From the very first time we saw him on Merlin, Bradley James became a quick TV favorite in his role as the eventual King Arthur. Lately, we’ve enjoyed Bradley on The CW series iZombie, where he plays Liv’s zombie love interest, Lowell Tracey.
A new episode of iZombie featuring Mr. James is on The CW tonight at 9PM following The Flash, and to promote tonight’s show, we spoke with Bradley as he took a short interview break from his upcoming series Damien, based on the classic film The Omen.
Enjoy the interview!
KSITETV’s CRAIG BYRNE: Where there an extra stress to play a brand new character like Lowell from scratch, and not a character that’s well known, like King Arthur or Damien from The Omen?
BRADLEY JAMES: There was absolutely no stress whatsoever. I had an incredible time with the cast, the character was written down in such a way that I could have a lot of fun with it, and I totally enjoyed myself. The stress levels were non-existent throughout my entire time in Vancouver.
Well then, how much fun was it to create a new character like Lowell?
That’s the word. Fun. There was almost a lack of responsibility with the character, because it was one that you could just have fun playing as an actor. That’s always a nice little treat, to get those parts. And from the moment we meet Lowell, he just likes to mess around with people a little bit. He’s a lighthearted zombie, as it were. That’s what it absolutely was.
Did the producers ever explain to you where they came up with the name Lowell?
Some guy who they liked, he was named after. That was the gist of it. They’ve got a friend called something Lowell, and they named him after him.
How many episodes are you signed for?
That’s a wonderful question. It’s probably more of a question for Rob Thomas, but we will see what is coming for Lowell.
What is it like to work with Rose McIver as Liv?
Rose is terrific to work with. I don’t exaggerate. I think because of the nature of the two characters, you have to fall in love with someone, and Rose didn’t make that difficult in any stretch of the imagination, because she is wonderful and lovely. I had great fun working scenes with her. I seem to remember my first scene in the interrogation room, and straight away, there was a sort of back and forth, and she was just very generous with what she gave you. I think that’s a word I would use for her: There’s a generosity in the way that she works, and that’s an absolute pleasure to bounce off of.
How has doing iZombie in Vancouver been different from filming in a castle for Merlin?
[Laughs] How is it different? The main difference is that I’m not walking in chain mail. I mean, I had a fantastic time [on Merlin] – one of the best parts of my day, admittedly, was when I got to take the chain mail off because my body was sloped at the end of the day. On iZombie, Lowell was a fan of incredibly tight jeans which, I had to say, maybe not my favorite, but I would say those, off the top of my head, are the biggest differences.
Lowell is a musician – do you have any musical talents, yourself?
I have no musical talents, aside from the fact that I’m learning to play “Big Love” on the guitar, which I’m told is a stupid song to start off with learning. That’s the extent of my musical talent.
What kind of feedback have you gotten from iZombie fans?
We were filming in a Toronto tube station last night – it was probably about six in the morning, I think – but any time that we came up for air, there were some very lovely, very supportive people there, who had waited to take pictures and stuff, and they all seemed to be talking about iZombie. So, I think just by proxy of being part of a very good show, you find yourself being complimented [about] it. I think that’s a huge part of that, is the fact that there’s such a great cast, and they’re doing such a great job. What I’ve managed to see, I’ve been very impressed and very proud of these wonderful actors who are creating these lives. So I think by proxy, I’ve been on the receiving end of maybe their hard work, more than my own.
Why should your fans be tuning in to see iZombie if they haven’t already?
I can’t tell you that, but I can tell you why I have kept watching: There’s a wonderful job being done by the cast. I can’t really single their names out, because they all do a great job in their specific roles. That’s why I’ve been tuning in.
Do you have any final words for the people who are reading this?
Final words. To be continued!
Don’t miss a new episode of iZombie tonight (May 12) at 9PM ET/PT on The CW. Our thanks to Bradley James for speaking with us!
