It’s hard to deny that Giancarlo Esposito’s Tom Neville is one of the best things about NBC’s Revolution, which returns for a second season Wednesday, September 25. The very busy Esposito will also be returning to his old realm of Once Upon A Time soon.
We spoke with Mr. Esposito at Comic-Con about what is coming up for Tom as well as what it is like to play the Mirror once again. First, of course, we cover Revolution.
“I’m having a great time,” he says of playing Tom Neville. “It’s really funny, because I love that the character is complete, number one. That he has aspiration. That he has ability. That he has intelligence. And that somewhere in there, I believe he has a heart. I believe it’s kind of gotten muddy, and covered up, but I believe that part of him wants the best for people, and the other part of him wants to be in control. So, for me I have the most fantastic character to bring to life for our audience, and I’m in gratitude for that. I don’t think anyone’s completely black or white, and I like the fact that in one moment, Tom can be completely mean, and in another moment, he can be a guy who understands what your plight and your story might be, but he still has to kill you,” he explains.
“I think he has a vision, and I think that because he’s come from humble beginnings, both personality wise and emotionally, he is on the precipice of feeling like he knows how to do it better,” Esposito continues. “I think that is a dangerous place to be, because none of us know, completely, howto do anything.”
Esposito tells us that Revolution Season 2 starts with “darkness and blackness.” “The button has been pushed, the bombs have been dropped, and we’re trying to recover from that. So, anyone who has any idea that they know better, doesn’t. At this point, Tom is just trying to survive, and deal with loss of many, many, many people, and being a soldier, he can do the numbers and the math about how many are going to be lost, and what it takes for the survivors to reinforce themselves to come back. But there are no guarantees, because there’s no power, no food, and he has no resources. He’s still at odds with his son, who he hopes he could be able to groom to be able to trust, because he needs men that he could trust. So he’s on his own, as are all the characters when we come back. There are no sides anymore; there’s just survival, and it’s a world that’s completely fresh and new for our viewers and our fans. I’m excited,” he says enthusiastically.
If you’ve seen the first season finale of Revolution (now on DVD and Blu-ray), you might have gotten a glimpse of an American colony – complete with a President – offshore in Cuba. That will, indeed, be followed up on. “If it’s been alluded to, you’re going to see it,” Giancarlo confirms. “There is a President out there, and what is the culpability of those people who went away, and why did they go away? Neville’s going to try to find out, baby, because he’s interested in justice, and setting it right, and now he has nothing else to lose. We don’t know if he’s able to find Julie, if she’s alive, or Foster, if she still survived.”
Those weren’t the only Season 2 hints that Esposito offered to the press table. “We have, in this first episode, another hero character dying, which is hard to take. Neville despises the rebels. He thinks they’re weak. He thinks that they are fighting for the wrong thing, and I think in our new world that’s turned on its head, you’re going to be able to see that there are no sides, and that people who have even hated each other before are going to have to start trusting each other, and that’s the world of Revolution that’s so very interesting.”
In addition to shooting Season 2 of Revolution, a return to the land of fairy tales is coming for Esposito, who shot a return to Once Upon A Time the week after this interview was conducted. “I’m excited to go back,” he says. “I think we have a character who still is very much in love with the Queen and doesn’t understand why he’s been in the dungeon for so long. I’m excited to be the Mirror. The Mirror, to me, is a little bit slicker than Sidney, and gives us clues into the eventuality of what relationships could be on that show. So, I can’t tell you too much, but I hope to keep returning to that show, if we can have it work out.”
Revolution Season 2 starts September 25 on NBC. Take a look at some cast photos from the new season!
1 Comment
What exactly did he mean by gives us clues into the eventuality of what relationships could be on that show and the so I can’t tell you much.
I hope he’s not hinting at any sort of couples being broken up on the show? Do you think that was just a comment of what he thinks his character may end up doing or is it something his character will actually end up doing? I’m lost as to what he said meant.