It was a cold and rainy Vancouver day in October, when BuddyTV visited The Whispers cast on location at a local park to talk about their new thriller. And now in the warmth of summer, the series premieres Monday, June 1 on ABC.

Lily Rabe, Barry Sloane and Milo Ventimiglia took time away from filming to discuss their characters and the mystery surrounding the “imaginary friend” named Drill who has manipulated their children and other children into doing both seemingly harmless acts. Unbeknownst to the kids, their actions actually have huge consequences.

The Whispers Review: A New Sci-Fi Drama with Tons of Mystery and Intrigue 

Rabe, Sloane and Ventimiglia discuss their characters and how they are involved in the story.

Highlights of the interview:

  • Ventimiglia’s character (John Doe) “has no memory of who he is … [or] of where he’s going.”
  • John Doe is guided by his “instinct” and it’s a “path of destruction.”
  • What’s happening is “not by his hand, necessarily, but he’s cloaked in darkness.”
  • Rabe plays an FBI Agent (Claire Bennigan) and a child specialist.
  • She’s been off work for a while, but she’s brought back due to what happened with a child.
  • She loves her son, Henry, who is became deaf a few years before. That “becomes a big part of the story too.”
  • Claire’s husband is presumed dead and she’s still grieving. 
  • When she gets to call to return to work, “she throws herself back into it.”
  • Sloane plays Wes Lawrence, head of the Special Projects Division for the Department of Defense.
  • Wes gets called to Mali to investigate “something strange and unusual.”
  • He “struggles with his relationship with his wife [and] child.”
  • “He’s a good man. Is he a good husband or a good father? Probably not.” – Sloane

What is this entity and how is it affecting the children? Watch the below video interview for more on this mysterious entity known as “Drill” and how it affects the children and the adults in their lives.


The Whispers premieres Monday, June 1 at 10pm ET on ABC.

(Image courtesy of ABC.)

Carla Day

Contributing Writer, BuddyTV

Contributing Editor and Writer for Collider, BuddyTV, TV Fanatic, CliqueClack, and other publications. TV criticism, reviews, interviews with actors and producers, and other related content. Founder of TV Diehard.