THURSDAY, March 28, 2024
nationthailand

Odyssey into the UNKNOWN

Odyssey into the UNKNOWN

Luke Hemsworth talks about the making of the hit HBO series, "Westworld"

WITH “Game of Thrones” not returning to the small screen until later next year, HBO is wooing fans with another dark action drama. And its latest creation, “Westworld”, looks like it will keep viewers happy, premiering last month to rave reviews.
Inspired by the 1973 film written by Michael Crichton of the same name, the new series is a dark odyssey about the dawn of artificial consciousness and the future of sin.
Set at the intersection of the near future and the reimagined past, it explores a world in which every human appetite, no matter how noble or depraved, can be indulged.
The programme takes place in fictional Westworld, a technologically advanced, Western-themed amusement park populated completely by synthetic androids who act as “hosts”.
Westworld caters to high-paying visitors dubbed “newcomers” (also known as “guests”), who can do whatever they wish within the park, without fear of retaliation from the hosts.
Westworld features a strong cast of award-winning actors and actresses, including Oscar winner Anthony Hopkins as Dr. Robert Ford, the brilliant yet mysterious creative director of Westworld. Ed Harris portrays the Man in Black, a mysterious, sadistic rich guest of the theme park who is searching for a “deeper level”.
Jeffrey Wright stars as Bernard Lowe, head of the Westworld Programming Division and creator of artificial people with James Marsden, Rodrigo Santoro, Clifton Collins, Jr., Evan Rachel Wood, Thandie Newton, Tessa Thompson and Sidse Babett Knudsen also playing key roles.
Another member of the cast is 35-year-old Australian actor Luke Hemsworth, who portrays Ashley Stubbs, the no-nonsense head of Westworld security, charged with monitoring Host and human interactions and ensuring the safety of the guests.
We had a chat with him about his big break.
YOU’RE BEING RECOGNISED MORE IN ASIA NOW WITH “WESTWORLD”. HOW DOES IT FEEL?
It’s fantastic, and I hope to do more. It’s been a long journey for me. I’ve been acting for a long time and I’ve been putting out a lot of hard work. Hopefully you’ll see a lot of more of me in this part of the world.

THERE ARE A LOT OF BIG NAMES WORKING ON THE SHOW. HOW WAS IT WORKING WITH THEM?
It was fantastic. I go to work, and I pinch myself because it’s like a dream. You have to stand next to these giants, the incredible minds, great performers and incredibly creative minds behind the scenes. They’re all very lovely people, too, so I have nothing to complain about.

HOW MUCH DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THE PLOT IN ADVANCE?
Not a lot. The production last year was moving very quickly, and it was interesting to discover what was happening for us as the process continued. It’s great to watch it now, because it was quite hard for us to understand what was happening. Now it’s all becoming a bit clearer.

HOW MUCH OF THE STORYLINE IS TAKEN FROM THE 1973 SCIENCE FICTION FILM?
I don’t think a lot. The original movie is about robots going crazy and doing things to humans that are not very nice. The show kind of inverts that premise, so you have humans being not very nice to robots. I think it’s interesting from the standpoint of the viewers because you are care a lot about the robots and about what they’re going through. That is something that hasn’t been explored and makes it very interesting.

WHAT’S THE PRODUCTION BUDGET LIKE FOR THIS SHOW?
I don’t know how much I’m allowed to talk about this, but I can tell you that it’s huge. It’s like shooting a film every two or three weeks.
There’s tons of footage and the production team has to pare it down to one hour for an episode. They move very quickly and the production values are enormous. The sets are amazing. The tech world is just mind boggling.

THE SHOW IS ANTICIPATED TO BE AS SUCCESSFUL AS “GAME OF THRONES”. WHAT DO YOU THINK?
It’s very different from “Game of Thrones”. I guess what they’re comparing is maybe the obsession that can come from watching the show. The show asks a lot of questions and creates a lot of discussion, and at the same time it doesn’t answer a lot. That makes it very interesting to watch. That is maybe the same with “Game of Thrones”: you’re hooked and invested in the characters and you want to see what’s going to happen because they become part of you.

The Nation would like to thank Natthakorn Wiangin for the assistance with the interview.

 

nationthailand