Photo by Kyrani Kanavaros - © Kyrani Kanavaros 2018
We had the wonderful opportunity to interview Thomas Elms! Check out the interview below.
Hi, Thomas! Thank you for granting the interview. Congrats on your role in Netflix series “The Order.” The Order” follows college freshman Jack Morton, who joins a fabled secret society, The Order, where he is thrust into a world of magic, monsters, and intrigue. This series is like UNDERWORLD on steroids! Exciting!
You star as Hamish Duke, the leader of a pack of werewolves known as the Knights of St. Christopher. Tell us about Hamish. Who is he? What’s his origin?
When I found out I was cast as Hamish I asked for whatever backstory was currently available. So there were a few things I knew front he beginning about the character. He’s a warrior, a guy with supernatural abilities, a spit in the face of death werewolf-knight of an ancient order of magic hunters. He’s also a bit old fashioned, he likes his alcohol and his ideas around duty, responsibility, and honor. He got accepted into Belgrave University and is currently on his third bachelor degree, forced to keep doing more and more school to justify his presence on campus, so he’s not exactly impressing his uber-strict entrepreneurial father. There’s also a sense of fatigue to Hamish that I found really fascinating, he’s been a werewolf for eight years, which is old by knight standards, there were champions who were around when Hamish was kicking it as a young wolf who is gone now, people he cared deeply for, and how he’s stuck with the responsibility of keeping everyone alive. The fact that the sand in the hourglass seems to have run out long ago for him so that every month the rest of the knights throw him a birthday party just to celebrate the fact that he’s still here. I found that incredibly moving, especially since this guy probably doesn’t have a great home-life, and doesn’t appear to have any other meaningful relationships.
With so many werewolves, such as The Howling and the Underworld, what research did you conduct to play Hamish?
Though I think there are similarities to other shows and films in the way the werewolves are handled, personally I didn’t really pay attention to any other depictions in film or on television. I did watch a number of wolf documentaries and try to study the behavior of animals. If there was one thing I wanted to incorporate it was that cold animal stare that wolves do when they look at you.
How did you plan to make your werewolf different from others?
Then for me, it was more a question of figuring out how Hamish served the story, and how I could find that behavior and body language in myself to properly convey his alpha status and supernatural qualities. As my brilliant co-star, Adam DiMarco put it, “Hamish is a bit of a looser” and I think as an audience we see that his dorkiness is what makes him so lovable, but underneath that, he is still an efficient killing machine when put to the task. So there was a sense of stillness and vigilance that I thought would be important in establishing Hamish as a character who was a little more reserved than his fellow knights.
What is going to surprise people about Hamish?
He’s got a lot of armor, I think he’s very aware that death could be right around the corner and he always keeps his close to his chest, he doesn’t really reveal too much about himself. What I think audiences will really enjoy and find surprising is how much fun it is to seem him interact with the other members of the pack. They’re all so volatile and he’s so calm, it was such a cool experience discovering my role in how we as a cast played in the more comedic bits, the writing was so funny and self-aware, never afraid to go for the punchline. I think it’s also what sets the show apart as a whole.
In your opinion, what sets this series apart from others that are similar in comparison?
It delves into territory that seems very familiar at first, but it’s a world that we’re only scratching the surface of. This the story of Jack’s revenge, told around an ages-old conflict between the knights and the order. I think what truly sets it apart is the writing and the characters, they’re all so believable and damaged, it’s impossible not to love them, even the truly despicable ones. Even though we’re dealing with some apocalyptic levels of drama, the show moves at such a good pace. It’s constantly switching gears and I think that’s really refreshing.
How did you find watching the series final product in comparison to what it was like working on set?
Filming The Order was easily the most fun I’ve ever had on set, and the highlight of my career. Finally getting to watch what I’d done and been critical about what I saw, what I liked, what I hated, what worked, and what I’d do differently next time. It was a great learning experience, especially knowing that we’ll be working on a second season. There is still that element of magic when you’re watching from beginning to end, there’s still a part of me that’s just amazed at what he’s seeing and how it all came together. I’m very thankful for that.
What was your favorite part, line or episode of the season?
Randall in the bar talking about how seeing a dog is like seeing a famous person. I was sitting across the bar when we were filming so I had no idea what he was saying, he improvised that whole thing and I laughed so hard when I finally saw it. My favorite scene was the bar-fight, working on that all day for 10+ hours in a studio was one of the best days I had on set, everyone was having a blast.
Do you have any on set stories you can share?
The first time I got up to shoot for the beer pong scenes I couldn’t make a single shot. I think I must have missed four times in a row while the entire crew was watching. It was either sheer panic or the fact that ten people came up to me to give me tips on my shot, but as soon as the cameras were rolling I made pretty much every shot, I was truly blessed by the TV gods that day.
What do you enjoy most about working the series?
The entire production team who worked on the Order were all such wonderful people. I’m also so proud to have worked on this with my cast, they brought so much to their roles, and this being my first recurring role on a series, it was great to feel like I was in a work-space where we were allowed to try things and not be afraid of failure. I love ancient history, so personally, I loved the feeling of antiquity that we got in the show. The conflict between the Knights and The Order goes back thousands of years, there’s a whole ocean of potential storytelling that comes with a fantasy series, I really can’t wait to see where things will go.
For those who haven’t seen The Order, how would you describe it in a few words?
I want to say something about family, about friendship and love, power and responsibility. At its core, I think the show asks a question of its viewers. “How much would you be willing to sacrifice to never have to work a day in your life?”
Do you have any upcoming projects you can share with us?
Season 2 has been officially announced, so I’m very much looking forward to getting another chance to play in this world. Otherwise, I’m very fortunate to be submitted for many interesting parts, whatever comes next I’m sure will be just as fun and as challenging as Hamish.
Connect with Thomas:
IMDb: imdb.com/name/nm7402258
Featured Image Credit: Photo by Kyrani Kanavaros.
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