PHOTOGRAPHY LIZ VAN CAMPENHOUT     STYLING KAYLEIGH SWAN INTERVIEW DAVID GARGIULO

Science fiction is often defined by its vastness, endless stars, sprawling empires, and the cold hum of spaceships gliding through the void. It’s a genre that dares to imagine the future, to ask what humanity becomes when stretched across time and space. Yet within that boundless cosmos, Lou Llobell’s character Gaal Dornick in Apple TV+’s Foundation stands as a quiet anchor. A human presence that pulls the sprawling narrative back to something deeply intimate and real. Gaal is both navigator and witness to a galaxy on the edge of collapse. A mathematical prodigy thrust into a destiny far greater than herself, she is caught between prophecy and choice, certainty and doubt. Lou’s portrayal resists the idea of the flawless hero. Instead, she reveals Gaal’s brilliance alongside her vulnerability, her strength shadowed by hesitation, and her hope tempered by the weight of history.  In a genre often defined by grand spectacle and scale, Lou’s performance is a reminder that the smallest, most human moments, the flicker of doubt, the tremor of fear, the spark of connection, are what truly shine brightest. Through her, Foundation becomes not just a story about the fate of empires, but about the beauty, fragility, and resilience of the human spirit.

David Gargiulo __ You have such a rich cultural background. You are born in Zimbabwe, raised between Spain and South Africa, and now living in London. How has that multicultural upbringing shaped your worldview?

Lou Llobell __ I was brought up traveling a lot and having family from different places. We did a lot of traveling, visiting family, going on holidays, and that just exposed me to different people from a really young age. It's funny, wherever I am, I’m always saying, “I’m going home,” but that could mean South Africa or Spain. My dad has a house in Vigo [Spain], and my mom still lives in South Africa, in a town called Pietermaritzburg. And then when I’m there, “home” is here in London. So it’s like wherever I’m not, that’s home. But also, everywhere is home. And I think that’s a lovely thing, to feel comfortable in three completely different countries and genuinely feel at home in each of them. As an actor, it’s really helpful to have been around so many different people and cultures. You observe things, people’s behaviors, how they interact, and so much of that is shaped by where they’re from. Having that kind of awareness means I can bring different perspectives into the characters I play. It’s just nice to be able to absorb that, to observe it, and carry it with me in my work.

DG __ Do you remember the moment you realized you wanted to pursue acting professionally? Was it a slow realization or a lightning-bolt moment?

LL __ I’ve always wanted to act. As a kid, it was really the only thing I ever saw myself doing. And if it wasn’t acting, it was going to be something else in the same industry. So, it wasn’t really one big moment. It was more a series of decisions I made to put myself in the right position to pursue it. That’s why I moved to the UK to study when I was 18. I knew staying in South Africa might not give me the same exposure or opportunities that I’d get here, and I’ve been really fortunate with what’s come my way since I moved. Every decision I made from a really young age was about getting closer to this dream of acting professionally. And now I get to do it as my job. It’s just the best. [smiles]

DG __ So when you were really young and realized this was something you wanted, did you talk to your parents about it and start planning?

LL __ Totally. I was doing extra acting classes after school, always signing up for plays, or doing dance and singing and playing instruments. It was always just there, you know? It wasn’t something I had to push myself into. It came naturally. I didn’t really think much about it. It was just what I was drawn to.

DG __ Was there a specific play or performance early on that made you go, “Okay, this is it”?

LL __ There were a few. When I was in Spain, I played the lead in one of the school plays, and looking back now, it just feels like it was written in the stars. Then I moved to South Africa and started getting some pretty big roles early on. Acting isn’t easy, but it’s something I love so much, and it comes naturally to me. Now, doing it professionally is a whole different experience. You start to realize how much work and prep goes into it. But what’s so cool is that the more you put in, the more you get out. I think I went through a period where I was doing less prep because it all came quite easily, and I was still getting good results. But for Season 3 [of Foundation], I really put my head down and worked hard and I’m so proud of the outcome.

DG __ Before Foundation, you had a role in Voyagers which is also a sci-fi. How did working on Voyagers prepare you for the massive world-building of Foundation?

LL __ My role in Voyagers was quite small. But I was there for a long time, and we filmed mostly on a set that was designed like a spaceship, since the whole story takes place inside one. So I guess that did prepare me in a way. When I walked onto the spaceship set in Foundation, there was a weird sense of familiarity, even though Foundation's ship was on a whole different level. More than anything, though, Voyagers prepared me just by getting me used to being on a set. Being around other young, up-and-coming actors, watching them work, getting used to the structure and rhythm of set life. That made the transition into Foundation a little less daunting. I wasn’t distracted by the logistics of how a set works as I already had a sense of that, so I could focus on everything else I didn't know yet.

