What is going on with Desmond at the end of the show when he hugs his mother Tula, then arrests her?
It’s that childhood thing. It doesn’t matter how much you say you hate somebody, because normally it’s because you love them. I’m sure he’s planned that moment for 40 something years, what he’s going to do when he meets his mom. Then suddenly he meets her and everything’s not what he thought it was going to be. That little boy that just wants his love, then the hatred comes back in and he’s confused and he’s panicked. I look forward to seeing what actually happens. More than anything, he’s confused.
You’ve been playing a character that’s 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 that’s been created and the public that are so heavily invested in it. It’s so remarkable that a book that started in ‘65 can be so relevant now and have this amazing, dedicated, complex, entertaining fanbase who are so passionate about the stuff. But I don’t 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 I’m acting with, what my character wants, and to make anybody relate to being abandoned, or if there’s somebody in their life who I want love from.
To that end, do you think it’s a show about sci-fi, or is it really a show about families—brothers, sisters, moms and dads?
There is [the sci-fi], but that’s not something I have to get invested in or worry about. That’s 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 they’re going after, what they’re fighting for.
I don’t relate to the sci-fi world, I didn’t grow up in it, I don’t 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 spirit—
In the spirit of hurting people?
Sort of! Desmond does fit in with a type of character you’ve 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 you’ve 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 don’t 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 worm’s got to be the thing. Worms are for fishing where I’m from, but it’s 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!
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