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Thomas Dekker on Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
By Fred Topel | Image property of Fox
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles picks up its second season with John Connor making major steps towards becoming the savior of mankind. Thomas Dekker intentionally played him weaker in season one so that he could reveal the John Connor we expect him to become. Now he gets that chance.
Thomas Dekker on The Sarah Connor Chronicles
“I'm so not permitted to say anything, but I will say he goes through a massive event right at the beginning of the season that you will see that totally changes everything for him emotionally,” said Dekker. “He decides enough is enough and now it's time to start being pretty nasty. It's the best thing for me because I wanted, purposefully, to frustrate. I knew it would frustrate some people in the first season with the performance I did because I wanted him to be kind of weak and hide behind his hair and sit behind the computer and people to go, 'This isn't the savior of the world. Where's he?' So that then you could watch him shift. I felt that doing what he does wouldn't just happen. I think there have to be things that occur that just build up to lead him in this thing and that's what happens. This is so great. I get to play just rage and bitterness and power that I didn't get to do at all last year, by my own choice.”
Perhaps the only thing that makes Dekker sweat is that Terminator Salvation movie coming out next year. “I'm worried about that movie killing our show so I try and steer clear of it. It's about the future that's already exploded and our show is about trying to stop the future, so why would you care about people trying to stop the future when you can go watch Christian Bale fight it?”
It would seem more Terminator fans support the show, since they undid some of the silliness of Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines. I don't know. I think it was kind of 50/50. There's some negativity, I've heard, towards Terminator 3 so I think they kind of like that we did and then there were other people who hated that we did. I don't know much of the political thing. I'm just doing my lines and loving it.”
The Sarah Connor Chronicles
These new changes to Dekker’s John Connor involve some maternal difficulties as well. “They can't elicit the same kind of love from each other as they did in the first year.”
Connor also gets a love interest, played by Leven Ramben. “It's a tricky relationship because John on the one hand doesn't want to feel anymore. I think that's the biggest difference. First season he was really very emotional and was holding onto his feelings and he doesn't want feelings because they get in the way. Yet on the other hand, he really likes this girl. He can't help it. It's kind of his one way to a normal something in his life. But she's the pushy one. I think he kind of at first is like, 'I don't, I can't, just leave me alone' but she breaks through. So I wouldn't necessarily say he's smooth.”
At least he gets to kick some butt. “What's cool is I'm f*ckin' kickin' ass this season for a change. I'm actually getting to fight people and shoot guns. Not that that's all I care about. If I had to do that, it would be boring but it's nice to do when it's for a reason. So this season I've gotten to do a lot of stuff. I'm in a firing range. I'm actually using guns. I get into a big fight. There's so much action that I'm in in the first episode. A lot of it, like the next couple, is with Cameron, but the first episode I'm in a car that flips, we're upside down in a crunched, broken car. I'm getting a windshield smashed in my face. That was an intense, intense episode, right out of the gate. After five months of eating bon bons and watching TV, you're like first day of work and there's glass flying everywhere.”
Finally, for the ultimate tease, could we possibly see Thomas Dekker in some old age makeup as John Connor in the future? “I cannot disclose, my good friend. I cannot, I'm sorry. I'm not saying yes or no to that, but I cannot disclose.”
I’m so happy that’s out there as a possibility now. Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles returns Monday, Sept 8 on Fox.
Fred Topel
Sources: Image property of Fox
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