An interview with Henry Ian Cusick for The 100

24 June 2014

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How would you describe your character and the dangerous situation he’s in when we first meet him in the pilot?

Kane is very pragmatic, but this is the situation that he’s in. He’s in a spaceship with limited resources where people are dying. He’s got 4000 people who may not make it, so he’s got big decisions to make.

How does he decide which actions to take?

With the spaceship dying, I think there's going to be a lot of discussion about how we move ahead. My character’s opinion is that we need to cull some people; we need to float some people [into space], so that the rest can survive. But how do they choose what happens? Who goes? Who stays? He’s pretty sure he’s going to get opposition from a lot of people on the Ark.

Is Kane a good guy? Or an evil character?

I don’t see people as good or bad. I think he’s just trying to do something and this is the way he chooses to do it. He’s got a job to do. His aim is to make sure the human race stays alive. I hope that people say, “I understand why he’s doing what he’s doing. It’s a difficult choice and I may not like it, but it has to be done.” I hope people will come to understand him, and maybe even agree with what he’s doing.

Does this mean you expect a lot of turmoil on the Ark as season one progresses?

Well, I think there will be different factions starting out, and maybe even revolution. Who knows? It’s going to be very interesting to find out.

What was it about the script of The 100 that appealed to you?

When I read the script, it was one of the few that I got to the end of. It was a real page-turner for me and I really enjoy the sci-fi genre, so I was really interested. I like thinking about what could be out there and I love the questions that sci-fi poses. And then they offered the role to me, which is always nice. There were a lot of positives.

Do you like the fact that Kane isn’t the conventional bad guy?

I guess so. Kane is dealing with an interesting question and an interesting dilemma, which I find fascinating. If you believe the only way to save the human race is by culling, would you have the balls to cull? Would you do it? If you have ten people in a boat and there’s only enough room for two, what would you do? That’s the basic question he’s dealing with.

You’ve played loveable television characters in Lost and Fringe, but what goes through your mind when people describe Kane as an extremist who wants to kill?

I disagree with that description. Kane doesn’t want to kill; he wants to save the human race. He just has a different way of going about it. I’m not denying that he’s slightly Draconian, but he is trying to save humanity. That is his one strong objective.

What research work or preparation did you tackle for the role?

I didn’t do anything that I wouldn’t normally do. To be honest, I just looked up some stuff on the internet about the effects of being in space for a long time – but that was from natural curiosity. I’m fascinated by questions like that. I love the sci-fi world and the way it makes me start to question things. Even if the show doesn’t touch on certain questions or themes, it certainly started to make me think about what will happen in the future. What will happen 100 years from today? What will we have? Will we be living in space? Where will we be?

What sci-fi shows do you rate?

I started watching Star Trek as a kid. The William Shatner series. I remember watching episodes of that show and thinking that the questions that came up were brilliant. I think the first one was about the nature of evil. What is evil? Is evil something you’re born with or can you get infected with evil? Sci-fi is a genre that asks those big questions. It lets your imagination run wild. I love all that good stuff.

Will Kane get to visit Earth and roll around in mud, like your character did in Lost?

I hope so. I don’t think that will happen in the first season, but maybe that’s something that could happen if we go ahead with another season.

What goes through your mind when you look back at your time on the iconic sci-fi show, Lost?

You know what? I was really sad to see the show end because it was such a beautiful experience. I miss it greatly. I had the time of my life on Lost and it’s great because I feel like I’m part of television history. That’s a wonderful feeling.

You’ve appeared on a number of iconic television shows. What is the appeal of the small screen?

I feel like there’s a lot of great writing on television. Plus, you get a good bite of the cherry with a TV show. When I worked on Lost, I wasn’t in the show every week. But when I was in the show, I had a nice little part. I had some interesting material to work with and I had some great storylines. I’ve really enjoyed working in TV.

Have you been tempted to move into a movie career?

In an ideal world, I’d love to work on movies if the writing is good – but I’m a little fussy. Movies are very finite projects and everything is written on the page. With television, you get to see a character develop over the course of a season or over the course of a number of seasons. You never know where you’re going to end up, which is exciting to me. That’s what I love about television.

ENDS.