‘Ponies’ Stars Artjom Gilz and Petro Ninovskyi Break Down Bea’s Betrayal and the Reveal That Could Change Season 2

[Editor’s note: The following contains major spoilers for Ponies.]

The Peacock spy thriller series Ponies, set in 1977 Moscow, follows Bea Grant (Emilia Clarke) and Twila Hasbeck (Haley Lu Richardson), two women whose husbands are killed under mysterious circumstances that lead them to become CIA operatives. Bea’s ability to charm and speak fluent Russian is a perfect complement to Twila’s fearless nature and street smarts, but their lack of experience while they’re learning on the job puts them in precariously dangerous situations. As part of the work Bea and Twila are doing, Bea finds herself in a position where getting close to Andrei Vasiliev (Artjom Gilz), a ruthless KGB officer who doesn’t handle surprises or secrets well, is necessary for the mission but also weighs on her. At the same time, she’s gotten closer to Sasha Shevchenko (Petro Ninovskyi), a low-level Soviet KGB member who has flipped and is providing intel for the CIA, whose deeper connection keeps her pushing through the high-stakes spy work she’s now directly in the middle of.

During this interview with Collider, Gilz and Ninovskyi discussed Andrei’s hurt and betrayal due to Bea’s actions, how they reacted to that safe house twist, how Sasha was originally supposed to die at the end of the season, their thoughts on what could be in store for Andrei and Sasha in a possible Season 2, and their most memorable moments with their co-stars during the shoot.

Artjom Gilz Believes That Andrei Was Truly Hurt by Bea’s Betrayal

“He really felt for a woman for the first time in probably a long time.”

Collider: Bea and Twila think that they have the upper hand with Andrei, and maybe they do for a moment, but he definitely turns the tables on them. How do you think Andrei felt about Bea, once he realized who she is and what she had done?

ARTJOM GILZ: I feel like he was truly hurt and betrayed because he really felt for a woman for the first time in probably a long time, a woman that he sees on his eye level and is willing to play the games he’s playing and challenge him on that terrain. I would say he was hurt and then he was angry. That kind of hurt really unleashed what he’s capable of.

I feel like we got the anger part when Andrei was totally tearing up Sasha’s place and throwing things everywhere. The anger definitely came through then.

GILZ: That was fun. It needed to happen towards the end, but it was fun smashing that place.

I thought it was really sweet that Bea goes back to Sasha to take him to safety and protect him from Andrei, but I actually was surprised by the twist that the safe house that they all go to is actually Andrei’s safe house. How did you both react to that reveal?

PETRO NINOVSKYI: Honestly, the first time I read it, I was so in the story that I was rooting for them to actually find a safe place, and I was completely sure it was a safe place because I thought Aksana, the lady who works at the barbershop, is a good character and not an evil eye. Essentially, I was shocked when it turned out to be Andrei’s house. I was actually pleasantly surprised that I was fooled. I remember feeling like, “Oh, damn, I should have known that.” There were lots of those plot twists, and I’m happy with them.

GILZ: Same here. It caught me by surprise as well and I thought it was so brilliant. Diana [Gardner]’s character, Aksana, had a couple of lines and I was like, “Oh, she’s not a good person.” But then, she is. And then, it’s another twist and another twist. That’s the essence of the show, really, all those little back and forths.

NINOVSKYI: That’s (creators) Susanna [Fogel] and David [Iserson]’s talent, in terms of making us believe that something is this way, but it’s actually another way. Likewise, we can talk about the Vic [Michaelis] reveal with Cheryl. They steer you into a different direction, and then suddenly [it’s something else]. There’s also the young nanny, who’s played by Clare [Hughes]. You can’t really tell what’s going on. I think it was actually the intention of David and Susanna to make it this way where you have to put it all together in a very complicated way.

Petro Ninovskyi and Artjom Gilz Are Both Happy That Sasha Hasn’t Officially Been Killed Off, As Was the Original Plan

“We don’t know what happened to Sasha.”