DG __ There’s definitely a lot to take in with Foundation. The plot alone is incredibly complex. You’ve been starring as Gaal since the beginning of Foundation, and Season 3 is exploring the Third Crisis triggered by the appearance of the Mule. How do you think Gaal has changed most from Season 1 to now?

LL __ Confidence. She has so much more confidence now. You really watch her grow across the show, which is kind of ironic because you’re also watching me grow at the same time. If I go back and watch episode 1 of Season 1, I’m like, “Who is that person? She looks like a baby compared to now!” [laughs] But in season 3, Gaal has stepped into this leadership

role. She’s kind of inherited the baton from Harry Seldon, and she’s really coming into her own. Up until now, she’s been this heroine figure. Gaal could almost do no wrong. She was always making the right choices, always on the moral high ground, and the audience was constantly rooting for her. This season challenges that. You see her making tough decisions. Sometimes you might disagree with her decisions or find them questionable, but she believes they’re necessary to prepare for what’s coming, to face the Mule and everything that lies ahead. What excited me most about Season 3 was the chance to show her imperfections, to let her be flawed. You get to see both her light and her darker sides. It makes her more layered, more real.

DG __ How do you find that balance as an actor, portraying both the light and the dark?

LL __ Honestly, it just feels more human. No one is perfect. People lie, they betray, they make mistakes, and those things are part of who we are. And it's something Harry [Seldon] has done to her in the past. So now that Gaal is in that position, I think she understands him more. She gets why he made some of the choices he did, even if they were questionable. So playing both sides, light and dark, actually feels more natural than just playing someone who's purely good. It's more real.

DG __ The show plays with time and memory in really complex ways. As an actor, how do you keep track of Gaal’s internal timeline, especially when she’s jumping through decades and crises?

LL __ For Gaal, her experience is defined by the time she’s actually awake. So even though, technically, centuries are passing, she’s really only lived about 30 years, give or take. The rest of the time she’s in cryo-sleep. Her emotional and psychological journey is based on those active moments, when she’s conscious, making decisions, forming relationships. Even though she's aware of the passage of time, she doesn’t actually experience the evolution in real-time. She just wakes up and—boom—it’s all different. That has to be a shock.

DG __ Yeah, that must be such a surreal moment to play.

LL __ Totally. But I think at some point, she just gets used to it. After waking up a few times in completely different eras, I imagine she starts to adapt. And honestly, I think that’s one of the most fascinating things about humans. We’re so adaptable. Look at how we all shifted our lives during COVID. We changed everything, how we worked, lived, connected. And then, once things started to ease, most of us just fell right back into our old rhythms. That kind of flexibility is wild.

DG __ I definitely think that’s one of humanity’s strongest traits. I mean, we basically have two crises a year in the real world. Foundation makes it feel more epic, but we’re living it in real time.

LL __ Exactly! But I think the show taps into that idea in an interesting way. It’s saying that crises are a constant in human history. It’s cyclical. We go through something huge, maybe we think we’ve learned from it, but then somehow, we end up back in the same place. And making these crises such a major part of the series highlights that point. Like, we know what’s coming, and yet we still repeat the same mistakes. It’s such a fascinating contradiction: we’re this incredibly intelligent species, and yet we can’t seem to break the cycle. It’s a bit of a curse, really.

DG __ Speaking of that. The fall of the Galactic Empire in Foundation mirrors real-world fears about political collapse and instability. Do you see any parallels between the chaos in Foundation and the state of the world today? 

LL __ A hundred percent. There are absolutely parallels. It’s so interesting, and kind of disheartening, that we’re still in crisis. There’s still this constant battle for power, constant uncertainty about who’s in charge and where things are headed. And this season of Foundation, where we explore the fall of the Empire, really taps into that anxiety. Maybe we’re not quite at that point in the real world, but you can feel the shift happening. 

DG __ My generation and the one before mine have really messed things up, haven’t they? [laughs] But your generation is coming of age now, and there's a lot of hope placed on you. How do you think we can finally break the cycle of repeating the same mistakes?

LL __ I don’t know if we can really “break” it. I think it’s more about doing better, trying to do one thing differently. Perfection isn’t the goal; I don’t even think it’s possible. It’s like raising children. My mom was raised a certain way by her mom, and because of that, she made conscious choices to raise me differently. If I ever have kids, I’ll probably raise them differently too, but I still won’t get everything right. And I’m sure my kids will have their own issues with how they were raised. So I think it’s inevitable that some patterns will repeat, but hopefully, we evolve. Like, we have a government that’s supposed to be elected by the people and for the people. And sure, you can’t please everyone, but there has to be a better balance. I don’t know exactly what that looks like. If I did, I’d probably be in politics. [laughs] But I think it starts with fairness. With respect. Respecting where people come from, their cultures, their religions. Just acknowledging that we’re all different, and those differences are what make life interesting.

