Pop Spotlight

Cole Sprouse is returning to a role he loves to play. Rolling Stone can announce the return of Qcode‘s Borrasca podcast for a second season, where Sprouse plays the role of Sam Walker in the spooky multi-episode series.

“When I first signed on to the project, we didn’t really imagine that it would be so well-loved by people. But I really enjoyed finding the fine line, at least in the vocality of what we were doing, between emotion that can be portrayed more easily physically,” Sprouse tells Rolling Stone about the project that launched in 2020. “They had us all in the same room, where we were able to see each other’s expressions. I got along with everyone. It was a really, really enjoyable experience: You got to show up in your pajamas.”

The new season of the Rebecca Klingel-written show picks up 10 years after Sam, Sprouse’s character, discovered the secrets of his Drisking, Missouri town when a ghost of the past came for revenge. For this season his character is closer to his age, unlike in the first season and in his role on Riverdale, where he plays a 17-year-old.

“Sam is going through a tremendous trauma and their sense of distance or defeat that he carries around with him all the time, which makes him, unfortunately, not the most emotional person,” Sprouse says. “I lowered my register a little bit and had a kind of gravelly texture to it too. He is also a heroin addict in the show so it was important to show, at least vocally, this quality of incredible trauma.”

With years in the public eye, thanks to his child star role on The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, Sprouse he’s more intentional with the projects he chooses. He’s also learned to view fame and success in a different light.

“It took me quite a long time, but I feel like I’m finally getting into a confidence that I didn’t really have when I was younger. Growing up as an entertainer, you’re a constant people pleaser. I’ve gotten to a place now where I’m unrelenting on my ability to keep my boundaries,” he says. “There’s really not much I feel like you could probably throw in front of my face that I would genuinely be shocked by. I think the ability to carry oneself with confidence is usually a currency of age. And that’s something that has been the best part about going into the latter half of my 20s. And now that I’m on the precipice of 30, I really feel like it’s going to be the identity I feel most comfortable with.”

Sprouse shares he’s no longer “accolade-minded” as he was in his youth, and instead pursuing a lifestyle he wants for himself. “I’m much more joy-based now. I’m pursuing things that I very much enjoy doing more than anything else. We have a very limited time on this earth, and when it comes to working, it’s worth to try to do something you enjoy as much as possible, especially when what you do is art.”

Sprouse serves as a producer on the podcast series, whose second season’s release date has yet to be announced. Sarah Yarkin, Daniel Webber, Lulu Wilson, Beau Knapp, Lisa Edelstein, Aramis Knight, Cara Santana, Seychelle Gabriel, and Peyton Kennedy also star in the show from Qcode.