Merlin S5 | Fanhattan: Merlin: Colin Morgan, Katie McGrath and Bradley James on Season 5 and The Ser
Fanhattan: Merlin: Colin Morgan, Katie McGrath and Bradley James on Season 5 and The Series Finale
Fanhattan: A lot of people on Twitter wanted me to ask you if there was ever potential for Morgana and Merlin to hook up.
McGrath: [laughs] Well, they’re two sides of the same coin. The darkness and the light, but I think a hook up wouldn’t have happened, unfortunately…
Morgan: What? [laughs] Merlin is totally up for it!
[click to read | there's talk about S5/the finale but they don't give away any particular spoilers]Merlin: Colin Morgan, Katie McGrath and Bradley James on Season 5 and The Series Finale
It’s hard to believe that Season 5 will be the last for Merlin. I’ve been a fan since episode one and I’m sorry to see it go. I’ve been lucky enough to moderate the Merlin panel at San Diego Comic Con for the past three years and I have to say, this is one of the loveliest casts I’ve ever had the pleasure of interviewing. I just got a chance to chat with Katie McGrath, Colin Morgan and Bradley James about the announcement, what we’re going to see in Season 5 and how their stories wrapped up. Guys, I’m going to miss you at SDCC!
Fanhattan: I’m really sad that the show’s over. How do you guys feel about the end of the series?
Bradley James: I think it ends well. We’re happy with the end.
Colin Morgan: Yeah, I agree with Bradley. When I saw the final few episodes…I thought it was a good ending. I think people will be satisfied.
Fanhattan: I know we’ve talked about this over the years, but is there a particular myth you would have liked to have included in the series that you didn’t get to do?
Morgan: One of my favorites was the Crystal Cave. I thought it was fantastic. It’s the one of the legends we visited and it was great. But I always thought it would be interesting if we got a glimpse of Merlin’s past before he came to Camelot. Like a flashback episode, almost, of the circumstances beforehand. Exactly why he came to Camelot, possibly even as as far back as the circumstances of his birth. I always thought that would be an interesting episode to do.
Fanhattan: I know you can’t tell me the details, but it was reported that a spinoff might be in the works. Is there a character you’d like to see in a spinoff?
Katie McGrath: Sir Leon (Rupert Young)! I want to see Sir Leon! Because I think it would be so charming and so elegantly British! Just like Rupert. [laughs]
Fanhattan: Katie, I wanted to ask you this because you and I have discussed this so many times. Now that the series is at an end, do you still believe Morgana isn’t evil? Is there a satisfying ending for her?
McGrath: I want to be careful and answer this question without giving anything away. And I’m not sure there is an answer, because I think anything I say will give you a hint of what happens. I’m very glad, when it comes to Morgana, that I was able to tell her ending. Because I think what’s great about what they’ve done is that every character has a definite ending, and it does tie everything up. I’m very happy and I’m very privileged that they kept me around for the five years so I could see that. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed by Morgana’s ending, whatever it is.
Fanhattan: A lot of people on Twitter wanted me to ask you if there was ever potential for Morgana and Merlin to hook up.
McGrath: [laughs] Well, they’re two sides of the same coin. The darkness and the light, but I think a hook up wouldn’t have happened, unfortunately…
Morgan: What? [laughs] Merlin is totally up for it!
McGrath: [laughs] Now you tell me! Now that we’re done filming, you tell me! There’s an opportunity missed there, Jenna. Sorry!
Fanhattan: Any hints you can give about the upcoming season?
McGrath: Well, with Morgana you discover that the events between Season 4 and Season 5 have made her even more committed to her ultimate goal of taking the throne back. She has been imprisoned and persecuted and tortured for magic…her biggest fear come to life. In this case she feels she is even more right in removing Arthur from the throne, so she is hell bent on that.
Fanhattan: Colin, so many tweets that I got were from people who want to talk about you playing a woman.
Morgan: Well, over the years, the writers and producers love to throw a lot of stuff at me from all angles, whether it be comedic or emotional or characterization…but I didn’t expect that in the final season they’d throw a woman at me. [laughs] It was a lot of fun. Another obstacle to tackle as an actor and for Merlin himself to have to take on that role…but that’s Merlin’s strength. He goes at it with guns blazing.
