‘Marvel’s Runaways’: Meet the Yorkes and Molly Hernandez

“Marvel’s Runaways,” based on the beloved series by Brian K. Vaughan and Adrian Alphona, is now available exclusively on Hulu!

While on set, Marvel.com talked Ariela Barer, who plays Gert Yorkes, and Allegra Acosta, who plays Molly Hernandez; along with Brigid Brannagh, who plays Mrs. Stacey Yorkes, and Kevin Weisman, who plays Mr. Dale Yorkes. The Yorkes are bioengineers who love their daughters to the point where they built them their own dinosaur. That’s right, Old Lace—a genetically engineered dinosaur—what better gift could two kids ask for?

Don’t miss out on the Wilders, the Minorus, the Steins, and the Deans.

Molly Hernandez (Allegra Acosta) and Gert Yorkes (Ariela Barer)

Gert Yorkes and adopted daughter Molly Hernandez get to be sisters by choice. Even better, the sisterly chemistry continues off screen for Barer and Acosta.

“It’s amazing to work with Ariela. We have such a genuine relationship, and you can see that once we shoot an episode together or a scene together,” shared Acosta. “The chemistry is there. It’s real and I just enjoy working with Ariela and being her sister.”

“Especially in the original comic, everyone has this older sibling love for Molly,” Barer added. “When you’re fleshing something out on a show, it’s great to just take it a step further. To have that really run deep in the characters, the script, the story and everything. To just flesh that out to the extreme.”

However, Acosta acknowledged there are parts of Molly she’s trying to understand. “Because she is adopted—and you will see how that progress throughout the season—she wants to know where she comes from. It kind of sounds cliche, but it’s actually true. A lot of kids who are orphans grow up with not knowing. Molly is really strong, really vulnerable and passionate for her age, and very innocent, but still mature. You can see that she wants to fight to find out who her biological parents are.”

Stacey Yorkes (Brigid Brannagh) and Dale Yorkes (Kevin Weisman)

As opposed to the other parents, the Yorkes are slightly unsure about the Pride and what it stands for. Brannagh explained, “We actually thought that we were being invited to participate in something that would help the world in terms of our science, and things we wanted to develop. We were told being a part of it will help you, and then you’ve stepped into something we didn’t know right away was something very scary and much more than that. There are consequences. So, we’re trying to get out, like right from the beginning. We’ve been trying to get out as soon as we kind of understood it wasn’t a noble effort.”

The Yorkes are unique in that they foster a warm and inviting home, especially for their daughter Gert. “We’re literally trying to create an independent human being—independent of us, forward-thinking, a true individual, and yet we sometimes, maybe, overly nurture that,” said Brannagh.

Gert Yorkes (Ariela Barer)

Weisman believes it’s important for viewers to see the character of a young independent woman full of socially relevant ideas. Acosta agrees, “Our show is a very female centric cast. We’re representing very strong, yet real, human beings. It’s really important because we have a realm of very amazing women, who will empower and will be relatable to the audience out there. You’re showing that feminism is not based on anger. It’s just based on passion.”

“When I was around her age, that was exactly when I really figured out how messed up the world can be, and I took it very personally, as she also does,” Barer revealing the similarities to her character Gert. “But this anger that she has inside of her is not hate. That’s a common misconception with a social justice character like that. She has no hate inside of her. This anger stems from this passion from wanting a better world and a better life for the people around her, and I think that’s one of the most admirable things about her. She cares so much about the people around her, and she takes it all very personally.”

“She’s flawed, but she’s complex. I think that’s exciting that we’ve gotten to a point with female characters and feminist characters, where they’re allowed to be flawed,” said Barer. “They don’t have to be perfect representations all the time. She can be this flawed human character and still be an incredible role model, who just cares and loves people.”

“That’s part of why we want to get out of Pride,” Brannagh explaining why being in the organization is such a moral struggle for the Yorkes. “We don’t want anything to stop them. Obviously starting with Gert and onto Molly, we want them to stay free.”

Get ready to run and learn more about the Yorkes and Molly with the debut of “Marvel’s Runaways” exclusively on Hulu – watch it now! Be sure to follow @Runaways on Twitter and like the official “Marvel’s Runaways” Facebook page!