continues to fuel speculation. Doherty himself remains tight-lipped, playfully stating he’s just trying to avoid spoilers.

Doherty is sincere about his role, but he’s careful not to reveal much about what motivates his character in the upcoming finale – or even if he’s connected to Samantha’s son. He shares that he was initially referred to as ‘burly man’ during auditions, not Dylan or Link, and that he’ll be back for the show’s third season. Even if Dylan’s simply a brilliant mind determined to rebuild the world and hold the wealthy accountable, he’s a fascinating character. He’s bold enough to jokingly demand to speak to the bunker’s leaders, and deeply offended when Samantha doesn’t acknowledge the contributions of her former mentor, Professor Henry Miller, from whom she took crucial technology. According to Doherty, that’s what truly ignites Dylan’s passion and drives him to act.

In the scene where Link arrives at the bunker, he initially asks to speak with the president, but Sam directs him to her. The actor discusses Dylan’s motivations, questioning whether he’s primarily driven by revenge for his mentor or by a desire to save the world. He explains that Dylan feels intense anger and resentment towards this woman, but is also trying to prioritize the greater good – restarting the world and saving humanity. While his personal feelings of grievance remain, he hopes the audience can see that he’s attempting to put them aside for a larger purpose. The actor notes that the woman’s comment about ‘everything she’s built’ is a trigger for Dylan, prompting his response about what she has built. He also reflects on how his understanding of the character evolved over the course of the series, with each episode revealing new layers and motivations.

The question was about the emotional journey in episode eight and how knowing what was coming affected my performance. It’s tricky to explain without giving anything away! As the actor, Thomas, I needed to be aware of the emotional beats ahead, but I intentionally avoided letting that influence my character, Dylan – or Link, as he’s also known – too early. The big reveal in episode eight genuinely surprised Dylan, so I didn’t want to play towards that information beforehand. It was a balancing act – I needed to know what was coming as Thomas, but Link shouldn’t have.

It’s strange to think about whether I see him as Dylan or Link. I used to only know him as Link – that’s how both I and Annie first met him. I avoided calling him Dylan because I didn’t want to give anything away. But after seeing episode eight, I’ve started to feel more connected to the name Dylan. Now that I understand both sides of his personality – Link and Dylan – and what’s happening, I feel much more prepared and confident, unlike how lost I felt before.

Filming the intense scene with Sam was incredible, largely because of Julianne Nicholson. She’s unbelievably cool – relaxed, incredibly talented, and down-to-earth. She’s a true professional who creates a great atmosphere on set. I always try to observe and learn from actors with more experience, and working with Julianne was a masterclass. It was funny though, I only knew her from a picture I had in my head while preparing for the role – I used to visualize her face to get into the right headspace! Meeting her in person, she was so warm and lovely, it was disarming. On the day, we both understood the scene, and I had a strong idea of what my character would do. But when you’re acting with someone like Julianne, or Sterling, or Shailene, all your preparation goes out the window. If you’re truly honest and present, the scene takes on a life of its own, changing and evolving. It felt like I was getting paid to attend an acting masterclass!

Did you receive any feedback that really stuck with you? I really got into the role of Link, and it was demanding because filming took five or six hours. It’s hard to keep that level of energy up, and I started to feel a little unsteady. I kept telling myself to stay focused, because I was working with someone who is incredibly composed and collected.

Look, I have to ask – there’s a lot of talk about how the Dylan on this show seems connected to Samantha’s Dylan. Is it possible this Dylan is actually her son? I really need to know if that’s true.

Yeah, can you confirm that to me? 
No. [Laughs.]

I felt I needed to give it a shot. I really like this idea – it’s a solid one that keeps resurfacing. And Roxana, you’ll have to be patient; her story unfolds in episode eight.

So, I was wondering, did you ever consider how strange it was that those things happened? Did it affect your performance at all? When you’re working on a script by Dan Fogelman, anything could be true. The possibility that my character’s mother was connected to Xavier, or even the more complex, almost sci-fi elements, were all on the table. Even small changes could drastically alter your character’s journey. You just have to trust the creative team – the director and the writers. The writers are always present on set, so you can discuss things with them. It’s a lot to keep track of, but it’s incredibly exciting, and I can’t wait for the finale.

Did you have any thoughts about what was happening? Honestly, the truth turned out to be even more amazing than anything I could have imagined.

Another interesting part of the scene is that your character is eating apple pie while negotiating with Sam. What did you do to make that look natural on camera? It’s surprisingly difficult to eat while filming, because you’re very conscious of every bite. You’re thinking, ‘We’re shooting this for hours, so I need to pace myself and maintain continuity.’ Timing is everything! And honestly, that apple pie was incredibly sweet – almost too sweet! It was so sugary, it was actually unpleasant. There’s a challenge in getting through a line of dialogue with a full mouth, too. I think eating on screen is a skill in itself.

So, how much pie did I eat? Well, it happened both while we were setting up the scene in the plane and beforehand, and I was just messing around and eating it. I’m guessing I ate a whole pie – a really big one! It definitely gave me a sugar rush.

In this scene, Dylan mentioned Brad Pitt, calling him one of the best actors at convincingly eating on screen. I didn’t watch any of Pitt’s eating scenes for inspiration, though. I didn’t want to try and imitate a certain style. This role felt really important to me, and I wanted to be respectful to the whole team and my fellow actors, and to portray the character as honestly as possible. I didn’t want to make it overly dramatic or try to be some kind of ‘attractive’ person eating pie – and honestly, I don’t think I could have pulled that off, imagining a dirty, pie-covered man trying to look good! (laughs)

Link gave Annie his college ID when he moved to Colorado, but he didn’t leave her a condom. It’s funny to think about what he prioritized – clearly, condoms weren’t a concern for him at the time.

It’s been three years, and he hadn’t really considered falling in love with anyone. Geiger isn’t the kind of person he usually goes for, but that doesn’t matter. Dylan, you’ve been behaving badly!

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2026-03-26 16:08