Always near the top of the “shows you should be watching” list, The CW’s post-apocalyptic series The 100 has often had a way of elevating recurring guest characters to much bigger roles in the ensemble as the series has gone along. One of the most prominent characters who has really made an impact on the show is John Murphy, a character that fans loved to hate in Season 1 thanks to his strong portrayal by actor Richard Harmon.
In the show’s second year, we have learned more about what makes Murphy tick, and tonight, Murphy’s journey alongside former chancellor Jaha (Isaiah Washington) will send him to completely new places.
We caught up with Richard Harmon earlier this week to talk about Murphy’s past and future, including the possibility of more in Season 3. The interview follows below.
KSITETV’s CRAIG BYRNE: When you took the role of Murphy did you have any idea that he would have so much depth as a character?
RICHARD HARMON: Not at all. When I took it, it wasn’t even “Murphy.” His name was “John #1” in the pilot. He was just really one of Bellamy’s henchmen. I remember reading it, and thinking “well, that’s not very interesting,” but I took a shot on the pilot, and tried to do something more with him, and make him this sinister guy. Jason [Rothenberg] really liked it, and he moved forward with it, and he made him into this guy, Murphy, and slowly but surely, he’s become the guy that we know now, and I absolutely love him.
I never thought he’d be as big as he is now on the show, but it’s really great to see it.
Was there anything that Murphy did in those early days that really shocked you?
No, I don’t think so. He did some stuff, but I found a way to justify it all. Was he a nice guy in the beginning? No. Not really. He was trying to survive in his own way.
I don’t think that Murphy’s, in general, a nice guy, but he’s not a bad person, and I’m trying to find a way to show that to people. I think in Season 2, some people have seen that. But I never was shocked by anything that he did.
At what point did you have a conversation with Jason and the writers about Murphy’s past, and what happened with his dad?
I never knew about it until I read the script. I had no idea, and I was like “that’s great.” I sent Jason an e-mail and was like “this is awesome. I can’t wait to tell this part of his story.”
What does Murphy think of this quest with Jaha to find the City of Light?
I don’t think he buys it at this point. I really don’t think Murphy does. I mean, it doesn’t seem like something Murphy would really buy, so I had to justify why he would go on this journey. I think Jaha said it best: He’s like “look at this. There’s so much more in the world than this. We come down here from the Arc, which is a place where we were all confined and put into sections, and told ‘this is where you belong’,” and then we were sent down here to Earth, to a world that is so open, and so vast, and yet Murphy allowed himself to continue to be pigeonholed and treated like crap. Jaha says “there’s so much out there,” and I think Murphy is like “why am I letting this happen to myself?” So it’s not so much trying to find the City of Light, it’s just going out there and finding other things.
I think any of that, for Murphy, would be the equivalent of the City of Light, which is just “Hope.”
This interview is a bit long so we’ve split it into two pages. Navigate to Page 2 below:
