ONE of the stars of dystopian drama The Man in the High Castle has suggested that the new series could have you rooting for the Nazis.
American actress Alexa Davalos, who plays the lead role of Juliana in the show, says that viewers may end up feeling sorry for some of the more unsavoury characters.
The Man in the High Castle envisages a world where Hitler wins the Second World War with the help of the Japanese, leading to America being carved up between the two superpowers.
However, with the Fuhrer close to the end of his reign, a power struggle has begun between the Nazis and the Japanese that could end with the dropping of a nuclear bomb.
The 10-part series explores what it’s like for people living under this totalitarian regime through the characters of Juliana, her boyfriend Frank Frink and undercover Nazi agent Joe Blake. The show also features the American-born Nazi commander John Smith, played by British star Rufus Sewell.
Speaking exclusively to Express.co.uk, Alexa said that viewers would end up sympathising with the Nazis.
“I don’t want to give anything away but… yeah,” the 33-year-old actress admitted.
She went on to explain: “Rufus Sewell is so incredibly brilliant in this show, just chillingly powerful and quiet. He’s spectacular.
“He brings a level of humanity to that character that you can’t really wrap your head around it but you feel for him – that’s the power of something like this. [It] really puts everything on its head.”
Given the grave topic of the show, Alexa said that things would be getting dark and promised some scenes that would be “absolutely mind-blowingly, excruciating to experience” for audiences.
Yet she said that it wouldn’t simply be a descent into the abyss: “There’s definitely ups and downs and there’s so many surprises.
“You really find yourself in some moments really rooting for characters that you would never ever root for.
“There’s this twist on your own emotional barometer and your own moral barometer. It really makes you question things, which is a fascinating ride.
Alexa prepared for the role by reading the original novel of the same name by Blade Runner author Philip K Dick and finding out more about the Second World War.
She had previously done extensive research for her part in the 2008 film Defiance, which saw her star opposite Daniel Craig. Defiance was set during the Nazi occupation of Belarus and was based on real-life accounts of a group of Jewish resistance fighters.
Alexa also looked into Japanese culture, explaining: “That character is growing up in that culture, that’s all she knows.”
Juliana also practices the ancient marital art of Aikido, which Alexa described as “fascinating” and a “moving meditation” that required her to be “completely present” in the moment when she was learning it.
“It’s very much about taking the opponent’s energy and turning it back on them, which became quite an integral key to Juliana for me. She’s not outwardly aggressive but she’s able to take whatever comes her way and sort of channel it back,” Alexa explained.
She said that she was drawn to the role by the intricacy of character. Coincidentally Alexa admitted that she had read The Man in the High Castle years ago and the character of Juliana had “oddly stayed” with her since then.
“So when it came back around in script form I was quite taken with the idea of playing her. She’s quite extraordinary,” she said.
Alexa continued: “She’s got a stiff upper lip and that was quite interesting – someone who has to keep her emotions reined in and who doesn’t completely fall apart in moments that I think most people would. I know I would.”
The Man in the High Castle is latest series to be produced by internet streaming service Amazon Prime and has been penned by Frank Spotnitz, one of the writers on cult Nineties classic The X-Files.
The Man in the High Castle is available on Amazon Prime on Nov 20
, great find. I like the description of Rufus's acting a lot. The pic isn't bad either.
I had the time of my life. It's a wonderful lesson that if you do the things you love, that's the way to go. Rufus
And it was the touch of the imperfect upon the would-be perfect that gave the sweetness, because it was that which gave the humanity. Thomas Hardy: Tess of the D'Urbervilles
One of the oddest pop-culture memes of the moment has political candidates and regular citizens contemplating what they’d do if they came across Hitler as an infant. “The Man in the High Castle” takes a related tack: What would have happened if the Axis powers had not only won World War II, but had taken over large portions of North America? An elderly Hitler who has survived into the early 1960s lurks like an ominous ghost in the background of this handsome series, which expands the Philip K. Dick novel into a thoughtful meditation on the ways in which oppression worms its way into relationships and the fabric of societies.
This is a measured show — at times, truthfully, a trifle too measured — thus a welcome element of unpredictability is supplied by Rufus Sewell, who plays John Smith, a suave and seemingly unflappable Nazi official. Sewell gives his character a rich interior life, hinting at difficult war memories that drive Obergruppenfuhrer Smith to act ever more resolutely in the name of the Reich. What may be most chilling about Smith is his warmth; the man can turn his charm on and off at will, and his watchful eyes indicate a steely soul that’s wiling to go to any lengths to ensure the Nazi definition of “peace.” His green protege in the intelligence-gathering service, young Joe Blake (Luke Kleintank), looks up to his boss, but is also understandably afraid of Smith’s intelligence, will and quicksilver temperament.
