Interview: Hunter Sansone teases Cameron’s journey in Stargirl season 2 and the importance of his new film

With a new film on the way and production on Stargirl season 2 underway, actor Hunter Sansone sat down with us to talk about his current projects.

Hunter Sansone quickly found his way into the hearts of fans as they watched Stargirl over the summer. His role as Cameron Mahkent on the DC Universe/The CW show made him a fan-favorite and now we’re all excited to see where his character goes in Stargirl season 2.

But The CW isn’t the only place we’ll be seeing him in the coming months as he is set to star in the Disney Plus film Safety which arrives on the service in December.

We recently had the opportunity to talk with Hunter, where the young star discussed his hopes for his character on Stargirl season 2, as well as his passion for his upcoming film.

Interview has been edited for clarity.

BamSmackPow: Thank you so much for taking the time to sit down with me.

Hunter Sansone: Absolutely, I appreciate it as well.

BSP: Alright, I’m just going to jump right into this with my first question being about Stargirl. With his powers already being teased in season 1, is it safe to assume we’ll get to see Cameron come into his own and possibly go down a path similar to his dad in Stargirl season 2?

HS: Y’know, I think that would be really cool to see. I do not know what the plan is for that. The writers have been keeping that pretty under wraps at this point in the season. But I would enjoy seeing Cameron develop into his own man and I don’t know if that will lead into powers or not. But, personally, I would be a fan of it. I don’t know if it’s going to happen, but it would cool to see.

BSP: Going off that, how will his dad’s death, and potential power growth, affect his relationship with Courtney and other characters moving forward in the show?

HS: I think it’s going to create a very interesting dynamic between Courtney and Cameron. Because clearly, as everyone knows, Cameron is in the dark about this entire situation about Blue Valley, about anyone in general having superpowers. He’s the last person to know about this other life that Blue Valley has. So, I think the sky is the limit as far as what can go down for Cameron in season 2, and specifically between what can happen between him and Courtney. Courtney knows, Cameron doesn’t so if they continue this flirtation dynamic that they had in season 1, I think that’s going to make things complicated and I’m excited to see how [Showrunner] Geoff [Johns] and the whole creative team decide to navigate that.

BSP: I really loved your and Brec’s [Bassinger] chemistry in season 1, so I’m looking forward to seeing that moving forward.

HS: Thank you. I appreciate that. She’s great to work opposite of. She’s a very, very talented actress.

BSP: Speaking of Brec, most of the scenes you shared in season 1 were with her, so is there any cast member you’re excited to – or hoping to – work with more in this season? Or any characters you’d like to see Cameron interact more with?

HS: Yes! I would love to interact more with my buddy Cameron Gellman, who plays Rick/Hourman. He’s probably my closest friend on the production. So, for that it would be really neat and I know a lot of fans have hoped that something like that would happen. I don’t know if it’s going to, but I would love it. We’re both from the same hometown from St. Louis, Missouri, so to be able to have two St. Louis boys get some screen time together on Stargirl would be a pretty cool thing for our town and just our families. We had no scenes together in season 1, so that would be the biggest thing I would look forward to for season 2.

BSP: I personally would look forward to that as well.

HS: *laughs* Yeah, yeah. It’d be fun. I don’t know how they would work that out, but it would be neat.

BSP: It’s a high school setting, you never know.

HS: Yep, exactly.

BSP: So, now that Stargirl is CW exclusive, do you think, or know anything about a crossover with other network Arrowverse shows? And which show would you like the crossover with?

HS: I do not know if there are any plans for that. I do know that the fandom is always asking about that stuff online, so I think it would be awesome. As far as who I would like to see a crossover with, I think any show would be a blast and be a gift. I’m not picky when it comes to this stuff. So, to me, any of those shows crossing over with Stargirl would be so much fun. If you ask anyone else this question they might have a particular one they would hope for. But, for me, any crossover would be awesome.

BSP: Moving on from Stargirl, you have a new movie called Safety coming out in December on Disney+, so what can you tell us about that film and your character in it?

HS: Safety is the true story of Ray McElrathbay who, as a Freshman football player at Clemson University, takes in his little brother to live with him on campus while his mom enters an extended stay at a drug rehab facility. It’s a really, really touching true story and it’s a film for everyone.

I play Daniel. Daniel is Ray’s best friend, roommate, teammate, and he’s also the first person that Ray confides in about his brother. Daniel is by Ray’s side every step of the way while he navigates a really tough situation. And, for me, what was a really big thing for Daniel is that he embodies the core theme of the film, which is family. So, the direct parallel between the film’s core values and Daniel’s core values was something that stuck out to me from day one and ignited my passion for the project that much more.

BSP: You mentioned that this is based on a true story, so does this change your approach at all to the role and did you speak to anyone like, the real-life Daniel, if there is a real-life Daniel?

HS: So, Daniel specifically is based off of a combination of a few different people. So, with that, I was given freedom with my choices and how I decide to bring Daniel to life. Now, that’s not the case with Jay and TJ, who play Ray and Fahmarr, they are specifically based on two people, so they had to honor those mannerisms and vocal inflections and things like that and I think they do a fantastic job. I had more freedom and we all got to agree to bring in a thick New York-Italian-Long Island accent, so that was a really fun thing for me to play with.

BSP: You mentioned that you are a teammate of the main character, so did you play any football, or any other sports for that matter, when you were growing up or was it new to you for the film?

HS: I did. That was my thing growing up. I played every sport. Hockey, soccer, baseball, basketball, football, track, I did it all. I didn’t play each one that long. I’d say I played soccer and basketball the longest. I did football one year, just for the heck of it, and I enjoyed it. It was just for the experience for me. I played cornerback. But in the film, I actually don’t know if I can give away the position or not, but it’s a fun little part and it adds humor to the film. But it was cool to experience a college football team and dynamic because I didn’t play any sports in college. But it was easy to relate to given the fact that I grew up playing sports.

BSP: So, you mentioned that Daniel embodied a core theme of the film, so is there anything else specifically that you hope will resonate with the audience once the film is released?

HS: Yes, he embodies the same core theme, which is family. This film is about family and brotherhood and friendship and a community coming together to support a young man and a little boy going through a really challenging set of circumstances and Daniel is all about that. He’s all about brotherhood and friendship and loyalty. He’s an Italian kid and if you know anything about Italians, which I am one, family is everything and that is a really, really neat thing that I could relate to.

I hope that this film touches people and it’s a time in the world where we really need a story like this. I think it’s very timely. I’ve watched the film, I’ve read the script multiple times, and every single time I’ve cried. The first time I ever read the script I was in tears by the end of it. That’s partially why I got into this business. All of this stuff can touch people and reach people, just like it did me when I was younger and I just hope it does that same thing and it makes people feel the same way that I did when I read the script the first time.

BSP: Love that answer. Well, thank for sitting down and talking with me.

HS: Absolutely. Thank you for taking the time as well.

Stargirl season 2 is currently in production at The CW and you can watch Safety on December 11th over on Disney+.

Are you looking forward to Stargirl season 2? What are you hoping to see from Cameron’s journey in Stargirl season 2? Will you be watching Safety when it’s released? Let us know in the comments below!