[Editor’s note: The following contains spoilers for Season 2 of Alex Rider.]
The IMDb TV original spy-thriller series Alex Rider returned for another fun, suspenseful, fast-paced season, with Alex (Otto Farrant) eager to put the past behind him, after the death of his uncle and the end of a dangerous mission, and figure out what comes next. When an attack lures the once ordinary teenager back into the spy world, he becomes suspicious of tech guru Damian Cray (Toby Stephens) and finds himself unraveling what ultimately turns out to be a sinister plot with deadly consequences.
During this 1-on-1 phone interview with Collider, Stephens talked about why he wanted to play this role, how much he knew about the character going into Season 2, playing the stakes and the reality of the situation rather than focusing on being the villain, how much of a tech guy he is himself, the dynamic between Damian Cray and Alex Rider, and how he feels about his character’s fate. He also talked about how his time on Black Sails compared to Lost in Space, and returning to the London stage for a play in the New Year.
Collider: Alex Rider is such an interesting show because it’s a deceptively complex show. When you hear teen secret agent or spy, it seems like it might be kind of silly, but this is actually a really serious show with really adult issues, and I’ve really enjoyed watching it. What did you find most interesting about this show and what was it that appealed to you?
TOBY STEPHENS: Probably similar to what you said. I bought all of the books for my son when he was younger, and he just gobbled his way through them and he really loved them. When it came along and I got offered the part, I said, “What do you think about this?,” and he said, “You’ve gotta do it. First of all, I love that character, but I also love the books.” So, he gave me the book to read and I read it, and I completely agree with what you said. What’s great about it is that it’s not patronizing to young people. It’s creating something that’s complex and it’s introducing them to a dark adult world. We instinctively know, from a very young age, that there are things that are complicated out there, and it’s just introducing them to it. It also introduces a character who can outsmart all of these things. He struggles, but he also deals with some very adult issues, like loss and grief. I liked all of that. I really enjoyed the style of the books. They’re thrillers for young adults.
What were you told about the role? Did you have a good sense of what the full story arc would be, or did you not know the full extent of how things would play out with your character?
STEPHENS: Because I read the original book, I knew what would happen. Obviously, they changed the character quite a lot in the TV version, but essentially the same backstory is there and the same megalomania is there. Well, it’s not really megalomania. He’s got this very warped worldview and objective, which Alex gradually learns about. What I like about Damian Cray is that there is this backstory for his reasons of doing what he’s doing, as wrong as they are, that come from psychological trauma.
Is this the kind of character where you go into it knowing that you’re playing the villain and that’s the purpose he’s serving, or do you not think of him that way?
STEPHENS: You’ve just gotta play the stakes and his reality. What is his reality really? I don’t think Damian cares how other people perceive him. I think he blocks all of that out. He doesn’t really care about that. He just cares about the end result. That’s desire is what’s driving him. He wants to make his brother’s death worthwhile and do something about it.
Are you someone who is into tech or video games at all? Is that a world that you understand and know anything about, or did you do any research, on that side of things?
STEPHENS: I don’t profess to be a great tech person. My son plays video games. He loves his PlayStation. Because he’s so passionate about it, I try to understand it enough to play against him. I actually enjoy it. It’s one of those things where I can dip in and out of it and appreciate the genius of some of those games because they are extraordinary with their design. They are wonderful pieces of entertainment, but I’m not gonna pretend that I’m 14 or 15. I’d rather read a book. I know that sounds really pretentious, but I would sometimes. I’d rather watch a movie or read a book, but it's sometimes fun to sit down and play. It’s a bonding experience. That’s how a lot of his generation, especially during the pandemic, communicates. They’ll pop on a game with each other, all put their headsets on, and talk to each other and have fun. It’s a way of bonding. But in terms of being a tech head, I’m really not. I’m a bit too old for that.
You did four seasons on Black Sails, before wrapping up that story. You’ve done three seasons of Lost in Space, before wrapping up that story. How did Lost in Space coming to an end and saying goodbye to that family compare to when you said goodbye to the world of Black Sails?
