Father and Son Unite in Episode 7 via Frequency-Like Plot Device

The second season of the Apple TV series Monarch: Legacy of Monsters has achieved a long-anticipated professional milestone for Kurt and Wyatt Russell. In the seventh episode of the season, titled String Theory, the father and son actors share their first-ever acting experience opposite one another.

The production utilized a plot device reminiscent of the series Frequency—which centers on cross-time communication—to allow the two actors to interact. While the narrative structure prevents them from appearing in the same frame, the device enables them to act together for the first time in their respective professional careers.

The Casting of Lee Shaw

The opportunity for this collaboration stems from the show’s casting of the same character across different eras. Both Kurt and Wyatt Russell portray Lee Shaw, a former military man who became a kaiju hunter.

Wyatt Russell, 39, portrays the version of Lee Shaw during the flashbacks set in the 1950s. Kurt Russell, 75, portrays the character in the 21st-century storyline. This dual-casting approach meant that the two actors were playing different versions of the same man, separated by decades of history within the Monsterverse mythology.

A Long-Planned Collaboration

According to Kurt Russell, the idea of the father and son acting together was discussed well before the production of the first season began. He described the eventual realization of this moment in String Theory as a culmination of those early discussions.

That was something that was discussed long before we even began the first season… So to finally get there and find a way into making it something the audience could have a really good time with… And having the opportunity to do something with Wyatt was the culmination for me. I loved it.

Kurt Russell via Gold Derby

Wyatt Russell noted that the experience was a unique way to collaborate and expressed an interest in acting in a scene with his father in the future, stating that the process scratches an itch he did not necessarily know he had.

Narrative Mechanics

The episode String Theory leverages a specific point in the Monsterverse mythology where time collapses. This allows the 1950s-era Lee Shaw and the modern-day Lee Shaw to communicate and interact despite the chronological gap.

This narrative choice mirrors the premise of Frequency, a concept explored in both a 2000 film and a 2016 television series, where characters communicate across time via radio links. By implementing a similar device, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters was able to bridge the gap between the two versions of the character played by the Russells.