Actor James McAvoy says that his character’s strong desire to change the world in His Dark Materials makes it exciting. By Team Viva
Tell us about your character in the show?
I play the role of Lord Asriel. He is a scientist and an explorer. He is probably the most self-possessed and ruthless person in the world of His Dark Materials. This show is all about trying not to limit creativity and the liberation of the human spirit but one of the things that really define Lord Asriel is that he is viewed in this tale through the eyes of Lyra. Lyra is his niece who doesn’t understand him, he is a Mercutio (fictional character). He is unattainable. She can’t hold onto him as much as she wants to.
My character believes that he has a huge sense of responsibility to all the humanity and he will sacrifice his own family in order to serve the greater good. The magisterium want to control the flow of knowledge and the development of the human intellect. That is something that Lord Asriel cannot take as a scholar, as a student. He sees that as a challenge. He might break those invisible chains that are holding humanity back.
One fascinating thing about the show?
In this reality of His Dark Materials, the human soul is actually personified in the category of an animal, which is quite an interesting idea.
Were you acquainted with the show? Did you read the books? The trilogy?
I was particularly well acquainted with His Dark Materials. I think I read the first trilogy. I was, maybe, 21. All my research was done. I was excited because I knew exactly what we were going to do on day one.
What are your thoughts on Philip Pullman’s work of imagination?
Scope of Phillip Pullman’s imagination is incredible. The fact that he’s dealing with free will and human rights. He is dealing with liberty and the things that they have to do in order to free us from the grip of these institutions. Philip Pullman is celebrating humanity. I think part of what he sees as the prime characteristic of humanity is rational, creative and an imaginative thought. I think that is beautiful.
Your character is personified as an animal in a way that you imagine yourself outside of your being. What is your take on this?
I think one of the really cool stuff about the world in this show is that when you are a child your daemon is changeable. It can be changed into any shape depending on your mood or just what you desire and anything that would help the situation. But when you hit puberty and start to understand who you really are, your daemon also settles on an animal’s form. My character’s daemon settles on snow leopard. He is totally uncompromising and this is very different kind of a relationship with yourself because you got a reflection of yourself right in front of you, you can’t really hide from, can’t really lie to. Everyone can also see what and how your soul is like.
You are playing a character who is willing to do literally anything to achieve a goal. You might think of him as a classic hero at the beginning but there is some ruthlessness about him. You have played such a wide array of characters. What appeals to you the most about Asriel?
No, I am totally not as ruthless as him. But it is exciting to play somebody that looks at the world and goes “I don’t like this. This is utterly wrong and I am going to change it. Nothing is going to stop me from doing that. Even love cannot stop me. No respect for any particular institution will stop me from making this world a paradise. And emancipating all of us from the systems.” This thinking drew me to the character I play.
(The show is currently airing on Star World every Sunday at 9 pm.)