This week, the second season of Apple TV+’s Tehran wraps up with its explosive season finale. To celebrate the occasion, Screen Rant got to chat with its stars Shaun Toub and Shila Ommi, who play Faraz and Naahid Kamali in the suspenseful spy thriller.
Tehran's second season has seen plenty of twists and turns that keep viewers coming back after every episode. This season also saw the addition of Glenn Close, whose performance Shila Ommi praised highly as she went into detail about their intense day shooting with one another.
In the interview with Screen Rant, Shaun Toub also talked about his character Faraz, an intelligence officer for Iran, reaching his breaking point this season and how he doesn’t know if his character can make it out of the season alive.
Screen Rant: Guys, phenomenal job so far this season. What an amazing show. The pacing of this show is incredible, as well as the acting. Shaun, in the first season Faraz starts as the antagonist. I find myself caring about him more and more as every episode progresses. Can you talk to me a little bit about Faraz's journey from the first to the second season?
Shaun Toub: Well, I always wanted to have Faraz interesting and I like dimensional characters, so it makes things better for the audience as well. Faraz has become a very interesting character for me as well. He's an intelligent officer and at the same time he loves his wife and he loves the country. That's why he is always, he feels that he has to do so much more than that.
Shila, let's talk about your character for a second. In the first season, she goes through the wringer and the second season doesn't make things any easier for her. She goes through quite the progression as well. Truly, it feels like she almost can't trust anybody. Can you talk to me about your character's progression this season?
Shila Ommi: Yeah. As you know, I play Naahid Kamali because of events that took place in season one. In season two, I'm dealing with PTSD and agoraphobia and I have a very dramatic character arc in season two. That's really exciting to have to gain self-confidence back, after all the events that have happened to me. It's a really fantastic show for women. I love that.
Shaun, listen, there are two characters this season that greatly impact both of your characters. One is played by Glenn Close, Marjan and then the other one is general Mohammadi. Can you talk to me about how both of those characters kind of differently impact the relationship between Naahid and us?
Shaun Toub: Well, in the beginning, I thought that Marjan is just coming to help. I don't want to give away too much but as you see in episode five, Faraz all of a sudden understands that there's more to her, then than what he thought. Then Mohammadi is also my boss and Faraz has an arc because he has done so much during this season because he lost his job, he almost lost his wife. Also, he doesn't really like Mohammadi. He really doesn't like him, because he doesn't feel that he's good for the country.
Absolutely. Now look, Glenn Close plays Marjan and I love the scenes with Shila. Shaun, once your character comes in and your character's involved, I'm on the edge of my seat every single time the three of them are in a room. There's this great dinner scene that the three of your characters have, and I could not take my eyes off the screen for a second. Talk to me a little bit about Glenn Close and what she brings to the role of Marjan.
Shila Ommi: I tell you, there's a reason why this woman is an icon. First of all, at her age, God bless her to accept a role where she has to speak a completely different language, which is totally foreign to her. To wear a costume, her hair, a wig of long hair on top of that hijab in the summer in Athens, which is no joke. All the while carrying a significant amount of the weight of season two and not once did she complain about the weather about anything. A lot of times behind the scenes, if she wasn't working on her lines or trying to work on her far sea. She was playing backgammon with Shaun, that was so fun to watch, but it was really, it was humbling to work with her.
Shaun Toub: Yeah, she's an icon And she's sweet, she really is sweet. Thank God that she accepted the job because it was fantastic.
Shaun, Faraz is caught between a rock and a hard place where we're at. I don't want to give away anything that if anybody hasn't seen the episodes. But episode six has me wondering: I don't know if Faraz is going to make this thing out alive. Every single time, every episode it gets more and more intense. What can fans expect from Faraz in these final couple of episodes that are yet to come?
Shaun Toub: Well, as you know what happened in episode six, this was amazing. I got to tell you as an audience, I was watching it actually. I was watching it going, "Oh my God." Even though I saw the script and everything and it was incredible to watch it. Faraz has a lot to do, he doesn't know exactly what's going to happen to him because we really don't know what's going to happen to him. Maybe because Mossad is trying to turn him. But again, Faraz loves the country and he's very smart though and at some point, he has to figure this out.
Yeah. That scene with Ali, I don't want to spoil what happens in that scene. But do you think that is Faraz's breaking point at that point in episode six?
Shaun Toub: Absolutely. Because when you see him in the car, that is the breaking point. Finally, he says, "Okay, I'm done." He has no more, he has nothing to give anymore.
This season, Shila explores the rich kids as well and this show does a really good job at giving us a glimpse of Iranian culture. And really showing us, this show's about humanity. Going into the second season, what perspective do you think the season can offer about Israel and Iran and their relationship with one another?
Shila Ommi: I tell you the DNA of Tehran is a fictional character-driven thriller about identity that explores our personal choices, motivations, and loyalties. As you said, this second season of Tehran illustrates Iran's social divide and the dual set of rules that are in place for the rich and everyone else. But the fact is that Iranian people love the west Iranians and Israelis. There are no problems between them at all. We're so similar on so many levels, family-oriented, gregarious, lovely people. The politics of it is completely a backdrop for this exciting white-knuckling nail-biting, fast place, thriller.