Fanhattan: And how long did the makeup take?
Morgan: It took them about four hours. It’s actually exactly the same prosthetic as old Merlin, just without the beard and the mustache. It’s unbelievable, the makeup work and what changes to make it a woman. It looked like a completely different prosthetic.
Fanhattan: Is that fun for you as an actor? I’ve had stuff like that glued to my face, so I totally get it.
Morgan: [laughs] Well, it’s fun for the first half of the day, but then it starts to get quite difficult to be in there. It gets hot and it gets a little uncomfortable. I’ve had to do it quite a lot this year, so there were several days in a row. You constantly have people reapplying it to your face after lunch. Lunch time is the most annoying thing. You can’t eat anything, but then if you don’t eat anything, you’re going to pass out in the afternoon. It’s kind of a strange thing to have on but as an actor, it’s quite enjoyable to do.
Fanhattan: I know Anthony Head was back for an episode. How was it to work with him again.
McGrath: He was back for a day and a half and I wasn’t there for either of those days. It breaks my heart.
Fanhattan: Oh no!
McGrath: I know. Can you imagine?
Fanhattan: He always says such lovely things about you.
McGrath: He’s lying. I pay him for that. [laughs]
James: It was great. He was in for a couple of days. I think it was a little bit strange for him because he was coming back to a world he once knew very well and had been away from. He’s a fun guy to work with. Good to have around. It was nice to have another chance to play around with him.
Fanhattan: I still have the Merlin scarf from the first year at the Comic Con panel, so I have to ask. Is there anything you guys took from the set?
McGrath: I was very lucky in the fact that, because I wear the same costume for a couple of years, there were many different versions of it, and they actually, very nicely game me one of the versions of it. One of the more raggedy, broken down versions of it. I wear it to parties, you know. Thanksgiving, loading the dish washer. [laughs]
James: I’m making a phone call right now, which involves Excalibur coming my way. They’ve gone ice fishing, so I’m going to call again later.
Morgan: I have some things as well, but they’re gifts for people. I’ve not been mentioning them so far, in case it gets publicized somewhere.
Merlin returns to Syfy on January 4, 2012.
Fanhattan: A lot of people on Twitter wanted me to ask you if there was ever potential for Morgana and Merlin to hook up.
McGrath: [laughs] Well, they’re two sides of the same coin. The darkness and the light, but I think a hook up wouldn’t have happened, unfortunately…
Morgan: What? [laughs] Merlin is totally up for it!
[click to read | there's talk about S5/the finale but they don't give away any particular spoilers]Merlin: Colin Morgan, Katie McGrath and Bradley James on Season 5 and The Series Finale
It’s hard to believe that Season 5 will be the last for Merlin. I’ve been a fan since episode one and I’m sorry to see it go. I’ve been lucky enough to moderate the Merlin panel at San Diego Comic Con for the past three years and I have to say, this is one of the loveliest casts I’ve ever had the pleasure of interviewing. I just got a chance to chat with Katie McGrath, Colin Morgan and Bradley James about the announcement, what we’re going to see in Season 5 and how their stories wrapped up. Guys, I’m going to miss you at SDCC!
Fanhattan: I’m really sad that the show’s over. How do you guys feel about the end of the series?
Bradley James: I think it ends well. We’re happy with the end.
Colin Morgan: Yeah, I agree with Bradley. When I saw the final few episodes…I thought it was a good ending. I think people will be satisfied.
Fanhattan: I know we’ve talked about this over the years, but is there a particular myth you would have liked to have included in the series that you didn’t get to do?
Morgan: One of my favorites was the Crystal Cave. I thought it was fantastic. It’s the one of the legends we visited and it was great. But I always thought it would be interesting if we got a glimpse of Merlin’s past before he came to Camelot. Like a flashback episode, almost, of the circumstances beforehand. Exactly why he came to Camelot, possibly even as as far back as the circumstances of his birth. I always thought that would be an interesting episode to do.
Fanhattan: I know you can’t tell me the details, but it was reported that a spinoff might be in the works. Is there a character you’d like to see in a spinoff?
