The Leftovers star Christopher Eccleston is feeling the pressure to really deliver with the show's upcoming final season.

When The Leftovers began in 2014, the HBO series was met with mixed critical response, with the overall feeling among critics being that it was too depressing and maudlin. Then, in season 2, there was a huge jump in quality, with critics hailing it as one of the best shows on television. Coming off of such incredible buzz, the show's cast and crew know what's at stake with the upcoming third and final season.

One of those cast members is Christopher Eccleston, who plays Rev. Matt Jamison in the series. Eccleston spoke with Yahoo recently and discussed the overall sense going into season 3 and how he's been feeling while filming these final episodes.

"We know we had problems in Series 1. We know that. We're not fools. We also know that with Series 2, we really delivered. Now we can't let it drop. The pressure is really on us now," Eccleston admitted. "We're never going to be giving answers about whether it was a religious thing or whether it was a natural phenomenon. We're not interested in that. What we're interested in is the journey of the characters and where they end. Where do they end emotionally? Of course, they won't end. They will kind of do what we all do: They'll hit another stage of life, and they'll either go on or they won't."

Eccleston praised star Justin Theroux (Kevin Garvey) for his leadership over the show's three seasons, discussing how important it is to have such a leader.

"He has led us impeccably in terms of his punctuality, his generosity, his sense of humor. The crew loved Justin, and that's very important for a leading man," Eccleston said. "He sets the tone for every actor stepping onto that set. If the leading man is as polite and generous as that, then we've got a chance. It's all gone under the radar with Justin, but I think when these three seasons are [completed], critically they're going to look at what he did, and it's a very, very truthful and subtle performance, and it doesn't get enough attention, for my money, anyway."

The series is currently filming its final eight episodes in Australia.

The Leftovers season 3 does not have a specific release date yet, but it is expected to debut in 2017.

Tags: The Leftovers television hbo