Henry Ian Cusick on The 100’s Dark Path and Kane’s Ambitions
The actor on his role on the CW series. Plus, the staying power of Lost, as it reaches its 10th anniversary.
by Eric Goldman IGN
March 25, 2014
Debuting last week, the CW’s new post-apocalyptic sci-fi series, The 100, is set both on Earth, where the title characters have been sent — to discover if our planet is once more livable — and in space, as we follow the power struggle onboard the space station called the Ark, with the remnants of humanity. A key figure on the Ark is Councilman Kane, played by Henry Ian Cusick. The pilot established Kane as a man who is determined to save mankind by any means necessary; even if it involves the death of many, as the Ark’s capacity to maintain life dips dangerously low. This puts him into conflict both with the current leader, Chancellor Jaha (Isaiah Washington) and with Abby (Paige Turco), a fellow council member who has a very different viewpoint on what is right.
The 100 has now wrapped production on its 13-episode season, but a few weeks before they finished, I sat down with Cusick to discuss his character and where Kane is coming from. We also talked about the surprisingly dark places The 100 goes and the echoes the series has of Cusick’s previous series Lost, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year.
IGN TV: Your character obviously has his ambitions, but do you think he’s sort of single-minded in that? From his point of view, he wants to help save humanity, and he just thinks he knows a better, albeit more ruthless, way to do it.
Henry Ian Cusick: That’s absolutely right. You hit it on the head. His ambitions… You would think he just wants Jaha’s job, for no other reason than he just wants the job. But I think, if he is ambitious in any way, he just thinks he can do it better and that his way is the right way. That’s why he’s prepared to kill quite a few people, as opposed to Abby, who’s not playing with that one at all.
IGN: Is it interesting to put your mindset into that of a guy who is so honed in what he believes is the greater good?
Cusick: Yes, yeah, because that goes against what I’d do, how I think personally. But to think that way and to convince yourself, “You know what? Yes, there is a valid point…” Would you chop your arm off to save your life? Yes, if you could. So it is a very valid point, and to get into that mindset… I hope that some people can understand as well.
Entire interview here: Henry Ian Cusick on The 100’s Dark Path and Kane’s Ambitions
