From creator/writer/executive producer Mika Watkins and pilot director Paul W.S. Anderson, the YouTube Original series Origin is a sci-fi thriller that follows a group of strangers who find themselves stranded on a spacecraft that’s heading toward a distant planet. As the abandoned passengers work together to ensure their own survival, they also discover the terrifying truth that they may not all be who they claim to be. The series stars Tom Felton, Natalia Tena, Nora Arnezeder, Sen Mitsuji, Fraser James, Philipp Christopher, Nina Wadia, Madalyn Horcher, Siobhán Cullen, Adelayo Adedayo and Wil Coban.

During this 1-on-1 interview with Collider, actor Tom Felton talked about how he got involved with Origin, what attracted him to the project, how cool it is to do a TV series that’s set in space, the collaborative environment on set, how his character evolved, working with a fellow Harry Potter film franchise alum, and the experience of shooting in Cape Town, South Africa.

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Image via Left Bank Pictures/YouTube Premium

Collider:  How did you come to be a part of Origin?

TOM FELTON:  It took a little bit of convincing. I read the first couple of scripts, and they were very well written. Obviously, it’s different when you’re going into a film because you know how it ends before you start, which is my preference, really, rather than figuring it out, as you go along. Even when we started shooting, (executive producer) Mika [Watkins] hadn’t finished the episodes, so things were still being developed, as we were going along. But I had a very long chat with Mika, before signing up for it. We talked about the show, in general, and a little bit about my character and about what his relationship is to the other people on board. So, you do a little tape, send it in, and they say, “Sure, if you want it, you can come into space.” That’s pretty much how it happened.

What was it about what Mika Watkins told you that sold you on the TV series?

FELTON:  It wasn’t what she said, it was how she said it. I’m far more interested in working with people that I think are gonna be collaborative and that are gonna be fun to work with, and that aren’t gonna be a nightmare, and she seemed very sweet, very knowledgeable, and very keen to collaborate. She was keen for me to not just turn up and read lines, but to be an actual part of the development of the show. And then, you start to really put a bit more of yourself into it than you maybe would have done, previously.

This seems like one of those characters that could easily get stuck in the stereotypes that we’re used to seeing in this kind of a show, but everything along the way seems like it’s a bit different than what you expect. Was there anything you wanted to avoid doing with this character?

FELTON:  Yeah. I definitely think it’s a unique show. I don’t think there’s been anything really like this before. I wasn’t cautious, really. I felt like I was in good hands with Mika and the people who were directing each episode. I thought they knew exactly where they wanted the shape of it to come from, and I was very lucky to be afforded many takes to just do whatever I wanted or to improvise. Whenever it didn’t work, I was told to shut up and go back to the script. So, it was a nice mixture of freedom and also trusting the work that you’ve got in front of you is top quality.

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Image via Left Bank Pictures/YouTube Premium

How often did they actually tell you to stop doing what you were doing?

FELTON:  More and more, as the show went on. No. Actually, not that many times, to be fair. I occasionally had to be reminded to swear a little less because Logan has a foul mouth. It got a bit out of hand, at one point. The F word was coming out, in every other sentence. But, I wasn’t reprimanded too often.

What did you enjoy about getting to do something like this?

FELTON:  It’s set in space, which is cool. And then, there’s the ensemble nature of the show. I’ve never really done anything like that before, where there are nine or ten leads, and everyone has their own role to play. I wouldn’t say that sci-fi is something that I’ve been heavily invested in or involved, in my life, but there’s something very cool about this setting, and every character is really defined. I think every character will be someone’s favorite.

When it comes to sci-fi, it seems like every time you think you’ve seen everything that can be done, someone finds a way to do it differently.

FELTON:  Definitely. The fact that there’s so many different cultures, languages and countries coming together is a very unique thing. The flashback element is done in a way that hasn’t really been seen before, in this context. And there’s the fact that there are ten strangers. There’s something really rewarding about the fact that none of these people know who each other are, or who they were before, in their previous lives. They’re all there, starting a new life. No one really knows who’s telling the truth and who has more of a history to protect. What’s unique is that the audience gets to figure it out, as well. They see the flashback episodes, so by the time they get to Episodes 6, 7 and 8, they know the passengers a lot better than the passengers know each other.

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Image via Left Bank Pictures/YouTube Premium

Since you didn’t really have that backstory information when you started this, how different did the character become for you, once you did have that information?

FELTON:  Quite a bit. I didn’t change the way I played him, but it made a lot more sense. I understood it. At first, it’s easy to think he’s just being a bit difficult and a bit of an asshole, but there’s always a reason why people are not very nice people, or they’re aggressive, or they’re easily pissed off. Upon reading the episodes and seeing it, it made a lot more sense, and it made me love him a lot more.

There has to be a reason that he ended up in this situation, thinking that it was a good idea.

FELTON: Exactly! And from his personality traits, you expect that it would be something slightly more violent, aggressive, or tumultuous. There’s actually a very soft and sweet reason why he’s taken this trip. They’re all running away from something. Granted, it wasn’t supposed to end like this. We weren’t supposed to wake up and everyone would be gone.

Have they not seen any sci-fi movies? When you all get on a ship, it never ends well!

FELTON: And this definitely follows that suit, for sure.

How did you find all of the physicality that was required for this role, and working with things that are not actually there? Was all of that quite intense?

FELTON:  There was a lot of tension, and jumping around corners and scaring the bejeezus out of people. Bear in mind, most of the day, you’re laughing and playing, but then suddenly, when they roll cameras, you have to get into character. It’s tense when it needs to be, but in between, there was a lot of joking around and laughing. Most rehearsals, we would just piss around, as much as we possibly could, and we’d save the tense bits for the actual shoot.

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Image via Left Bank Pictures/Youtube Premium

At what point along the way did you find out you’d actually be working with another Harry Potter alum, with Natalia Tena as one of your co-stars on this?

FELTON:  When I landed in Cape Town. What’s funny is that we’d never worked with each other before, ever. We had never even seen each other on set, ever. We only know each other as Nat and Tom. It’s nice to see a familiar face, but this is our first chance at working together.

What’s it like to work in Cape Town, South Africa?

FELTON:  It’s very cool. It’s beautiful. It’s an incredible place. It’s definitely been a good home to us, and the people and locations are all stunning. I hope to be going back.

Origin is available to stream at YouTube Premium on November 14th.

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Image via Left Bank Pictures/YouTube Premium
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Image via Left Bank Pictures/YouTube Premium

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