With the Season 4 finale not too far off on the horizon, things are really heating up on Animal Kingdom, with the cops always thinking they’re getting closer to finally bringing the Cody family down. Still always at least a couple steps ahead, thanks to some rather devious thinking on behalf of family matriarch Smurf (Ellen Barkin), the Cody boys are still trying to pull off dangerous jobs, all while J (Finn Cole) and Pope (Shawn Hatosy) are starting to circle each other for who could end up taking over the leadership position in the family, and Craig (Ben Robson) is starting to realize just how important being a father actually is to him.
During this 1-on-1 phone interview with Collider, British actor Ben Robson talked about how this has been a defining season for Craig, playing such an unpredictable character, being the heart of the family, why he prefers to not know everything that’s going to happen ahead of time, the danger of the world that the Codys live in, what being a father means to Craig, whether Craig might consider taking charge of the family, and whether he’d ever consider directing an episode of the series.
Collider: Craig’s life has been a bit more complicated than usual this season, between getting screwed over by Frankie, Renn having his baby, Smurf being diagnosed with cancer, and the cops trying to close in on the Codys again. Do you feel like Season 4 has been a real turning point for your character, as far as deciding what it is he actually wants from life?
BEN ROBSON: I really think it’s been a really defining season for Craig. Everyone has always seen his potential, including Smurf, who throughout the seasons, has had to bail him out, on multiple occasions, and has told him, “Everyone is ready for you to man up and take charge.” I think he is the one who has this self-destructive behavior to prevent himself from ever having to take that responsibility, throughout the duration of the show. Now, he’s in a position where, no matter how much he wants to be self-destructive, he has to stand up because the situations he’s put himself in, the only way it can be resolved is by himself, whether it’s the money with Frankie, or the baby with Renn, and with what’s going on with Smurf. So, he really has had to grow up and become less of a man child and more of a man now. It’s been really great to play, and to watch. I’m excited for people to see how he deals with it all.
From when you started out on this show and what you were told might happen, has the journey he’s taken been anything, at all, like you expected it would be?
ROBSON: I don’t know. He’s such an unpredictable character. He always tries to do what he thinks is gonna be the right thing, but while it’s normally with good intentions, it tends to make it two steps backwards for everyone who tries to take steps forward. A lot of times, I don’t the writers or even Craig, himself, knows what he is gonna do next. He’s so impulsive that he deals with the situation as it comes to him. One of the great things about the character is that you really just don’t know what to expect with him. Now that he’s getting himself off of all the drugs and he knows that he has to be more of a leader with the family, especially now that he’s become a father and with everything going on with Smurf, with himself being the beating heart of the family and all of the brothers, he knows that he really has to step up and be the glue that keeps everything held together. He knows he can’t take those crazy chances and risks that he’s always had that rush to do. So, I have no idea, and that’s the exciting part of it. We get the scripts, every week, and that’s when we learn what’s gonna happen next.
With this show, I not only have no idea where things are going to go, from season to season, but I have no idea where the characters are going to end up, every season, and I really love that.
ROBSON: Yeah, it’s amazing. Even with the social dynamic that you have between all of the boys and Smurf, and all of these other characters that come into our world, whether it’s friends or enemies or associates, under that whole family tree of those relationships and dynamics, is the constant threat of being caught by police. That keeps the tension ripe, all the way through, and it adds a bit more grit to it. It’s quite captivating.
From season to season, how much are you told ahead of time, as far as what the overall arc of that season will be? Do they tell you what your character’s personal journey will be, at the beginning of the season, or are you finding out, as the season goes along?
ROBSON: It’s a bit of both. I like not knowing everything that’s happening, just because it keeps it fresh. We, as human beings, in our everyday life, don’t know the future, so it’s quite nice to play things and not know where it’s headed towards. When things become bigger, you do wanna know what each decision is gonna be and whether you’re heading in the right direction. So, there are a lot of times where I’ll have conversations, trying to define exactly what Craig’s intentions are and what he’s looking to do, so that we can make sure that we’re completely aligned with it. But it’s definitely unpredictable and it’s hard to imagine what comes next, a lot of times.
It seems like the cops are always on the trail of the Codys, and now Smurf is literally facing her mortality. Does it feel like all the Codys, and not just Smurf, are living on borrowed time, or do you think any of them really can change things?
ROBSON: When you look at it, in terms of where we are in Season 4, one of the great things about this show is that you have no idea who’s gonna live and who’s gonna die. We’ve already lost brother out brother, Baz, and that’s such a huge hole to fill in the family. We’ve seen elements of Deran trying to go good, and everyone’s had their own way of trying to make things more legal and straight business. Craig has said, “Could you ever imagine, if we’d not been brought up into the world of the Codys, living a straight life?” I think it’s always on their minds, the idea of getting out whilst they’re ahead, but ultimately, this is all they know, and they’re good at what they do. When they see the reality of trying to live these supposed normal lives, it’s just not what they know. That’s also the humor of Craig trying to adapt to having this new baby and this new life that he’s gonna have, for the rest of his life. Now everything has that much more added risk, on top of a job. It’s not just him anymore. He’s gotta think about kids, and Renn, and the rest of the family. It’s always there, but ultimately, it’s in their DNA. It’s who they are. They all get those rush, and they enjoy the name and reputation that they’ve built themselves, and the standing that they have in the community that they live in.
The idea of being a father and having a baby is very different from when the baby is actually there to hold. What does being a father mean to Craig, especially now that there’s this actual child that he’s responsible for?
