What is going on with Desmond at the end of the show when he hugs his mother Tula, then arrests her?
Itâs that childhood thing. It doesnât matter how much you say you hate somebody, because normally itâs because you love them. Iâm sure heâs planned that moment for 40 something years, what heâs going to do when he meets his mom. Then suddenly he meets her and everythingâs not what he thought it was going to be. That little boy that just wants his love, then the hatred comes back in and heâs confused and heâs panicked. I look forward to seeing what actually happens. More than anything, heâs confused.
Youâve been playing a character thatâs not in the books. Did that shape what you thought you had to learn about the lore?
I learned about the franchise, in a way. The world thatâs been created and the public that are so heavily invested in it. Itâs so remarkable that a book that started in â65 can be so relevant now and have this amazing, dedicated, complex, entertaining fanbase who are so passionate about the stuff. But I donât know much about the franchise at all beyond what I learned here.
But I’m an actor, so all I care about is the other actor, whoever Iâm acting with, what my character wants, and to make anybody relate to being abandoned, or if thereâs somebody in their life who I want love from.
To that end, do you think itâs a show about sci-fi, or is it really a show about familiesâbrothers, sisters, moms and dads?
There is [the sci-fi], but thatâs not something I have to get invested in or worry about. Thatâs up to the creators. I just concentrate on all the human relations. Like any good stuff, like any genre or period, everything that I like is all about character relations, what theyâre going after, what theyâre fighting for.
I donât relate to the sci-fi world, I didnât grow up in it, I donât have a spaceship. But I do relate to trying to make somebody proud or having issues with parents or speaking up for people or wanting to hurt people.
Well in that spiritâ
In the spirit of hurting people?
Sort of! Desmond does fit in with a type of character youâve played in the past, like Ragnar Lothbrok in Vikings: capacity for violence, complicated family. Putting it even more broadly, you often play these murky, powerful, intimidating men from the wilderness. How is Desmond different from other roles youâve played?
A lot of fighters are very similar. Ragnar was a fighter, who fights for what he believes in. And I love that in anybody. I love that in Erin Brockovich. I donât like people in real life either who play victims.
What about the weird world of Dune left the biggest impression on you?
I guess the wormâs got to be the thing. Worms are for fishing where Iâm from, but itâs such a big part of the world. And I know how excited people get about it, and it obviously plays a big part of my character. I love that people can be so passionate about a worm!
