We had the chance to chat with Danny Mahoney about season 2 of the hit digital series Purgatory which premiered on Popstar!TV on September 16.

Purgatory Synopsis

A group of strangers are each invited to Shambala – a remote winter resort for a New Year’s Eve celebration while one has plans that don’t involve celebrating.

Danny chats with us about his acting career and what we can expect from season 2.

When did you decide that storytelling was something you wanted to do? 

DM: Well first of all, I love that you call it storytelling. I’ve wanted to be an actor since I was a kid, but it actually wasn’t until shortly after leaving drama school that I realised it was the storytelling aspect that fuelled my passion for acting. Storytelling is a way of establishing a connection. A connection with others and a connection with ourselves. We live in a world that encourages us to disconnect all the time and I think it’s more important now than ever before to tell stories, especially ones that create human connection. 

What can you tell us about Purgatory

DM: Purgatory is about a group of strangers who think they are attending an exclusive ten-day celebration in a mountain resort and unwittingly become victims in a twisted revenge plot. They get locked together in an underground cave and struggle to survive while searching for a way out and discovering the real reason each of them are down there in the first place. 

What can people expect from season 2 of Purgatory

DM: Season one ends with a massive confession by my character, Chris, about the real reason he is trapped in the cave and having to pay for his sins. Season two begins with a flashback revealing what actually happened that fateful night. And as the clock ticks, the heat gets turned up on the characters still imprisoned in the cave and those on the outside who are desperately trying to find them. Blood is spilled and lives are lost as the prisoners search for a means of escape. 

Outside of acting, do you have any other interests or passions?

DM: I love traveling and experiencing new places and cultures. One of the exciting parts of being an actor is getting to work all over the world. Purgatory filmed on location in a cave in Armenia, a country I never would have imagined to visit before. It’s a beautiful country with the most wonderful people. And to go back to what I was saying about the importance of connection and storytelling: last year the war broke out again between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Those of us from Canada, the US, and UK had all been flown home already because of the pandemic. But I was sitting at home watching the events unfold on the news and watching my new Armenian friends post on Instagram about what was happening. Your perspective on events that unfold in different parts of the world is completely changed and you view them with a sense of empathy and a desire to help your fellow human beings, instead of just getting your bite-size news update with your morning coffee and going about your day as normal. 

What has been the best advice someone has given you about acting? 

DM: The best advice I’ve ever been given is “you are enough”. I spent so many years wanting to impress people, and worrying about what they would think, and trying to be what I think they want me to be. Even now, before an audition or before a take, if I find myself worrying about how something I do or how I do it will be perceived, I just turn that critical voice off by reminding myself that I am enough. And the freedom that gives me as an actor is more rewarding than any perceived “approval” that I used to put so much importance on.

Can you tell us about other upcoming projects you are working on? 

DM: Well, the industry has been hit really hard as I’m sure everyone is aware, given the pandemic. When I got back from filming season two in Armenia in April, we were still in lockdown and auditions were few and far between. Things are starting to pick up now, which is incredibly exciting and reassuring. It feels like the industry is beginning to recover. At the moment I’m auditioning, looking for my next venture.

_

Stream Purgatory via Popstar!TV here

Follow Danny Mahoney on social media: Instagram|Twitter

Keep up-to-date with us on all of our channels and social media accounts:

YouTube: http://youtube.com/Popternative
Instagram http://instagram.com/popternative
Twitter: http://twitter.com/popternative
Facebook https://facebook.com/popternative/
Spotify: https://goo.gl/nWtNHP
Apple Podcasts: https://goo.gl/y6tbA9