Smith has an equivalent in the Japanese intelligence service: Chief Inspector Kido (Joel de la Fuente) is equally devoted to the Japanese empire, and thus every bit as formidable and ruthless as his Nazi counterpart. Scenes featuring de la Fuente, Sewell and Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa as a high-ranking trade minister, Nobusuke Tagomi, benefit from these actors’ gravitas and magnetism. In the “High Castle” scenario, Germany and Japan are engaged in a high-level Cold War, and these men make the stakes wrapped up in that unsteady alliance come alive.
Other characters are a bit less well-defined and their relative naivete makes them somewhat harder to invest in. It may be unfair to wonder why a character in an alternate-universe 1962 doesn’t realize that phone calls can be traced, but TV has given us too many good spy thrillers to let that kind of thing slide too often. “The Man in the High Castle” also takes full advantage of the binge-able aspect of streaming (two episodes are online now and eight more arrive Nov. 20), but it often forges ahead without revisiting previous plot points. The series might actually benefit from the occasional injection of exposition: Certain connections and story elements are sometimes a little murkier than they could be, especially when viewers are expected to recall incidents that occurred several episodes earlier.
That said, “The Man in the High Castle” has a solid opening episode and gains weight and heft as it goes, in part due to fantastic world-building: Every single element of the Japanese Pacific States’ San Francisco and the Greater Nazi Reich — which has a major presence in New York — has a tactile, detailed reality. The production design for the drama, which was shot in Vancouver and Seattle, is second to none. It’s vitally important that any alternate reality allow the viewer to believe the alien setting is real, and that’s the case here, thanks to the show’s detailed prisons, apartments and offices. The no-man’s land of the Rocky Mountain neutral zone is suitably forlorn and windswept, and the cities’ blend of classic Japanese design, mid-century modern elegance and the scuffed, sad trappings of poverty feels complete and well thought out. Thanks to the series’ command of visuals and tone, it’s simultaneously jarring and natural when all-American trappings like apple pie and firework are used for a wholesome family holiday celebrating the Nazi victory.
This version of “The Man in the High Castle” is not so much a character study as a meditation on how powerful and corrosive forces work their way through society, from the top of the food chain to the factory workers and secretaries who have to find ways to live within a system that leaves them few avenues of real dissent, let alone rebellion. Every secret told is dangerous, every one kept is like acid eating away at a relationship or an ideal. There is not much hope in this serious, ambitious drama, but there are moments of real connection that make one believe that individuals — and even images — can make a difference.
Is that belief an illusion? Author Dick built a career out of the question, and this adaptation of one of his most famous tales explores that in an intelligent and visually exhilarating way.
This is a measured show — at times, truthfully, a trifle too measured — thus a welcome element of unpredictability is supplied by Rufus Sewell, who plays John Smith, a suave and seemingly unflappable Nazi official. Sewell gives his character a rich interior life, hinting at difficult war memories that drive Obergruppenfuhrer Smith to act ever more resolutely in the name of the Reich. What may be most chilling about Smith is his warmth; the man can turn his charm on and off at will, and his watchful eyes indicate a steely soul that’s wiling to go to any lengths to ensure the Nazi definition of “peace.” His green protege in the intelligence-gathering service, young Joe Blake (Luke Kleintank), looks up to his boss, but is also understandably afraid of Smith’s intelligence, will and quicksilver temperament.
Smith has an equivalent in the Japanese intelligence service: Chief Inspector Kido (Joel de la Fuente) is equally devoted to the Japanese empire, and thus every bit as formidable and ruthless as his Nazi counterpart. Scenes featuring de la Fuente, Sewell and Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa as a high-ranking trade minister, Nobusuke Tagomi, benefit from these actors’ gravitas and magnetism. In the “High Castle” scenario, Germany and Japan are engaged in a high-level Cold War, and these men make the stakes wrapped up in that unsteady alliance come alive.
I do wish more people would understand Rufus' level of acting, like this writer seems to. He's not just some two-bit Brit actor, who can only perform certain characters (antagonists, or pompous souls on horses). He adds a complexity to ones that might otherwise have been a bit flat with another actor in their 'shoes'. Yes, Smith is another antagonist for Rufus to play, but he's a twisted version of an antagonist, in that he's a good family man with intentions that seem wholesome to him & his ideals. So often, the Nazis are seen as ruthless, cold killers out for world domination. Smith sounds like he's going to be an exhilarating change from the stereotypical Nazi. And, I can't wait to see what Rufus does with the character, or how the series ends for him, when it streams tomorrow!
There is a review - mostly positive in the New York Times. Here is the excerpt mentioning Rufus:
The character-building, unfortunately, is far weaker than the world-building. The dialogue is often B-movie grade, and Juliana and Frank, the closest thing the ensemble has to leads, are dull and dour. By the end of the six episodes provided to critics, they begin to emerge as individuals, but until then the plot does all the work.
