{"id":113472,"date":"2020-07-13T09:00:16","date_gmt":"2020-07-13T08:00:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.scifinow.co.uk\/?p=113472"},"modified":"2020-07-23T15:34:12","modified_gmt":"2020-07-23T14:34:12","slug":"netflixs-cursed-interview-with-devon-terrell","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.scifinow.co.uk\/interviews\/netflixs-cursed-interview-with-devon-terrell\/","title":{"rendered":"Netflix’s Cursed: Interview with Devon Terrell"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Based on the book by Frank Miller and Tom Wheeler, Cursed<\/em> is a re-imagining of the Arthurian legend, told through the eyes of Nimue, a teenage heroine with a mysterious gift who is destined to become the Lady of the Lake. After her mother’s death, she finds an unexpected partner in Arthur, a young mercenary, in a quest to find Merlin and deliver the legendary sword Excalibur. <\/strong><\/p>\n

Over the course of her journey, Nimue will become a symbol of courage and rebellion against the terrifying Red Paladins, and their complicit King Uther.<\/strong><\/p>\n

We speak to Devon Terrell who plays Arthur in Cursed<\/em> about taking on a legend and what it was like to have Frank Miller and Tom Wheeler on set…<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

What is Cursed<\/em> all about?<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n

For me it starts with the story of Nimue.<\/a> It\u2019s an epic story of these legends that we know so well told through fresh eyes. We discover [Arthur] in an exciting new form and [there are] newly created characters who create a dynamic of a world where anything\u2019s possible, and you’re fighting for the survival of your culture and your people and that leads to the discovery of the power within them and their destiny. We see that through the character of Nimue and it\u2019s exciting, it\u2019s a new take and as much as we know the characters, we discover them in such a new way.<\/p>\n

There have been many depictions of Arthur, what kind of character is he in Cursed<\/em>?<\/h2>\n

I\u2019ve always known King Arthur as this character that\u2019s like \u201cof course this man’s going to become a king, he\u2019s just waiting for his moment\u201d or he\u2019s waiting to reach that maturity to become that great character in folklore.<\/p>\n

The character of Arthur [in Cursed<\/strong><\/em>] is a young mercenary who makes many mistakes. He\u2019s continually trying to break down his walls and build new foundations and through Nimue, that\u2019s what he discovers.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s definitely not the ‘knight in shining armour’ or the perfect guy. There\u2019s a charm to him with the continuous mistakes he makes.<\/p>\n

I think the young mercenary take on it is such an exciting version because we don\u2019t see this perfect guy. We see this raggedy young man who’s really a boy. And we see the wrong and the right [in him] – I think that\u2019s what\u2019s exciting. We see how someone of great stature can come from that because he\u2019s with the people.<\/p>\n

The story is continually pushing him in places where he\u2019s tested consistently and if it wasn\u2019t for Nimue he wouldn\u2019t go on this journey. Nimue is such a part of his destiny.<\/p>\n

Where does Arthur fit in with Nimue’s quest?<\/h2>\n

He meets Nimue very early in the story. It’s not the way you\u2019d expect them to meet but it\u2019s one of those weird relationships that it keeps building and building. Every time trouble comes, for some reason they\u2019re always in the same place and it\u2019s just one of those things where he always finds himself in the wrong situation. In this story he very much also finds himself in the right situation because without Nimue he wouldn\u2019t discover most of the things about himself that he needs to discover.<\/p>\n

\"Cursed\"
The story is told through the eyes of Nimue who is destined to become The Lady Of The Lake.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Would you say this version of Arthur is very relatable?<\/h2>\n

Absolutely. I mean it\u2019s hard to say as the actor playing him that he\u2019s such a grounded character [haha] but he\u2019s very much one of the people. You would not pick this kid as potentially ‘that Arthur’ that we all talk about in the stories. He doesn\u2019t see that within himself and I think that\u2019s what\u2019s very exciting. He doesn\u2019t think much of himself.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s such a rich background of his family and the people that control his life. It\u2019s such a new take and it’s exciting. I personally think with characters like Arthur and Hamlet – all these major roles in history – that it\u2019s really dependant on the person that plays them that they bring a different truth and honesty that audiences will hopefully take to.<\/p>\n

There are a lot of fantasy elements and swordplay in Cursed<\/em> – what was the series like to shoot?<\/h2>\n

[There were] a lot of injuries [haha!] – no it was incredible we got into some incredible fight scenes which I can\u2019t wait for people to watch. Riding horses and fighting on epic scales and magic – obviously, this is a young person\u2019s dream! You definitely have to keep your wits about you because you don\u2019t want to hurt anyone but it\u2019s one of those moments where you step back and you go wow there\u2019s 300 people dressed in medieval clothes right now playing with swords and that\u2019s so cool.<\/p>\n

To grow up playing videogames and reading comics and being like \u201coh imagine what that\u2019s like\u201d but to actually be in them is such a thrilling experience.<\/p>\n

Seeing some of the things that Nimue\u2019s character does [in Cursed<\/strong><\/em>] and just watching it on the sidelines, [I was] just appreciating that we get this opportunity. There\u2019s a lot of fantasy shows out there but not really on the scale of this.<\/p>\n