Katie McGrath: Sir Leon (Rupert Young)! I want to see Sir Leon! Because I think it would be so charming and so elegantly British! Just like Rupert. [laughs]
Fanhattan: Katie, I wanted to ask you this because you and I have discussed this so many times. Now that the series is at an end, do you still believe Morgana isn’t evil? Is there a satisfying ending for her?
McGrath: I want to be careful and answer this question without giving anything away. And I’m not sure there is an answer, because I think anything I say will give you a hint of what happens. I’m very glad, when it comes to Morgana, that I was able to tell her ending. Because I think what’s great about what they’ve done is that every character has a definite ending, and it does tie everything up. I’m very happy and I’m very privileged that they kept me around for the five years so I could see that. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed by Morgana’s ending, whatever it is.
Fanhattan: A lot of people on Twitter wanted me to ask you if there was ever potential for Morgana and Merlin to hook up.
McGrath: [laughs] Well, they’re two sides of the same coin. The darkness and the light, but I think a hook up wouldn’t have happened, unfortunately…
Morgan: What? [laughs] Merlin is totally up for it!
McGrath: [laughs] Now you tell me! Now that we’re done filming, you tell me! There’s an opportunity missed there, Jenna. Sorry!
Fanhattan: Any hints you can give about the upcoming season?
McGrath: Well, with Morgana you discover that the events between Season 4 and Season 5 have made her even more committed to her ultimate goal of taking the throne back. She has been imprisoned and persecuted and tortured for magic…her biggest fear come to life. In this case she feels she is even more right in removing Arthur from the throne, so she is hell bent on that.
Fanhattan: Colin, so many tweets that I got were from people who want to talk about you playing a woman.
Morgan: Well, over the years, the writers and producers love to throw a lot of stuff at me from all angles, whether it be comedic or emotional or characterization…but I didn’t expect that in the final season they’d throw a woman at me. [laughs] It was a lot of fun. Another obstacle to tackle as an actor and for Merlin himself to have to take on that role…but that’s Merlin’s strength. He goes at it with guns blazing.
Fanhattan: And how long did the makeup take?
Morgan: It took them about four hours. It’s actually exactly the same prosthetic as old Merlin, just without the beard and the mustache. It’s unbelievable, the makeup work and what changes to make it a woman. It looked like a completely different prosthetic.
Fanhattan: Is that fun for you as an actor? I’ve had stuff like that glued to my face, so I totally get it.
Morgan: [laughs] Well, it’s fun for the first half of the day, but then it starts to get quite difficult to be in there. It gets hot and it gets a little uncomfortable. I’ve had to do it quite a lot this year, so there were several days in a row. You constantly have people reapplying it to your face after lunch. Lunch time is the most annoying thing. You can’t eat anything, but then if you don’t eat anything, you’re going to pass out in the afternoon. It’s kind of a strange thing to have on but as an actor, it’s quite enjoyable to do.
Fanhattan: I know Anthony Head was back for an episode. How was it to work with him again.
McGrath: He was back for a day and a half and I wasn’t there for either of those days. It breaks my heart.
Fanhattan: Oh no!
McGrath: I know. Can you imagine?
Fanhattan: He always says such lovely things about you.
McGrath: He’s lying. I pay him for that. [laughs]
James: It was great. He was in for a couple of days. I think it was a little bit strange for him because he was coming back to a world he once knew very well and had been away from. He’s a fun guy to work with. Good to have around. It was nice to have another chance to play around with him.
Fanhattan: I still have the Merlin scarf from the first year at the Comic Con panel, so I have to ask. Is there anything you guys took from the set?
McGrath: I was very lucky in the fact that, because I wear the same costume for a couple of years, there were many different versions of it, and they actually, very nicely game me one of the versions of it. One of the more raggedy, broken down versions of it. I wear it to parties, you know. Thanksgiving, loading the dish washer. [laughs]
James: I’m making a phone call right now, which involves Excalibur coming my way. They’ve gone ice fishing, so I’m going to call again later.
Morgan: I have some things as well, but they’re gifts for people. I’ve not been mentioning them so far, in case it gets publicized somewhere.
Merlin returns to Syfy on January 4, 2012.