She Actually Flew That Massive Plane: Karolina Wydra’s Real-Life Adventure on Apple TV’s ‘Pluribus’

When actors say they do their own stunts, you might expect a little running or maybe a quick fight scene. But for Pluribus star Karolina Wydra, it meant literally taking control of a C-130 military plane — for real.

That jaw-dropping moment in the Apple TV sci-fi series isn’t movie magic. Wydra was actually steering the massive aircraft herself, and as she put it, “I’ll never get to do that again.”

From Total Mystery to Sci-Fi Madness

When Vince Gilligan, the creator of Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, announced his mysterious new series Pluribus, fans expected wild twists — but even the cast didn’t know what was coming.

Wydra revealed that when she auditioned, she had no idea what the show was about. The producers gave her fake character names, fake scenes, and layers of secrecy. “I didn’t know anything,” she said. “Not even the real name of my character.”

That mystery turned out to be part of the magic. The show drops viewers into a world where most of humanity is psychically connected through alien technology, except for a few people like Carol Sturka (played by Rhea Seehorn). Wydra plays Zosia, a mysterious woman who looks like one of Carol’s fictional characters — and she may hold the key to what’s really happening.

Learning to Fly (and Drive) Like a Pro

To play Zosia, Wydra had to become a quick learner — and not just memorizing lines. She spent time training on how to drive an excavator, operate a moped, and yes, fly a C-130 military plane.

“I love excavators,” she laughed. “I have two little boys who are obsessed with that stuff. I felt like such a cool mom showing them videos from set.”

But the plane scene? That was on another level. At first, the real pilots weren’t sure she could do it. After a full day of rehearsal and safety lessons, they finally trusted her enough to let her taxi the plane on her own.

“It was me, actually doing it,” Wydra shared. “The pilots were nervous, but once they saw I understood the controls, they said, ‘Alright, go ahead.’ It’s something I’ll never forget.”

Inside the “Hivemind”

One of the trickiest parts of Pluribus is the hivemind concept — where people share each other’s thoughts, skills, and memories. That meant every move, every emotion, had to feel synchronized.

“We did a lot of rehearsals,” Wydra explained. “Our choreographer taught us how the energy should feel inside your body — the shaking, the short-circuiting, the way your muscles react.”

The scenes demanded total coordination among the cast. “We were constantly figuring out how to act as one,” she said. “It opened up conversations about individuality, free will, and what it means to be human.”

Protecting Zosia’s Humanity

Zosia may seem mysterious, but Wydra became deeply protective of her character. Many fans wonder if the hivemind members have free will or if they’re just controlled. Wydra believes Zosia truly believes in what she’s doing.

“She genuinely wants people to experience the connection,” she said. “She believes it’s something beautiful — even if it looks strange from the outside.”

Playing someone so emotionally complex wasn’t always easy. “I’m a very empathetic person,” Wydra admitted. “When Rhea [Seehorn]’s character went through something emotional, I wanted to feel it with her. But Zosia couldn’t. She had to stay calm, which was tough for me.”

The Mysterious Ending of Episode 2

In the final scene of Episode 2, Zosia looks back at Carol before her plane takes off — a tiny glance that carries huge meaning.

So what does it mean? Wydra says it’s intentionally ambiguous. “Zosia loves both characters equally,” she said. “She feels a pull in both directions — toward Carol and toward Diabaté [played by Samba Schutte]. There’s love, duty, and conflict all mixed together. It’s not black and white.”

That emotional complexity — mixed with the show’s mind-bending premise — is exactly what makes Pluribus so fascinating.