We spoke with Bradley at a roundtable – note, not a Round Table – at this year’s Comic-Con International in San Diego, where he talked about Series Four, romantic rivals, and respecting Merlin.
Questions are in bold; answers are not. Please do not reproduce this Q&A onto other websites. Instead, just place a link! Thanks! Visit KSiteTV’s Merlin forum
What can you tell us about Season Four?
I can tell you that I am enjoying filming Season Four more than I’ve enjoyed any other series. I’m over the moon about what we’ve done so far, and I’m really excited about seeing it. I haven’t seen anything [yet], so I’m with the fans on this one, because I’ve become a fan, myself.
Has Arthur taken over the duties of King, basically?
He’s very much at the helm, because Uther’s kind of sat in the corner screaming to himself, and people aren’t as ready to take orders from a madman anymore. So Arthur has found himself in that position, where he’s having to take responsibility for the kingdom, because Uther’s off his rocker at the moment.
Are people accepting Arthur in this role?
I think Arthur’s always been a bit of a fan favorite within Camelot. He goes out every now and then, does a heroic deed, and then the people of Camelot are like “Yeah. I like that guy. He just killed some creature for me.”
Are there no other people of power opposing him?
We haven’t quite reached the government system, the infrastructure that will eventually get into Camelot. So Arthur’s not really had too many contenders for his throne.
No, he’s not. And I’ll tell you why – and this is another reason – I’ve got some friends to hang out with now. We’ve got the Knights who are in town. They’ve introduced them. For me, that’s been great, because it means I’ve got a group of friends to hang out with while we’re filming, and it’s been the same on set. Arthur can now talk to his Knights without them responding to him in French.
What’s his relationship like with Merlin now?
I think ultimately, Arthur and Merlin, without them possibly ever admitting it, they’re kind of best friends, really. They’ve been through so much together that they’ve bonded. As I say, they probably wouldn’t admit to that – Arthur certainly wouldn’t – but I guess, if anything, the negative attention that Arthur pours down on Merlin whenever he’s in a bad mood, has probably been spread out now amongst his Knights.
I think this is the thing with Arthur. We’re all aware of King Arthur and the character of legend, the very noble, heroic man that is spoken of when you think of King Arthur. That’s where he’s going, and you’re starting to see more of that.
Last year, the relationship between Arthur and Gwen was brought out into the open. How will we see it evolve in this season?
I think while Uther’s in town, there’s always going to be an obstacle. I always say with Arthur, his first duty is to Camelot, and that’s why nothing’s happened. It’s one of those things that he’d have to make sure would be good for the kingdom before he ever acted on it. With Guinevere, for Arthur, it’s always Camelot. With Guinevere, there’s Lancelot. That’s when it gets interesting, and I think that’s the story that – when we tell that, that’ll be the thing that interests the fans the most.
Arthur and Guinevere isn’t really a classic love story. It’s not Romeo and Juiliet. It’s destined to be an absolute mess of a relationship. So it would be wrong to define Arthur by that, I think. I don’t think as a character he does. As he says, his first commitment is to Camelot.
Do you think he’s ready to fight for his relationships with other characters as they might be slipping away?
There’s an argument there. For example, with Merlin, for all the grief that he gives him, he will stand up for Merlin, and he will try and protect him, and for his father, he’s always been so stringently loyal to his father, even though he knows some of the things he’s done have been wrong. He’s always been very much about respecting his father and keeping on his side.
So, Arthur’s relationships with the various characters, I guess as long as they work out for the kingdom, they work out for Arthur.
So he places the value of the kingdom over his personal relationships?
I think that may be how he builds his relationships. He says “Are you going to work for this? You’re on board. Come on.” But yeah. Maybe marriages of convenience with his various relationships, perhaps.
Morgana was close to a sister for Arthur for all those years. Is he missing her at all?
This is where I become a fan, actually. I’m really looking forward to the idea of them meeting up again. That could go in any direction. And for Arthur, does he still have that sort spot for her? Or is he just instantly turned and become anti-Morgana? And I think because of the years they spent growing up together, that’s perhaps a case that he might still want to help her. But I’ll leave that to your imaginations, to what might actually happen when they do finally meet.
How will Arthur react when Lancelot comes back to town?
Lancelot being in town is great for Arthur, really, because I don’t think there’s too much for Arthur with regards to seeing it as a threat. There’s actually only one woman in Camelot, I’m not sure if you guys have ever noticed that. And Arthur, I think, has pulled rank on that one.
I’m related to the other woman who was here, and so he’s pulled rank, and I guess he perhaps sees the same threat from all the Knights of Camelot.
But, you know, Lancelot is like a fantastic trading card to have in your deck, and it’s great for Arthur’s protection and the kingdom if he’s got Lancelot there.
Do they become friends? In the legends, they were really great friends.
Well, the legends are very dark. Arthur and Lancelot were the best of friends. In some legends that you read, Lancelot was in love with Arthur, and because he couldn’t have him, he turned his attentions to Guinivere, because that was the only piece of Arthur he could have. We’re not gonna go down that road. It’s 7:00 on a Saturday night for people in England, I don’t know about in America, but that might be a bit too much.
They’ve always respected each other hugely, and Arthur’s got great respect for Lancelot and what he’s capable of, and who he is as a person. And I think he’s very happy to have him around.
Is Arthur seeking more counsel from the Knights as opposed to Merlin who was always his confidante before?
I think Merlin gets his word in, in those moments where Arthur’s perhaps feeling a bit vulnerable about the decisions he’s got to make, and Merlin was always there. I think, for Arthur, it’s very much about him learning how to make the decisions on his own. He’s going more into the direction of becoming that King that we’re aware of and we’re familiar with. He will start to be able to make these decisions on his own. His Knights, they just kind of turn up and swing the sword around with him, and look butch, which many of them do very well.
Are we going to going to see more respect for Merlin?
No! Why would you want to see that?
He milks it. Let’s put it that way. [Arthur]’s nowhere near as bad as I think people think. Again, I think with Arthur and Merlin, their friendship is very much there. Their relationship wouldn’t be what it is without the kind of banter that goes back and forth between them. To be honest with you, I think Merlin has to make a few steps up before that can develop too far. I use the example that he’s still wearing the same clothes he wore when he turned up to the kingdom, which suggests in terms of his status within the kingdom, that he’s still a peasant. In that society, that’s quite important.
Check out our interviews with Katie McGrath (Morgana) and Colin Morgan (Merlin) and come back soon for our interview with Anthony Head (King Uther!) Visit KSiteTV’s Merlin forum
2 Comments
That was a relly good article! my complments to the reporter and to bradley james for the news. i relly liked it
estuvo muy buena la entrevista!!!!!!!!!!