Thomas Doherty on the 'Paradise' Romance: How an Intimacy Coordinator Shaped Annie and Link
thomas doherty and Shailene Woodley say the surprise love story in Paradise Season 2’s premiere episode "Graceland" was developed with the help of an intimacy coordinator, a decision the actors describe as central to making the brief romance feel tender and humane.
Graceland frames Annie’s survival and a swift romance
Episode 1, titled "Graceland, " follows Annie, played by Shailene Woodley, from her childhood through the catastrophe that upends the world, and then into years she spends alone at Elvis Presley’s Graceland where she works as a tour guide. The arrival of Link and his band of survivors upends that solitude: Link is played by Thomas Doherty, the two share a single night together that later results in Annie’s pregnancy, and Link leaves a note promising he will return after a mission that involves killing someone named Alex. The episode closes as Annie discovers a plane crash and finds Xavier Collins, played by Sterling K. Brown, at the scene.
Thomas Doherty on building Link and Annie’s intimacy
Thomas Doherty said he approached Link by trying to personalize how a post-apocalyptic life would shape a person’s nature, and he called working with Woodley "a dream. " thomas doherty described the writing as a key support for crafting the connection: he said he "really didn’t do much" beyond channeling the character’s experience, while praising the scripts and the chance to play a tender moment in a harsh world. The result is a short, intense arc in which Link invites Annie to go west toward a rumored Colorado bunker and then leaves, setting up emotional fallout that ripples into later episodes.
A 'beautiful, not sexy' scene and the work behind it
Woodley has said she and Doherty worked with an intimacy coordinator to ensure the sequence felt "beautiful, not sexy, " and that the choices around Annie’s physicality and daily life helped ground the scene. On set, Woodley emphasized making Annie look lived-in — no makeup, recurring clothes, and hair that grows greasy — to reflect a woman who has survived by being ordinary and stubborn. That attention to detail extended to the intimacy work: the actors focused on tenderness and human contact after long years without physical affection, rather than on spectacle.
Beyond the central couple, "Graceland" connects to Season 1’s broader storyline: Annie’s tour-guide life and her medical training are contrasted with the trauma of losing her mother and the decision to withdraw from a life as a caregiver. The premiere uses that backstory to make Annie’s choices — hiding from Link’s invitation, later finding his note, and coping with the pregnancy — feel rooted in character rather than plot convenience.
The season continues past the premiere: Episode 2, titled "Mayday, " expands on Xavier’s past through flashbacks and moves the wider hunt for survivors forward. Producers and the show’s creative team have kept the focus on intimate character moments even as the series returns to its political-thriller and dystopian threads.