An exception is Obergruppenführer John Smith (Rufus Sewell), a pitiless American Nazi leader who’s a mild-mannered patriarch at home, like Captain von Trapp of “The Sound of Music” gone bad. (The theme song is a ghostly rendition of “Edelweiss,” its paean to a “clean” and “white” blossom ringing horrific in this racially cleansed dystopia.) The series’ most terrifying invention is to depict Nazi America not as Germanized but as representing a kind of perverted hyper-Americana, a “Leave It to Beaver” nightmare in which homogeneous suburban neighbors greet one another with a hearty “Sieg heil!”
The reviewer ends by saying that while the overall project is a bit shaky as a mystery it works brilliantly - he viewed the first 6 episodes and can't wait for the final four.
Great praise for our man. Always a lovely thing to read, critics realizing what a fine actor he actually is. I can't wait to see more of John Smith in action!
I had the time of my life. It's a wonderful lesson that if you do the things you love, that's the way to go. Rufus
And it was the touch of the imperfect upon the would-be perfect that gave the sweetness, because it was that which gave the humanity. Thomas Hardy: Tess of the D'Urbervilles
This week’s been a strange one. First Benedict Cumberbatch was lambasted for using his celebrity currency, and more specially his Barbican stage, to roast UK political strategy towards migrants. Since then, events in Paris have made everyone, even telly-obsessed entertainment journalists, question the value of how they spend their day and if they’re making enough contribution to the solution, in whatever form it may take.
READ MORE: Benedict Cumberbatch Defends Political Rants From The Stage The Bridge Star Speaks Out Against UK Policy On Migrants None of this is lost on Rufus Sewell, who stars in this high-concept drama series ‘The Man In the High Castle’, a critic-pleasing but thought-provoking dystopian thriller, debuting on Amazon Prime today. Based on the 1962 sci-fi novel by Philip Dick, it depicts a world in which the terrorists won… in this case, the Nazis, and Rufus is the hardened SS Obergruppenfuhrer John Smith. (EXCLUSIVE CLIP ABOVE)
When I ask him about the value of a role in something like this, against the background of frightening world events, firstly, he’s quick to defend Benedict’s stance, saying, “I admire anyone who gives a S**t enough to stand up and risk whatever stock they have in pursuit of something they care about.”
More specifically, on the value of his own role in ‘Man in the High Castle’, it’s clear he has thought about this role more than most, and how it relates.
“My own personal response to playing somebody like this is, ‘How do I do this? What’s my motive in doing this? Do I make him remotely likeable because he’s a Nazi?” he explains to HuffPostUK.
“But then I realised my responsibility is to humanise a Nazi, because Nazis were humans, and I don’t say this in defence of Nazis. I say this in defence of humans.
“Germany in the 1930s wasn’t comprised of the worst people in human history, they were normal citizens who were somehow sufficiently indoctrinated, and who incrementally dehumanised another type of human, bit by bit without realising they were doing so. And they felt safe enough to do it. And that’s going on all over the world as we speak. On both sides. On all sides.
“We’re not in control. People will cheer the death of one individual and mourn the death of another.
“So I really think our responsibility as actors is to make it as make it as clear as we can that these are humans we’re dealing with and that, as much as they commit to one course of action, they could equally make another choice. We’re not as in control as we like to think we are.”
‘High Castle’s world might be 1962, with the Nazis on the prowl, but the contemporary relevance isn’t lost on Rufus, either.
“Philip Dick always seemed to be talking about the present in his own way,” he says. “I think he was wanting to explore just what humans do in order to live? What is that process? And what’s fascinating is that, even in the most shocking of circumstances, they somehow get on with it… for good and for bad. And that’s incredibly relevant. Quite by accident, he has held a mirror to everything we’re faced with today, but then these are universal and timeless problems.”
It is always good to talk to Rufus Sewell, with his thoughtfulness and candour. Last time we spoke, he told me he was “sick and tired of only being cast as a w*nker”. So now, a Nazi. How’s that working out for him?
He chuckles away. “Frankly, I’ve changed my mind about my work. I wasn’t interested in this role at first, but I realised that more and more would come out of it, and all of my frustrations could be utilized. And only I could turn that around.”
If that sounds precious on the page, Rufus is anything but. Referring to his other ongoing project – playing the young Queen’s advisor Lord Melbourne in sweeping ITV drama ‘Victoria’ – as well as Nazi John, he admits, “These are the kinds of roles I’d have sighed at 20 years ago, but now I’m so happy to be playing them. And if can feel that, just occasionally, I’m doing something special, that makes a difference for the better, then that’s a bonus, a pretty big bonus.”
'The Man In The High Castle' Series 1 is available on Amazon Prime from today.
, great find. I like the description of Rufus's acting a lot. The pic isn't bad either.
![[laughitup]](http://storage.proboards.com/1565067/images/g8i202ED78c33CA90C30.gif)
for all the info and pics about TMITHC!