I think people really love these kinds of shows not only for escapism but also you appreciate those worlds. You appreciate [that] someone takes you on a journey and tells you a story.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m just excited for my family to watch it and my friends to see what we\u2019ve done. I’ve been keeping it secret for a year and a bit now. Seriously, I can\u2019t even tell my mum. My mum will tell everyone!<\/p>\n

\"\"
There may have been a few injuries on set…<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Cursed<\/em> is based on the book by Frank Miller and Tom Wheeler… did you get the chance to read it?<\/h2>\n

The book was kind of released as we were filming. I had this amazing resource of Frank Miller and Tom Wheeler on set. They always led me scene by scene. Things would change while we were shooting. It was one of those really exciting things where, as an actor, you had every resource you could possibly want to bring a character to life.<\/p>\n

For me even with the character, [it was] ‘let’s go darker, let’s go to this side’. Or why does he fight this way? It\u2019s exciting because the level of detail and the level of craftsmanship on this production is incredible.<\/p>\n

I was jet-lagged when I got to [the set in] London and they took me through a mood board and a storyboard and character description. I was blown away, I\u2019d never seen anything at that scale of detail to create a world. The excitement they had from day one to the last day and even Netflix were excited to tell the story.<\/p>\n

Having the book’s creators on the set sounds pretty scary…<\/h2>\n

I think yeah for a writer there\u2019s nothing better than to see your writing [come to life]. I come from a theatre background, and I think to see your writing come to life, you start playing to the strengths of the actors and people around you.<\/p>\n

I think Tom really makes great adjustments and even if we\u2019re doing an amazing speech, if you tweak a certain level of it, it just adds that little something extra.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a little bit scary sometimes with the writers there because you don\u2019t want to mess their words up but nah [Tom’s] not like that and Frank just lives up to the hype of what you would think he would be like. He\u2019s just the loveliest human being but he\u2019s like a little boy, he\u2019s just so excited to pick up the weapons. You talk to him in between takes and it\u2019s just like this man is so excited it makes you so excited to go to work when one of the biggest figures in the comic book world [is there].<\/p>\n

I didn\u2019t realise what an impact he had on my life. Because 300, Sin City <\/strong><\/em>and The Dark Knight Returns<\/strong><\/em>, they\u2019re all-time classics! You don\u2019t expect to meet people like that and he lives up to all the hype.<\/p>\n

\"Cursed\"
A lot of detail went into the making of Cursed<\/strong><\/em>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

What’s it like working with Netflix?<\/h2>\n

Netflix is super-collaborative; all the executives that came on set, there\u2019s definitely a vibe like a family feeling. They want [Cursed<\/strong><\/em>] to be great, we want the show to be great and if you had any concerns or anything to talk about, they were always there and I think they really take care of you on set.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s kind of crazy that this show is such a secret in the world. I can\u2019t tell a lot of people in my life about everything that happens but the day it comes out the whole world is going to be open to it. And I think that\u2019s just such an exciting platform…<\/p>\n

I can\u2019t wait to see what peoples’ reaction is to it. We worked so hard to bring the story to life. It\u2019s really exciting.<\/p>\n

Do you have any plans for the day it launches on Netflix?<\/h2>\n

Oh, I\u2019m terrified! I\u2019m in Los Angeles at the moment so I think I\u2019m going to spend it with my girlfriend and her family and watch it. It\u2019s exciting but I\u2019m scared I\u2019m going to be explaining every scene!<\/p>\n

I know my mum\u2019s so excited. My mum frames everything I\u2019ve ever done in our house. Production just sent me the sword that I had in the shoot, I know that one\u2019s going up! And Frank also signed a book for me so that\u2019s going in the cupboard and never being touched.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s just so exciting especially on Netflix you know it\u2019s going to go to an incredible amount of people and that\u2019s all we can ask for; for people to see [Cursed<\/em><\/strong>] and to have their interpretation of the story.<\/p>\n

The great part of the story is that it\u2019s genuinely for everyone. Everybody asks me like, \u201ccan my little one see it?\u201d and I’m like “yeah!”. It\u2019s absolutely a story for everyone. I think it\u2019s very relatable. That\u2019s what I hope people get from Arthur, that he\u2019s relatable.<\/p>\n

I wanted to play him as ‘Arthur’. I didn’t want to play him as this potential king – don\u2019t expect him to go on to that journey. If he does, I don\u2019t know… if Frank wants to make him Batman I\u2019m totally happy as well!<\/p>\n

Cursed is out on Netflix<\/a> on 17 July.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We speak to Arthur himself, actor Devon Terrell about Netflix’s new take on the legend of Excalibur.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":52,"featured_media":113482,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"MSN_Categories":"Uncategorized","MSN_Publish_Option":false,"MSN_Is_Local_News":false,"MSN_Is_AIAC_Included":"Empty","MSN_Location":"[]","MSN_Add_Feature_Img_On_Top_Of_Post":false,"MSN_Has_Custom_Author":false,"MSN_Custom_Author":"","MSN_Has_Custom_Canonical_Url":false,"MSN_Custom_Canonical_Url":""},"categories":[7,207],"tags":[6049],"acf":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.scifinow.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Cursed-Devon.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.scifinow.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/113472"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.scifinow.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.scifinow.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.scifinow.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/52"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.scifinow.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=113472"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.scifinow.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/113472\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.scifinow.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/113482"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.scifinow.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=113472"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.scifinow.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=113472"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.scifinow.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=113472"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}