STEPHENS: It was very different. Black Sails was a very adult world. It was such an enormous journey for me, playing the character that I played in that. It was a very bittersweet experience, ending that. Part of me was just saying goodbye to something that had been so meaningful for me, as an actor. They gave me a chance to do so much, but at the same time, by the end of it, I was so tired and exhausted, just by doing that stuff. It was very physical and it’s very, very labor-intensive. By the end of it, part of me was like, “Thank God, I don’t have to do that anymore,” but part of me was like, “I don’t think I’ll ever experience anything like that, ever again.” You just don’t get those parts all the time. Lost in Space was a very different thing. John was not required to go to the same depths. But what was lovely was having that family relationship. I watched Max Jenkins and Mina Sundwall growing up. I was part of their childhood for five years and I saw them growing up. We were very tight, as a group, all of us. I will miss them a lot. We took a journey on that. It’s always sad, coming to the end of these things. It’s an end of your time, as that unit and that relationship that you have. I know that I will see them and keep in touch with them, but it’s the end of that period of my life.
I’ve always been a big fan of your work and the characters that you play, but I feel like Black Sails really earned its spot as one of the best dramas that’s ever been made for television. Beyond the transformative experience that it was for you and the cast, just watching it as a viewer, I’ve never seen anything like it and can’t imagine that I’ll ever see anything like it again.
STEPHENS: Thank you. That’s why it was such a bittersweet thing. I remember, towards the end of shooting it, standing on one of those ships. There were hundreds of people who worked on that and they loved it so much. It was such a labor of love. It’s always a bit sad when you finish anything. I’ve yet to have a job where I just literally went, “Thank God that’s over. I never want to see any of these people again.” I’ve fortunately never had one of those experiences.
Hopefully, it’ll stay that way. May you never have to experience that.
STEPHENS: Yeah.
Damian Cray has no idea what’s in store for him, when he ends up crossing paths with Alex Rider. What did you enjoy about exploring that dynamic, especially when they’re not actually directly together for so much of it?
STEPHENS: What I enjoyed about it is that he’s somebody who’s used to getting his way and used to having people around him that ease his path to getting his way. There aren’t many impediments to Damian Cray. Nobody’s gonna stand up and go, “Sorry, you can’t do that.” So, to suddenly have this person who is an obstacle and is creating these problems, and he’s also beating him at his own game, for a control freak, that completely does his head in. It also gets to a point where it’s quite threatening. Damian Cray is threatening to Alex Rider. Where is this going to end? What is Damian Cray prepared to do, to finish this? That’s one of those things where you're playing a character that is willing to go to places that are quite dark.
How did you feel about where things ended up for your character? After everything that he did, do you think that he deserved what happened to him?
STEPHENS: Yeah. What I like is that it’s quite complicated. That he ended up in that place, you can sympathize with why he ended up there. He got what’s coming to him, but you can understand why he got there. Hopefully, when those kinds of baddies are given their full way, there is a sense of unease. Yeah, he’s gone, but you feel a bit sorry for him.
When you go from telling a story where you’re on big boats, and then you tell a story where you have to wear a spacesuit, and then this guy is in a much more modern world, does it make you appreciate doing modern day, on the ground, not out in space storytelling, or do you enjoy those big fantasy worlds?
STEPHENS: Yeah, I do, but it’s also quite nice doing something in the present day. There is a slight amount of discomfort, wearing a period costume or a spacesuit. Doing something in sort of normal clothing, although Damian Cray has quite flamboyant clothes, can be nice. It is nice to be doing something set now, and not 50 years in the future or two hundred years ago.
What’s next for you? Are you working on something now? Do you know what the next thing is? How do you figure out what the next world is that you want to inhabit?
STEPHENS: I’m about to do a play (The Forest) in the New Year, by Florian Zeller, who’s the guy that wrote The Father. I’m doing that in London and I’m gonna start rehearsing that in January. I’m really happy because theater is my touchstone. I need to go back, every once in a while, and do that. I haven’t done a play in a while, so I’m really looking forward to that. In terms of my next big project, I just don’t know. I just wanna hang in there and wait and see. Black Sails lasted four years. Lost in Space lasted five years. That’s quite a long period of time in my life. I just wanna wait it out and get the right job. I’m in no great rush to do that. The last seven or eight years, I’ve been away from my family quite a lot, working. It’s really nice, actually, being there and being available. I’m happy just to wait.
When you do a play, is it always a terrifying experience, or does it get easier the more you do it?
STEPHENS: No, it’s always terrifying. It’s absolutely terrifying. It’s terrifying for around two weeks. That’s when you succumb to the terror, and then you realize that you’re not gonna fall off the end and you’re gonna be okay and they don’t hate you. It’s a wild thing. Every time I do it, there is a point where I’m standing backstage about to go on and I’m thinking to myself, “Why am I doing this to myself?” It is also the best feeling in the world as well, for an actor.
Alex Rider is available at IMDb TV, and also through the Prime Video app.