Eliza Taylor’s Clarke Griffin has become a mom in a way in the new season of The 100, currently airing Tuesday nights on The CW and recently renewed by the network. As we saw in the season premiere, Clarke encountered a young Nightblood named Madi, and then more trouble came down in the form of some unruly and unfriendly visitors.
Madi is played by Lola Flanery and we were able to talk with her about The 100 experience and everything else that’s coming up. Enjoy the interview!
KSITETV’s CRAIG BYRNE: What was your initial reaction when you found out you booked the role of Madi on The 100?
LOLA FLANERY: At first, before I even got it, I hadn’t watched the show, but once I got the audition I immediately binge-watched the whole show on Netflix! So my reaction when I first got the audition was to immediately just watch the show… and it was SO GOOD!
But my reaction to when I got the audition was like “holy crap! This is amazing! I get to be part of this now!”
Since you had that experience of binging the show, did it mean a lot to you as an actor as it did to Madi when she first started meeting other characters on the show?
Actually, yeah, it did. Because when I binge-watched the whole series, I got to see more of what’s going on and I got to meet them in my own Netflix kind of way, and when Madi does get to see all that stuff happen, it is like she gets to kind of meet them all over again, like I did when I was watching it.
What was it like to work with Eliza Taylor for the first time, especially when it was just the two of you?
It was just amazing. She is so kind. She was such a pleasure to work with. And also from Madi’s point of view, Madi really loves Clarke, and there’s a bond on screen and off.
Can you talk about the stories that Clarke has told Madi over the years about her friends?
Clarke has told Madi a lot about all of her friends up on the sky and down underground, so I feel like Madi has been taught to trust all the people that Clarke has told her about, to trust them and see them as heroes. So, yeah. Clarke has told her a lot.
Can you tease anything about Madi’s first encounter with Bellamy?
Well… I can’t tease that much, but what I CAN say is that she is going to start forming bonds with a lot of Clarke’s friends. But not all of them will welcome Madi with open arms.
Has there been any particular moment on The 100 set that was funny while you were filming?
I mean, the best part would probably be craft service! But there’s so much fun, and amazing things with the cast, because they’re all so sweet and hilarious. So I think it could just be “all of it.”
Did you have to do any physical training for this role, because Madi has a lot of skills?
Since I myself… I just have spaghetti arms, I did have to do a bit of boxing training, which was so cool, and there was a lot of preparation in terms of holding the gun and doing all of that stuff.
Is there any actor from The 100 that you would really like to work with more?
Hmm. It would be probably be Richard Harmon because he’s so funny.
Going back to the season premiere, how did Madi react after they’ve had several years of seeming peace, and now this ship comes down?
It’s more like how Madi sees the change in Clarke, because Clarke and Madi have lived in peace for that long. So, Clarke is now this overprotective Mama Bear, and a side she hasn’t seen. So it’s definitely a huge shift for Madi.
Do you think it was hard for Madi to trust Clarke at first?
Yes, definitely. Of course. As we see in the first episode with the little feral Madi, it did go off to an ugly start, you could say, but I think after she saw that Clarke was actually a Nightblood, I feel like that gave more of a bond to Clarke and Madi, because they could relate to each other.
Why should fans be tuning in and watching The 100 Season 5?
I mean, frankly, just because it’s such a bad ass season.
Are you hoping for Season 6? (this interview was conducted before the announcement)
Ohhhh yeah. Ohhhhhhh yeah.
Do you have any final things to say to the fans who will be reading this?
Fans, I love you! Thank you so much.
The 100 is new tonight with “Sleeping Giants!” Find some photos from the episode here.