Shaun Toub: I got to tell you because I'm actually Iranian, but I'm also Jewish so it makes it more interesting for me. I've been to Israel a lot and obviously, I'm Iranian, but I left Iran when I was two years old, but still, I'm Iranian. At the end of the day, Israelis and Iranians are the same. It's the same people. And it's unfortunate that the governments make it look like they don't like each other. But I get messages from Iran all the time and they know I'm Jewish. And it's incredible that I, we get so much love, it's a collective love vest basically.
What's been the biggest challenge for you guys in season two, Shila?
Shila Ommi: The biggest challenge for me wasn't so much the role and the difficulty of playing the PTSD. The challenge for me was the months of preparation I was doing to lead up to actually filming. To know that I am preparing to say these lines to Glenn Close. Was so nerve-racking, it was terrifying. It was some of the most difficult times I had preparing for a role.
But those scenes were absolutely incredible and you absolutely shine in them. You guys shoot in Athens. What does the city of Athens add to Tehran?
Shaun Toub: First of all, I love Greece. I was able to go and see 14 different islands and I loved the people. I got to tell, the guys that were on the set and the people, the cameraman, it's amazing what they did because sometimes I was on the set and it feels like it was like Tehran, it was incredible what they did. It was amazing to watch.
Shila Ommi: And I've been very heavily involved in Persian theater so for someone who has such a strong theater background to be in Athens and to go to the different, incredible theaters that were created thousands of years ago. I went to Epidaurus. Epidaurus is a theater that was created on the lands of a hospital because they believed that if you are sick, that one way to heal yourself is to heal yourself through the catharsis that comes from watching great plays. I had to pinch myself every day that I was an Athens.
Can you talk to me about the collaboration process with Moshe Zonder? He is phenomenal at crafting this world, and building these characters. And like I said before, I don't think there's a show that I watch from week to week, that the pacing has me on the edge of my seat for 45 minutes straight. It's incredible. So can you just talk to me about the process of collaboration with Moshe?
Shaun Toub: Moshe is amazing. I love him, I really do. Without him, the only reason I said yes to Tehran was because of the script. To be honest with you it took me about two and a half months, three months to say yes to Tehran because I've been in the business and I am in Hollywood and I was like, "Oh, I don't know if I'm going to do this. Doing a series in Israel, like Israeli's series?"
But I got to tell you, the reason I said yes, was because of the script. The script was incredible. They send it to me and then I start looking at it I said, "Oh, you know what. This is amazing. Then the second one and the third one by the fourth one, I was like, "Oh, my God. What am I doing? This is amazing."
Shila Ommi: What's going to happen next.
Shaun Toub: Yeah.
That's how I am watching every episode. It just builds and builds. Speaking of the pacing and the tone, I want to talk a little bit about Daniel Syrkin. What has his directing style added to Tehran? Because he's amazing.
Shaun Toub: He is amazing, because not only does he direct, but he also does other things. I'm amazed at what he does. I've been in the business for 35 years, and I've never seen a director being able to direct eight episodes back to back. It's amazing what he does.
Shila Ommi: Also the fact that he's also one of the writers on the show so he's more like an author that he writes and he directs. As Shaun was saying to direct, and it's like directing an eight-hour feature film is just incredible and he's so cool and he's so lovely and funny and sweet.
Shaun Toub: Yeah. He is lovely, he's really lovely. I call him a friend because he's sweet. I got to tell you, again, it was really a love fest. Everybody on the set from the director to everybody else that produces, everybody. It was incredible to be in an environment where there was just love we wanted to make sure that we do our best. Everybody tried it.
It's incredible, and it shows on screen every single week. I've talked to a few other actors before, and they say that they learn something through their characters about empathy. For you guys, what have you learned about through playing them?
Shila Ommi: My goodness, just love. Love. It's so wonderful first of all, to be able to act with my friend, Shaun. I already have so much respect and empathy for him as a human being. To be able to tap into that for this screen feels amazing. It's also really fun to watch Shaun. I was in video village watching his takes the last few days and I was just amazed at what an incredible actor he is. I don't know how he does it. Sometimes I don't know if that's my character Naahid, or if it's myself, Shila, just really respecting and appreciating the man.
Shaun Toub: Tell me more, tell me more. Please, tell me more about how amazing I am.
Shila Ommi: But really what I love about this show so much is how it is examining our collective humanity and what we have in common with each other. I think it's so important. It's so important for people all over the world to be able to look at Iran and Iranians with love; to look at Israelis with love and understanding. And it's what we try to do.
Tehran Synopsis
A distraught Tamar chooses to stay in Tehran and seek justice, but learns the Mossad has put Marjan Montazemi in charge. Determined to neutralize Faraz, Marjan makes a risky move. Tamar finds a way to get closer to Mohammadi. Milad begins behaving irresponsibly.
Check out our season 1 interviews with Tehran stars Shaun Toub and Niv Sultan, as well as our most recent interview with co-creator Moshe Zonder.
The first two seasons of Tehran are currently available to stream on Apple TV+, with the finale premiering June 17.