We don’t actually even know if Sasha has survived his or if his injuries have gotten the better of him. The showrunners have said that there was even a version of the show where Sasha died. Petro, were you aware of that? Did they tell you that there was that possibility? Have they told you anything about his fate?

NINOVSKYI: Initially, in the script, Sasha was supposed to die at the end of the season. That was the intention. That was the only script they had. But throughout the season, they figured out that there was some chemistry between Bea and Sasha, and that it would be valuable to maybe save the character.

GILZ: They figured out that you’re an incredible actor and you’re too lovable to be killed off. Come on, man!

NINOVSKYI: Thank you so much, Artjom. We don’t know what happened to Sasha. Maybe he’s just been extracted to Finland or Sweden and happily lives his quiet life. Or maybe he’s going to turn into something evil or something that we don’t expect. We don’t know what’s going to happen, but there are all these opportunities to play with.

GILZ: Can you imagine that he actually dies? Wouldn’t that be freaky?

NINOVSKYI: I honestly thought it would have been so much more beneficial to the show, but I’m flattered to be in it.

GILZ: No, after this ending. That would sting.

NINOVSKYI: It would sting a little bit. But then, everybody would just get over it.

The only one we really know just walked away from all of this is Andrei. He walks out of the CIA and leaves Bea and Twila behind. What would you like to explore with Andrei in a possible second season? It feels like anything is possible with him.

GILZ: I was wondering about that. I’ve already played such a range that I was like, “What am I going to do with Season 2? Where is this going to go?” I’m actually quite curious myself where this will take us and what they’ll come up with, in terms of more evil stuff. Maybe he’s going to get soft. Maybe he’s going to turn into Sasha. I don’t know.

NINOVSKYI: Maybe we’re just going to swap.

GILZ: We should swap. That would be fun.

Petro Ninovskyi Thinks That if Sasha Survives His Injuries, He’ll Keep His Moral Compass

“There are so many things that happened.”

If Sasha recovers, do you feel like what he went through will change him? When you’ve experienced something like that, how do you come back from that and still be the same person?

NINOVSKYI: Honestly, I don’t know because there are so many things that happened and so many things that he had to go through within such a short amount of time. Now, there’s this potential earth-shattering reveal of the secret about his sister. I just think that Sasha still has a very bright, very nice, and very good moral compass that’s not something very easily shifted. There are obviously all these opportunities to turn him into something, but I still think that he knows what’s right and what’s wrong, and he tries to live up to that expectation and that idea of life. Even though it’s going to be hard and challenging for him, he’s going to find power. Now, he has all the power to willingly change something in his life, make his own decisions, and stir his own shit.

When Andrei is captured, he gives these bits of truth to Bea and rocks her world about the Americans not necessarily being so great and things not being what they seem with Sasha’s sister. Do you think he’s doing that just because he figures, if he’s going to be captured, then he’s going to screw with her too?

GILZ: One hundred percent, he’s toying with her, especially after what she did to him. Given the fact that he’s released in the end, I’m sure he knows there’s an operation planned that will infiltrate the CIA headquarters. The coincidence of that aligning with him being captured and him not dying in that car crash, thank God, I don’t think he anticipated that, but he’s still throwing punches.

Do you guys each have a favorite moment from this season?

NINOVSKYI: From onset or offset?

Either. Whatever is most memorable for you.

GILZ: I loved Haley [Lu Richardson]’s 30th birthday. I loved those karaoke nights.

NINOVSKYI: Haley and Emilia [Clarke] rented out a house somewhere outside of Budapest, on Lake Balaton, and we got to spend an amazing weekend there together. As a cast, we got to talk, bond, cook, eat, walk, and swim in the pool. It was just an incredible, amazing experience. Me and Nick [Podany] arrived there earlier, so late at night, we went on a walk in a desolate place. There was a village and no lights around and just stars, and we were walking through it, summing up all the experiences that we’d had so far on the set. It was magical. It was great.

Ponies is available to stream on Peacock. Check out the trailer: