The CW’s The 100 is one of our favorite pilots that we’ve been able to see this summer, and mixed in with some young newcomers in the cast are some veterans of TV and movies that we’ve all enjoyed for a while. One such familiar face is Henry Ian Cusick, the talented actor who gave us Desmond on LOST and Stephen Finch on Scandal.
Now, Cusick as Councilman Kane is joined on an Ark in Space by Isaiah Washington as Chancellor Jaha and Paige Turco as Councilwoman Abigail Walters. After a hundred years, the Ark is dying, and in order to survive, people are going to have to be jettisoned or “floated” off before they use up all of the valuable resources to survive. Kane is very strong-willed in how to handle the situation, and that will might cause conflict with the others, especially Jaha.
We spoke with Mr. Cusick at this year’s Comic-Con International to learn more about his new character.
“The situation that he’s in, he’s in a spaceship where there’s dying, and he’s got 4000 people who may not make it. He’s got big decisions to make, and he’s got to have big balls to cut those people,” Cusick says, pointing out that Kane is “very pragmatic.”
“With the spaceship dying, I think there’s going to be a lot of discussion about how we go ahead,” he says. “My opinion is we need to cull some people; we need to float some people so that the rest of us can survive. But how do we choose that? Who goes? Who stays? And I’m sure I’m going to get opposition from a lot of people.”
Is Councilman Kane a good guy or a bad guy? “I don’t see people as good or bad,” Cusick says. “I think he’s trying to do something, and just the way he goes about it, it’s the same with any character. I don’t think of him as a good or bad guy. I’ve got something to do. My aim is to make sure the human race stays alive, and this is the way I’m going to do it. It’s up to other people to perceive. I hope that people would say ‘I understand why he’s doing what he’s doing. It’s a difficult choice. I may not like it, but it has to be done.’ I hope people will come to understand him, and maybe even agree with what I’m doing.”
You can see video of the interview, with even more answers, below. Also in the video Cusick talks about his upcoming guest role on Hawaii Five-0! Enjoy, and come back soon for more on The 100.
