‘Nine Perfect Strangers’ Season 2 Takes a Trippy Trip to the Austrian Alps

Ready to go on another trip with Masha?

The first season of Hulu’s hit Nine Perfect Strangers introduced us to Masha Dmitrichenko, a Russian guru who promised to change the lives of the nine people she gathered at her wellness resort. Masha, played by Nicole Kidman, uses unorthodox methods to get those results, including micro-dosing her clients. But by the end of the season, many of the strangers had revealed their deep, dark secrets and left the resort very much changed for the better.

The show, which debuted in August 2021, was a breakout hit for Hulu, becoming its most-watched premiere. Though it was initially conceptualized as a miniseries, Hulu renewed Nine Perfect Strangers with plans for Masha to return with a whole new set of clients. It’s a role Kidman was very excited to reprise. “I think it’s so different from anything I do. There’s such a kind of a mischievous quality to her,” the Oscar winner says. “She’s not what she seems, which is always a wonderful thing to play.”

Vanity Fair has the exclusive first look at the new season, which debuts on Hulu in the US on May 21 and Prime Video internationally on May 22. The eight-episode second season has a completely different look, moving from a sunny California resort to a snowy, luxurious chalet in the Austrian Alps. “You put them in the snow because it’s almost like you can’t escape, but it’s still very beautiful,” Kidman tells Vanity Fair. “It’s not sort of that gray, cold, bleak environment. It’s still very alluring.”

The season stars a strong ensemble cast, including Henry Golding, Annie Murphy, Christine Baranski, Murray Bartlett, Dolly de Leon, and Mark Strong. All of them play new clients who come to the resort with plenty of emotional baggage and are looking to heal. The cast filmed in Austria and Germany, including in a gorgeous resort that overlooks stunning mountains. “The air, it’s healthy, obviously,” says Kidman. “It’s incredibly healthy there, but it’s also invigorating and confronting.”

Kidman and co. spent six months filming season two on and off—a communal experience that stood in stark contrast to the first season, which filmed when COVID protocols were at their peak. Being on location, rather than on a soundstage, brought the cast and crew together. “I really do believe the air and the scenery and the way in which we all existed as a little troop out there in the wilderness, it really helps infiltrate the show,” she says. “Those mountains are real mountains. That snow is real snow. I think audiences sniff that out.”

The setting isn’t the only change you’ll notice. Masha has left behind her Earth Mother motif for a sharp blond bob and even sharper winter wear. Kidman describes her as a shape-shifter, someone who is almost alien-like and otherworldly. “She morphs. She adapts,” Kidman says. “She’s not connected to her physicality in that way—it’s just there either as a portal to something or as a weapon or as a distraction.”

Some viewers noticed that in the show’s first season, Masha’s Russian accent seemed to fluctuate. Kidman says that this was intentional due to Masha’s background and how she adapts to different situations. “Masha is sort of Russian American, but she’s also been raised in England, and she’s worked all over Europe. So she speaks seven languages, which is why she has this very kind of fluid accent. Which was always what I wanted—sort of so that you can’t quite pin it down,” she says.

Masha, who has had some legal and financial trouble since the show’s first season, is also looking for healing and a fresh start. After moving her practice to the Austrian Alps, she works with new partners named Martin (Lucas Englander) and Helena (Lena Olin)—though she’ll find herself butting heads with them at times. She’s also looking to dive deeper into her own past while helping this new group of troubled characters—with the assistance of psychedelic drugs to open both her mind and the minds of her clients. She’s convinced she’s at the forefront of this therapy, and has gained some acclaim for it since season one.

Kidman teases a new season full of funny and revealing interactions between the strangers, a highlight of the show’s first go-round. “Come and time travel with us,” she says. “Go back, go forward, and go to places you’ve never been.” Either way, it’s sure to be a fun ride.