Interview: Robbie Amell talks about life and afterlife in ‘Upload’

What if you had the chance of opting into a second life after death?  In the Amazon original series Upload, Robbie Amell plays computer programmer Nathan Brown, a handsome but self-centered computer programmer who dies under suspicious circumstances and finds himself in Lake View, a utopian virtual after-life.  As Nathan acclimates himself to his new existence, he befriends Nora Antony (Andy Allo), his virtual handler. Nathan and Nora grow closer as they work to solve the mystery surrounding Nathan’s untimely demise. Upload is a sweet and whimsical comedy, with profound observations about technology, love, class and the meaning of life. 

Amell, who’s made the sci-fi genre his playground with roles on Netflix’s Code 8 and the CW series’ The Tomorrow People and The Flash was immediately drawn to creator Greg Daniel’s futuristic vision in Upload. Amell shares “When Greg and I talked about the script and the show he said if this digital after-life was created by people then it would have the same problems the real world has with division of wealth and income inequality.”

Amell also shares his audition process in landing the role of Nathan, why fans are rooting for Nora and Nathan to be together and why the idea of a virtual afterlife appeals to him. 

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Rebecca Theodore-Vachon is a film and tv critic who focuses on race, gender and representation in Hollywood. She was the entertainment columnist at TheUrbanDaily.com and has contributed to NYTimes.com, RogerEbert.com, Entertainment Weekly, Fast Company and Vulture.com. In 2017 she was a featured speaker for Google Talks at the Miami Film Festival and currently moderates Oscar Q&A panels for the Academy of Motion Pictures And Sciences. She is also the creator of “The Spectrum Lounge” – a podcast that highlights creatives of color in Hollywood and pop culture.