Reliving death each day
> James Marsden talks about the evolution of Teddy Flood, the character he plays on the remake of Westworld
WHEN we first see Teddy Flood, played by the ever youthfullooking James Marsden, 43, we are easily fooled into thinking he is a visitor to Westworld, a Wild West theme park with hosts (highly-advanced sentient androids) who are there to help paying guests live out their fantasies.
We watch as he woos the pretty rancher’s daughter Dolores Abernathy (Evan Rachel Wood) and then, like a gentleman, rides with her back home where he discovers a gang has killed her entire family.
When he tries to help, he gets gunned down by a mysterious stranger in black (Ed Harris) who then proceeds to drag a screaming Dolores into a nearby barn.
It is only after this disturbing scene that we learn that Teddy is, in fact, one of the theme park hosts who relive each day according to a set storyline and know nothing of what happened the night before or that the world they are living in is not real.
We recently got a chance to speak with Marsden, who is perhaps best known for playing Scott Summers aka Cyclops in the X-Men Series (2000-2006) as well as the leading man in films such as 27 Dresses (2008), The Best of Men (2014) and Hop (2011).
Speaking to regional media personnel at a roundtable interview in Singapore, Marden revealed what made him take on the role of Teddy, who ‘dies’ several more times during the series.
“Well, I didn’t know [dying] was going to continue to be a theme over several episodes,” said Marsden.
“I did like the bait-and-switch in episode one ... It is a reminder these hosts are park attractions. They can kill another host but they can’t kill a guest.
“Teddy has a code – not just the one programmed in him. He is a decent ‘human being’ or a decent host. I think his journey is really interesting and he won’t be target practice for long.”
Marsden is unable to divulge Teddy’s fate in the final episode, or even if he will be back in season two.
He did however, say that he hopes Teddy will “die” a lot less if he returns for season two.
“It was somewhat surprising to me where Teddy’s path is [during the show]. It is surprising to each character ….”
Incidentally, this Oklahoma native grew up around real-life cowboys, and did ride horses in his youth, although never as much as he does on Westworld.
“[On X-Men] I got to play a superhero. Westworld is equally exciting because I got to fulfil a childhood fantasy of riding around, lusting [after] the girl, shooting the bandit and playing the cowboy.”
Every episode gives enough shocks and surprises to keep the viewers watching. But will people have the patience to wait for season two which is only scheduled for 2018?
“I hope so,” Marsden said. “It took us two years to do the first 10 episodes.
“We hit a few hiccups and a few bumps on the road because we were going too fast. We were shooting on sets not totally built yet.”
He added that the cast also never got a full script for all 10 episodes. “None of us knew where it was going either.”
Marsden, however, is confident that the season one finale will ensure fans will wait patiently for its return.
There are also several ‘battles’ that are pivotal to the story’s premise which will keep viewers wanting more.
One is between Robert Ford, the founder and creator of Westworld (played by Anthony Hopkins), and Ford’s former partner Arnold/now host Bernard, who was head of Westworld’s programming division (played by Jeffrey Wright).
The other is between Ford and the Man in Black (Harris).
In episode five, Teddy is seen sitting silently at the table as Ford and the Man in Black square off.
It is riveting as you realise that Teddy, like the other hosts, is essentially a pawn in the scheme of things.
“Some of what they are saying doesn’t even fall on his ears,” explained Marsden.
“They (the host) are programmed to understand only what they are required to understand. They are talking about the mechanics or the part and what I am.
“I think the audience empathises with the hosts more than the humans, because the hosts are behaving in more humane ways.
“They are noble, they are virtuous. They are caught in this house of mirrors and stuck in this box constantly recirculating grief and torture.
“I think the audience is thinking: ‘These poor people. Just wait for them to burst through those walls’.”
Catch Westworld season one finale today on HBO (Astro channel 411/ 431) at 10am (9pm primetime encore).