'Brave New World' star Joseph Morgan talks comparisons to the book, staying 'in each moment' on the show, and the scenes he's most proud of
- Warning: There are major spoilers ahead for season one of "Brave New World," which is now available to watch on NBCUniversal's new streaming service Peacock.
- Joseph Morgan, who portrays an Epsilon named CJack60, spoke to Insider about preparing for his character arc on the nine-episode season, comparisons to Aldous Huxley's 1932 novel of the same name, and more.
- The actor told us that he "loved all of the finale" and is proud of a scene from episode five, which shows how his character is affected after witnessing a fight at a party.
Joseph Morgan spoke to Insider about preparing for his role on "Brave New World" and how the series compares to Aldous Huxley's 1932 book of the same name.
"I knew the script was pretty special, just from the way the action was described as well as the dialogue. It was a world I hadn't seen before," Morgan told us of the nine-episode show, which is now available on NBCUniversal's new streaming service Peacock.
Morgan stars as CJack60 on "Brave New World," set in the future in a technologically advanced and seemingly-perfect place called New London where residents abide by three rules: no privacy, no family, and no monogamy.
Morgan's character is an Epsilon, making up the largest and lowest-ranking population of New London's hierarchy. Their purpose is to perform menial tasks and clean up after the higher classes (namely the Alphas and Betas), rather than participate in any of the pleasurable activities like parties, orgies, or "feelies."
Unlike Huxley's book, the Epsilons play a much larger role in the TV adaptation and "come into their own by the time the revolution hits," Morgan said.
Morgan tapped into CJack60's thought-process by 'trying to imagine how his brain worked, what his daily life was like' before his friend's death
"I feel like he was very much in the moment, very much like a child," the actor said. "He wouldn't dwell too much on the past or the future. He really was about the stimulation that's in front of him at that moment and going moment to moment."
Morgan continued: "So for me, it was about trying to stay in each moment. Stay utterly in each moment without dwelling on any kind of past or future and then feel things as they come up. It's kind of what we try and do anyway as an actor, even a bit of a cliche I suppose, to stay in the moment, but it was vital to CJack60."
The arrival of John (Alden Ehrenreich), a stranger from the Savage Lands, acts as a catalyst for the gruesome Epsilon rebellion that occurs during the season finale
CJack60's curiosity toward free-will and autonomy is encouraged by John, who becomes somewhat of a friend to him and gives rousing speeches to the Epsilons.
"[CJack60's] already been through this traumatic experience and started to feel these things," Morgan said.
"Then to have this outsider come in from the Savage Lands and affirm what he was feeling, telling him, 'You don't have to feel like this, you don't have to do these jobs, you don't have to accept your place in this world, you can make your place, you can make it what you want it to be,' that was incredibly freeing and inspiring."
"CJack60 took that a step further and went too far perhaps in the finale, running with what John said," the actor continued.
"But I really enjoyed those scenes. I think Alden is a terrific actor and very present and very subtle, so it was quite exciting to work with him and to expand upon that relationship."
There are two scenes in particular from the show that Morgan is most proud of
One of Morgan's favorite scenes takes place during episode five, when CJack60 wanders into Helm Watson's (Hannah John-Kamen) party and sees Bernard Marx (Harry Lloyd) punch Henry Foster (Sen Mitsuji) after getting a pep talk from John. The violent action is uncommon in New London, but it fascinates CJack60.
"He realizes that he could express himself like that physically, or even violently if he needed to, his emotions could culminate in that," Morgan said.
"There's a freedom that comes from that. Going through that silent journey, experiencing that, I was pretty proud of that because it was again, just staying very present and feeling that flow as it happened to me."
Morgan also said he "enjoyed the journey throughout, but the finale makes it all worthwhile for me."
The actor "loved all of the finale," but especially CJack60's final scene, in which he comes face-to-face with his maker, Elliott, who's one of the original 10 people who created New London and makes up the inner circle of the network.
In his final scene on the show, CJack60 strangles Elliott to death.
"My very last scene of the finale, I'm really proud of because I've never done anything like that, so it was pretty interesting to be a part of," Morgan said.
The actor said that the most surprising thing about the show is its 'unique view of the future'
"We've seen a lot of dystopian, post-apocalyptic futures imagined on-screen and I think this is something very, very different in terms of the vision it gives us, and that's what was most exciting to me and most awe-inspiring when I saw the finished product, visual effects and all," Morgan said.
He continued: "And I feel like that is the draw, to give us a window into this world, which is utterly unfamiliar and quite terrifying because at first glance, it seems like certainly for the alphas and betas, it's a paradise. But it's a very shallow paradise with no depth and once you start peeling back the layers, you realize what a prison these people are in."
Morgan found Huxley's novel to be enjoyable when he read it, but thought that the show put a refreshing spin on the material.
"I thought it was pretty great," Morgan said. "Maybe it's because I read the first two scripts first, I just felt like they were a little more accessible."
"They were kind of brought up to date a little more, so I kind of enjoyed that journey a little more, if that's not too controversial to say about a classic piece of literature."
Watch the trailer for "Brave New World" below.