Image credit: ABC/Eike Schroter
In the realm of magic and fantasy, Merlin is the man. He’s the greatest sorcerer in the realm, and paramount to the Arthurian legacy. And in ABC’s Once Upon a Time, the great wizard Merlin has finally been revealed. British Actor Elliot Knight scored the sweet role, and in a bit of OUAT genius, the actor is breaking any preconceived ideas of who or what is a wizard, and when we chatted, he shared how his take on the role is breathing light and life into the smash series.
Channel Guide: Now that you’ve seen yourself in a few episodes, what has it been like playing Merlin?
Elliot Knight: I’m having a lot of fun playing around with him. It’s a lot of fun to know that people are already finding him interesting.
CG: When many people think of Merlin, they think of an old man wearing with a pointy hat and a pointy beard who argues with an owl. How are you redefining the character?
EK: It’s what makes having the opportunity to play Merlin so enjoyable. I’m so far removed from how he’s been played before in his look, that I have full creative license to work with it within the realm of the show. There’s no bias for me, there’s no expectation that I have to satisfy. The only pressure is that the truth of the character, and the context of Once Upon a Time, and the story with Emma, is fulfilled. That’s what I focus on. I don’t really try to seem like Merlin, because — what is that?
It’s not really about what makes a character isn’t how he looks, what makes Merlin isn’t that he has a long, white beard, or that he’s an old, white man, or that he wears a blue, pointy hat. It’s none of those things. What makes that character, what makes any character is the heart that they have. So that’s what I’ve been focusing on in the show, as Merlin, is just making sure that whatever he appears like on the outside, the truth is there on the inside. And I’m hoping that comes through as the show goes on.
CG: Was there any trepidation on your part because you’re so different from what people may have expected in the character of Merlin?
EK: At the end of the day, it’s a character that I’m so excited to be playing and grateful to have the opportunity to play, I want to keep the focus on the character. For someone of my casting and someone of my look, this is a very rare opportunity, so I have to be very grateful to have it. I can’t waste the time that I have to play Merlin, by worrying about playing Merlin. I would rather focus on enjoying playing Merlin and creating something special, rather than being held back by any fears of not meeting people’s expectations.
Image Credit: ABC/Jack Rowand
CG: What has been the fan reaction from Once Upon a Time’s very loyal and very vocal fans?
EK: The reaction to be honest, the reaction online to Merlin being freed was not what I expected at all. It was so much more! People seem to like him, which I’m really happy about. Everyone’s been waiting so long for his reveal. They’ve asked, “When is Merlin going to come into the story? When is he going to save Emma?” More than anything, I think people are excited to see this iconic, hugely important character actually introduced into the story. It’s been extremely positive; it’s been so lovely.
The fan base is epic, and people are very set in who they like, what they like, and what they want to see. But at the same time, the fan base has been very supportive of me from the moment I was cast. It’s great to enter a project feeling so supported by the people who matter most — the people watching it — because that’s who we’re making it for! Already to be welcomed by them, it took a lot of the pressure off.
CG: What has inspired your take on this character?
EK: What inspires me is the [1998 BBC] miniseries with Sam Neill that I watched when I was a kid. And that was so brilliant, and so heavy. Once Upon a Time has these dark, intense moments, but the series that I watched was very dark, very grownup and it was full of English history — what was happening around him, and the magic that created him. It explained how he grew up — half-magic and half-human — and how the human side of him came through. Merlin had the greatest gift of all, the gift of choice and he chose between the purpose he was created for and the purpose that he saw as being right.
And I always enjoyed that sentiment of the character, so I wanted to focus on a similar them when I was approaching Merlin for Once Upon A Time. Choice, is the most important thing, and I think that’s a theme we’re going to see more of as the show goes on. The real power is in what you choose do, and who you choose to be — good or bad. The fight between good and evil, light magic and dark magic, a lot of it is about choice.
Catch a scene from Once Upon a Time, that’s all about choice!
And I think it’s important to have a character that’s classically presented as being, well, the Sword and the Stone is the obvious one, but you can imagine Merlin because he’s been tagged as the most powerful sorcerer in the realm. It would be completely easy for him to come in and be stoic and unmoving and have powers to do whatever he wants. But that, in and of itself, doesn’t make a very interesting character. It’s much more fitting to the show that he can have a bit of fun.
I like to think of him as being the ultimate source of light; not even in terms of magic, but just in terms of the energy that he brings. I like to think that a character can come into a show, that is normally so heavy and dark with what’s happening in the stories, and someone can come in, who’s of such critical importance, and be just so light and calm, and having fun. It’s such a nice dynamic.
CG: What your first day like on set?
Oh my gosh, let me think. My first scene was one that I shot with everyone. I literally met most of the cast, as we were about to go through the take. (laughs) That was really interesting. It was like, “Okay, your first scene you’re going to become the tree. In your second scene you’re going to be a tree and you’re going to transform in to a human form, and then you’re going to stand up and address everyone and know everyone.” It’s really interesting to play a character who is so familiar to these people, they’ve been talking about it for so long in the series, leading up to the point. There are already characters, like Arthur, that have a relationship with Merlin, so it is interesting to play a character who is so linked to everyone, but as an actor you’re meeting everyone for the first time. In a lot of shows, the first time you meet your costars, your characters are meeting each other. But Merlin is someone who is already aware of everyone and everything, and that’s been really interesting to play correctly.
CG: What has been one of your favorite scenes to shoot?
EK: I shot a scene that was used in the teaser for the episode, “The Bear and the Bow” which was great fun. It was action packed and it was one long shot where Merlin and Prince Charming and Hook all get stuck in and it’s like seeing the boys in action. I think people should check that out.
As you wish, Elliot. Here’s that awesome scene!
One Upon a Time > ABC > Sundays at 8pm ET/PT