ROBSON: Craig has always had the idea and notion that he would bring up his child in a very different way than he was brought up by Smurf. He wants to give the kid a better life, and try to give him all the opportunities that he felt that he was robbed of, being in his family. Every parent wonders, how can you give them the best life and best head start that you can? Ultimately, that’s what he wants to do. The idea of him telling Renn to stop being a dealer, especially with all of the police around and hot on their trail, is just about him trying to create the best environment that he can for his kid, and trying to right the wrongs that he felt he was dealt. He wants to right the wrongs that he was brought up with, and do it for his son, through whichever means that will be. Craig has also got a very big heart, and it’s really a huge deal to him, having a baby. He just wants to do it right.
With all of the practice that he’s had from dealing with Smurf, Craig seems to know how to handle Renn’s mother. How fun was it to shoot scenes with someone he can really get the upper hand, unlike with Smurf?
ROBSON: It was really fun. I had a great time shooting that. She was really fun and very giving, in terms of how we were going to play it, and we had a really good conversation about the relationship and the dynamic of it all. One of the great things, for the boys, is that most people they have to deal with think they have the upper hand, but when you’ve dealt with someone who’s the queen of manipulation, in Smurf, they’re very well-trained and versed in how to operate with these quite minor altercations. He’s trying to protect Renn and not cause any trouble, until he suddenly realizes that he knows what he wants. It’s another example of Craig stepping up this season, and showing that he’s gonna be a man and a leader, and take responsibility. I don’t think that he wants her to live in fear, or to be constantly reminded of how she was brought up, and not forget the moment of what her mother had done to her, much because Craig is probably reminded of things that happened to him with Smurf, and he doesn’t want to put up with it anymore. He wants to create an environment and have his child grow up with the best opportunities around, and I think that he believes that he can do that with Renn, rather than giving in to Renn’s mother.
We’re starting to see Pope and J both think that they should be the one in charge, when Smurf is gone. Do you think that Craig would even want to take the lead, or do you think he’s someone who’s happy letting other people be in charge, especially when it comes to the family?
ROBSON: That’s a good question. I’ve wondered that, quite a few times, myself. We’ve seen Craig do a few jobs, over the seasons, and he had another one this year. When it really matters, he’s prepared to take charge. The theme of the season is him taking more responsibility, and I think he could definitely be tempted by that approach. Ultimately, all of them are looking to have their own way. With everything that’s happening with Smurf, there is that argument that each of them want to lead. Deran and Craig have spoken about it for years and years, including Pope. J is a very smart kid, as well, so he has his own ideas. I think Craig could do it. Ultimately, Craig enjoys it being a big family thing, in terms of the leadership of it all, whether it’s Deran or Pope bringing him the job, or even J, as long as they’re moving forward, he’s good. It would be an interesting position. I feel that he’s shown moments of leadership, so I think he has it in him. It’s just a case of whether he wants to take front and center stage with it all, with everything else that he has going on.
He seems like somebody that would rather like be in charge of his own thing, and not so much in charge of the entire family.
ROBSON: Yeah, I agree. It would be a lot for him to take on, but to be honest, if it were what the family was asking of him, he would step up. He’s all about laying his body on the line for them. It would be interesting to watch, but ultimately, with everything going on in his own life, that’s his main focus. And then, when the family calls and puts the Bat sign up, he goes and answers.
Have there been conversations about what the end point of this story and the journey for these characters could be, and when that might happen? Have you talked about whether the show could continue without possibly having Smurf around, or does it end when she ends?
ROBSON: Not so much between everyone. To be a realist about it all, it’s really dependent on whether the audience and the fans and the figures stay level where the studios and everyone believes that it could be greenlit for another season. It’s very much how people respond to it. But throughout the four seasons, we’ve seen the family discuss that, throughout. We’ve seen constant quarrels between all of the brothers saying, “Who’s gonna run this? Why does this person think he’s in charge, at the moment? Why would you do this, when this is happening?” We’ve seen that discussion go on, throughout. At some point, it would be an interesting thing to see the boys stand up and really see what happens, whether Smurf takes a step back or not, which she has, at certain times. As much as she’s been in charge of a lot of the jobs, she’s also stepped aside on a couple, and watched the boys go and do their thing. They’re men, but whether, in her eyes, they’ve grown up enough to take that opportunity is something cool to watch, as well. Honestly, life evolves, whether it’s through boys growing into men and having responsibilities. With that evolution, really you would hope that they could handle it themselves. We’ll have to wait and see.
Your co-star, Shawn Hatosy, directed an episode last season and this season. You’ve had other actors direct episodes, like Regina King and Emmy Rossum. Has that inspired you to think about or want to direct an episode of this show?
ROBSON: I would definitely love to get into directing, at some point, further down the line. If I felt that I could do it on this show, I would love to. It would be a real pleasure to do that, with some of the great cast that we have, and the amazing crew. We’re such a family that it would be such of supportive group and community to attempt to do that in, rather than going in somewhere cold and trying to do it when you don’t know everyone so well. But I’m in no rush. I’ve got a lot of other things that I’m occupied with, at the moment. I’m very happy to be get that luxury of having Regina King or Emmy Rossum, or even Shawn, or any of the other amazing directors that have come in. We’ve gotten to learn so much from each one and, at the moment, I’m still learning a lot from the array of talent that comes onto the show, each season.
Animal Kingdom airs on Tuesday nights on TNT.