DG __ That’s a wise answer. On my side, I’ll keep blaming the generation before mine for all the world's problems. [laughs] 

LL __ [laughs] Fair enough! It’s a generational thing. But hey, we can still turn it around, right?

DG __ This season explores the power of belief: belief in math, in prophecy, in people. When it comes to your own life, what beliefs keep you grounded or inspired?

LL __ That’s a good question. I think being honest is really important to me. And trying to see the best in people. Also, believing in yourself. I think people can get so focused on what others think of them, or on everything going on around them, that they forget to nurture that inner belief in themselves. It’s really important to trust yourself, to stand by your decisions, but also to be able to admit when you’ve made a mistake and apologize. Appreciating the people around you. That’s something I’ve really tried to do more of since getting this job. It’s easy to get distracted by everything that comes with this kind of life. Some days I forget to text anyone because I’m filming six days a week. But I always try to make time for my friends and family. It’s important to me that they’re in my life.

DG __ That’s very good advice.

LL __ At times it’s tough, especially with all the travel. I just did a movie in America earlier this year, and the time difference made it hard to stay connected. But I’d use car rides or any free moments I had. We shot nights, so sometimes the timing actually worked perfectly for checking in with people back home. You just have to make the time. It really helps you feel grounded.

DG __ In Foundation, belief in math and psychohistory is almost a religion. Do you think the show reflects our modern tension between trusting science and following our emotions or ideologies?

LL __ Part of the Foundation’s whole process involves a religious era. That's actually an important stage in its evolution. What’s fascinating is how religion and science end up going hand in hand. I’m not religious, but I understand what religion does for people. It gives purpose, answers to big questions, and a kind of rule book on how to live and treat others. In Foundation, the merging of science and religion is such an interesting combination. It almost feels like a necessity for the survival and cohesion of the group.

DG __ Finish this sentence: Season 3 of Foundation is the season where Gaal finally …

LL __ Takes control.

DG __ Who are the women, on screen or in your life, who’ve shaped the way you carry yourself in the world?

LL __ I’d say my mom has been a huge influence. She has three sisters, so that side of the family is very female-heavy. And they’re all strong women in their own ways, very opinionated, very honest. My mom especially, she’s blunt, but in the best way. I’ve definitely inherited that from her, and honestly, it’s one of the traits I’m most proud of. My grandmother on my dad’s side was also a big part of my life. We were very close, and I was actually named after her. She passed away about a year before I got Foundation, and even though I’m not religious, at that moment it really felt like her energy was somehow passed on to me. My family always said she had it in her to be an actress, and so when this opportunity came, it felt kind of full circle.

DG __ Was there anything your grandma did or said that really stayed with you?

LL __ She was just one of the best people. She was so kind and generous. Everyone remembers her that way. She always tried to make people feel good and valued. I remember that every time we’d come back from South Africa to Spain for Christmas, she’d get so excited and spend all of her allowance, the money my uncles gave her to manage the house, on us. She’d sneak out to the shop and come back, lugging four shopping bags full of sweets and expensive treats. Once, I walked into the kitchen and noticed the back door open. I saw her outside, hiding the bags, trying to sneak them in later without anyone noticing. She saw me and just went, “Shhh!” [smiles] It was hilarious. She’d give us secret chocolates and tell us not to tell the others. She was always like that. Funny, sweet, full of love. Those are really special memories for me.

DG __ What’s the story you haven’t told yet but are burning to explore one day?

LL __ So many! Foundation has been most of what I’ve done professionally so far. I did a horror film earlier this year, which was really exciting and totally different. But I haven’t had a chance yet to really dive into a wide range of roles. I’d love to try everything, different genres, different formats. But if I had to choose one kind of story I’m really drawn to, it would be something centered around relationships. Not necessarily romantic, just something that explores the complexities of human connection. A story that’s quiet, grounded, like Past Lives, which I loved. It was so simple and subtle, but so emotionally rich. That idea of a deep connection you can't fully realize. I find that really compelling. Like, I’d love to do something set in a single room, just people talking, working through something real. No spaceships. [laughs] Just raw, emotional storytelling.

DG __ Tell me about the horror film. What was that experience like?

LL __ It was wild! It’s a Paramount horror film set in the present day, and I remember at my first fitting, I just put on regular clothes, trainers and a fleece jumper, and I was like, “Wait, this is it?” [laughs] It felt so strange because I’m so used to costumes and big, futuristic looks. But it was so refreshing. I’d never done that before, and it was just fun! I can’t share the title yet but it should be coming out sometime next year.

Photographer Liz van Campenhout, Stylist Kayleigh Swan, Makeup Brooke Simons, Hair Kieron Lavine (The Visionaries), Talent Lou Llobell (Pinnacle PR)

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