Ben Barnes Unravels General Killigan’s Dark Spiral in ‘Shadow and Bone’ Season 2
There’s a reason they call him Darkling. Ben BarnesIn Season 2 of , General Killigan is in a downward spiral. netflixof shadow and bone He expands The Fold and seeks to rule Ravka.
In season 1, the then-leader of Ravka’s Grisha army was the respected and charismatic Shadow Summoner, but Killigan scrapped the facade for season 2. After surviving a Volkula attack that led everyone to believe he was dead, Killigan returned—very much alive, with a literal army of shadows at his disposal, and an army of Grisha forces. I use it to instill enough fear in the rest that it probably helps defeat Alina Starkoff (Jessie Mae Lee) who is trying to find the mythical. A creature capable of amplifying her powers enough to destroy the fold.
“[Kirigan] was always on the wrong side. he’s always the villain But this season it’s a little looser and he doesn’t have an army to fall back on. He doesn’t have a mask of charm to fall back on,” Barnes told Deadline. ..if you don’t help me, I’m going to kill you. “
With the facade peeling away and Killigan only getting stronger, Burns added that he’s adamant about making sure the character has weaknesses. , he is losing followers by the day, and the fear stirs in him that he will spend another 400 years alone.
“I think it would be more interesting if this character had death and an awareness of it, because when time runs out, he makes decisions that he feels are important,” Burns said.
The actor spoke with Deadline about diving into this highly complex character for season two. shadow and bone in the interview promise.
Deadline: For most of Season 1, General Killigan is well-respected and well-liked. In Season 2, he’s feared more than anything else. How was it that you were able to tap into Killigan’s darker side this season?
Ben Barnes: When I first took on the role, I knew there would be this catalytic moment playing him in about half the first season that sees him change from this guy who leads him with authority and charm. It was – I like it as an audience member when you’re half a step ahead of what’s being shown. I think my intention was to show just enough manipulation just before the explanation so that it doesn’t get patronized. If the character feels betrayed, I think the viewer should feel a little betrayed by what you did, so I intentionally put in a vulnerable moment right before the turn that could feel romantic. Entering the second season, this is a man who no longer fiddles with the mask of charm he has built up in his arsenal. , finds himself in a bit of insecure territory. He really has no one to turn to for advice, comfort, or comfort. He no longer holds that position. Like you said, he’s really not respected. He’s just afraid, he’s much more powerful. I think he’s a little scared of himself too. The great thing about fantasy is that you can make analogies very clearly. He literally has his own demon inside him, his own shadow. He’s carrying it around, it’s pretty heavy, and it’s even starting to betray him a little. , I think I’m starting to understand. Like many villains you care about, his agenda is to protect his people, protect those he cares about and his “family.” But if you do it at the expense of other people, you become this dictator. and feels like a borderline fascist dictator to others. [Kirigan] was always on the wrong side. he’s always the villain But this season it’s a little looser and he doesn’t have an army to fall back on. He doesn’t have these masks of charm to fall back on. If you don’t help me, I’m going to kill you.I think it was an interesting counterbalance in the first season.But then what was important to me was adding things that weren’t in the books. As a character because he’s all powerful and fears nothing, so we worked very closely with the showrunners to come up with something he should be afraid of. I think it would be more interesting if this character had death and was aware of it, and when time runs out, it feels important Because you make decisions.
Deadline: I’m glad you picked up the shadow monster as a metaphor. I think it comes to mind when they attack Alina and he can’t stop them. It turns out that he is as scared of them as everyone else.
Barnes: We’re tasting it with his mother. [Philip Larkin] Poem ‘They fuck you, your mom and dad. They may not intend to do so, but they do. She is also responsible for her. She told Alina, “I’m not your salvation. I wasn’t a nice person. As for the villains in our stories, I liked that. So when the monster attacks his mother, we got a little taste of it, and when he’s responsible for his mother’s death, he’s Alina but then he gets pretty dark at her in episode 6. figure, and as he realizes how powerful she really is, there may be a way she can do this. It’s in these moments that he realizes how deadly he is, the boy in him, the hopeful one in him It’s rekindled and you can see the tiny cracks in these vulnerabilities, but it’s too late.
Deadline: It’s interesting to hear you talk about his motives. He tells Alina that Labuka doesn’t need another saint, he needs a monster. How do you rationalize what he is doing when you know he is doing terrible things?
Barnes: absolutely. I think there’s one thing he’s doing for him. It’s consistency. I tried it. Also seen in Flashback. And in episode 7 we saw him trying to defend in a different way without using fear. My agenda for the first season was that I needed to fit myself into the character’s ideology in order to be able to feel confident playing the character, even when talking about it in the press. If I don’t understand them, there’s absolutely no chance they’ll come across as genuine. But that doesn’t mean I have to make them explicit. Others can see it and define it. I think what I love about this show and this character is that he’s a little bit of a mystery and a bit of a mess. Even for him, it feels so dark that he is overwhelmed by this power. He doesn’t have a mother who has always supported him. Then he clearly began to have these feelings towards Alina, and Alina passed them. He no longer has an army, he has no palace, he has none of these things. At least you don’t have to defend him anymore. I think in the first season talking about it, I felt the urge to say, “Well, there is a world where this works.” Because that’s what he believes. I think it’s very clear now that he’s gone.
Deadline: You and Jesse have had some very intense scenes together this season. did you
Barnes: Well, the book has more clues [about their conflict]She has all this attention. She doesn’t want it and she doesn’t seem to get her anywhere. There is a kind of political infighting. And she said, “If only I could use my powers to make everything the way I want…”. So not much this season. Because there is thickness and there is something that works. I think we try to seed it as much as we can, but she’s not very confrontational about him on the show. I think this is a good thing. Because this is not the example we need to put out into the world. But yeah, I’ve been coming to this with 20 years of experience and Jessie is fresh to this kind of experience. She has this wide-eyed wonder, and she has a general joy that’s very clear about her. Now she’s a little more experienced and has more power. She doesn’t suffer fools.She thinks she’s starting to realize she can be manipulated [people] herself. She almost actually takes on his role a little bit. At one point, she says, “Well, I can wear a mask, too.” So it really doesn’t work. He just confronted her, put her hand to her mouth, literally put her hand to her mouth, threw her against the wall to shut her up, and forced her into her “this is going to happen” position. rice field. We played the first season, this lovely friendship that we have, and these other elements of our characters, so I think it was nice to be able to explore things that we didn’t have. The gloves come off at the end, but it’s interesting to navigate the depth of their history and emotions together. not underlined. It’s up to the people to decide who had feelings for whom. We make those decisions very clearly ourselves, but we don’t spoon feed them. But you also need to build trust when you sneak up behind someone and grab them and threaten to hold their hand. around their neck. You have to check in on someone and continue to take care of them. It’s just as important in the fight scenes as it is in the love scenes. We always have really good communication.
