An interview with Marie Avgeropoulos for The 100

24 June 2014

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What attracted you to the role of Octavia in The 100?

I was already a part of The CW family by being on a show called Cult, but when [The 100 executive producer] Jason Rothenberg got in contact with this script, I was immediately attracted to the project. I loved it. The words jumped off the page, so I was really excited to get into it.

 What was the audition process like?

The audition process was intense and lengthy, but it was also a lot of fun. I really connected with the producers and the network already knew who I was from Cult, so they were very welcoming and open to me playing Octavia. I’m really happy they thought of me for the role.

 Did you have to test with any of the other actors in the show?

At one point, they narrowed it down to a few girls – but I didn’t have to audition with anyone else. It was always me alone in the audition room. In fact, I didn’t get to act with anyone else until we showed up on set, so it was a surprise to meet everybody. The cast is great, though. We all get along really well.

 How would you describe life on The 100?

Working on The 100 is a blast. As a Canadian girl, it was really nice to go back to my northern roots and shoot the pilot in beautiful British Columbia. My character in the show is the first person to step foot on Earth – and that wasn’t hard to imagine when you’re in a beautiful rain forest. The natural, protected parks were so beautiful and epic and lush. The pilot was a really great experience.

 In the first episode, your character jumps into a lake as soon as she discovers water. Is she an intrepid adventurer?

It’s the first time my character has seen water like that, so she’s mesmerised by it. She was the first person to spot the lake and because she’s a bad girl, she doesn’t listen to anyone else. Her crime was being born because you’re only allowed to have one child in space where they are dealing with population control – and Octavia is the second child in her family. Naturally, she doesn’t want to listen to anything now that she’s on Earth. She jumps straight into the water where she meets a sea monster.

 What happens to her next?

Thankfully, her friends manage to pull her out of the lake. Clarke [played by Eliza Taylor] is the brains of the group and the natural-born leader. She figures out that if you kick a stone into the water, the monster gets distracted. They distract the monster and get me out.

 How difficult was it to shoot the action scene in the lake?

Having grown up as a tomboy – and due to my Canadian roots – I’m a big believer in trying to do as many stunts as I can. It was really fun to get into the water and get pulled around. It was great.

 Were you strapped into a rig for the scene?

That’s right. Jason Rothenberg explained to me that the inspiration for the water sequence was the scene in Jaws where the girl gets dragged around. When he showed me the plan for the episode, he showed me the clip from Jaws and said, “That’s what you’re going to be doing.” I replied, “Excellent. I’m ready. Game on.”

Octavia’s brother lands on Earth with the rest of the juveniles. Do you think having family with her is going to give her an advantage over the others?

I think so. Octavia was kept under the floorboards her entire life, so the fact that she is reunited with her brother definitely helps. She’s the only one with some sort of family on Earth, but I also think she’s going to get a little annoyed when he tries to be overprotective. Octavia is thinking, ‘Hey, I’ve just set foot on Earth and there are boys around… I’m going to do what I want to do.’ She won’t want to be controlled by her brother, so I definitely think there’s going to be a push/pull situation between them.

What are your thoughts on the sci-fi element to the show? It’s a post-apocalyptic future – but how real will the themes be?

It’s really nice to be a part of a sci-fi project. I’ve never done one before, so it’s really interesting to me. There’s a two-headed deer in the pilot to remind the audience of the nuclear apocalypse and the fact that the Earth has definitely been affected. There’s acid rain and acid fog that comes in – and we’re going to be dealing with a lot of issues to maintain survival amongst The 100. There are alliances and 100 kids trying to make it work amongst each other. I’m really excited. All of our special effects come from the same people who did the Twilight movies, so they are really good, too. It’s going to be great.

You mention the fact that there’s a two-headed deer on Earth. Are there any surviving humans down there?

The writers are staying pretty tight-lipped on things like that. Personally, I like it that way. As an actress, I don’t know what’s coming for my character. I think that’s great because I can’t anticipate anything. We’ll all have to wait and see what happens.

How do you think you’d handle life as one of the 100 juveniles sent to Earth?

If I came from space, I don’t know how I’d handle life on Earth as one of The 100. It would be like having too many cooks in the kitchen; just like at Christmas when there are too many people trying to cook in one kitchen. With 100 people saying different things, there’s going to be a lot of drama going on with people wanting to do things their own way. That’s what makes it fun and interesting – and exciting, too.

Are you a good camper in real life?

Personally, I love to camp. When it comes to Octavia, I guess we’ll see.

What physical preparation did you undertake to prepare for the role?

I always try to stay in shape and out of trouble as much as possible. I hit the gym a lot, I do Pilates – and I also do some martial arts. I ride my motorcycle around LA as much as possible, too. I do all that good stuff.

Your character in the show is a bit of a rebel. How much of a rebel are you in real life?

I don’t know. To be honest, I never play a good girl in anything, so maybe the industry is trying to tell me something? Octavia is a rebel and she’s got a chip on her shoulder. I don’t think her social skills are great because she was brought up under the floorboards for so many years. I think she just does whatever she wants – but she’s definitely going to butt heads with Clarke. Absolutely. There’s no question about that. That’s something to look forward to!

With which character would you like to see Octavia have a romantic encounter?

The only thing I’m told about Octavia is that she definitely gets passed around like a hot potato, so we’ll see! She has fun. That’s for sure.

How awkward is it to shoot a love scene?

You know what? I’ve only recently finished shooting my first big love scene – but I’ll let you into a secret: it’s never romantic and it’s totally awkward. It was a love scene with Taylor Lautner on a movie called Tracers and it was his first big love scene, too. There’s nothing sexy about it. You’re surrounded by crewmembers, so you’ve just got to tune everybody out. I don’t think I’ve ever met an actor who loves to do love scenes – but you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do.

And finally, why should we tune into the show?

Why should you tune into the show? Because The 100 has something for everybody. There’s a younger generation cast on Earth and an older generation cast in space, so it’s got a broad spectrum across the charts for everybody. We’re dealing with a brand new world filled with deceit, alliances and people trying to start something new. The possibilities are really endless. It’s great.

ENDS.