Western world
HBO
Considering this is a show about immortal, sentient robots, death means relatively little in Westworld. But one character has died more than any other at this point, James Marsden’s Teddy, reportedly with over 4,000 deaths, more than any other host during his ill-fated time in Westworld. But the latter seems to have stuck around at the end of Season 2, given that he wasn’t there for all of Season 3.
Here in the unexpectedly great Season 4, however, Teddy is back and for once he seems to know a lot more about what’s going on than Dolores herself. While fans previously theorized that Dolores rescued Teddy’s pearl from Westworld, we still know little about who this version of Teddy actually is, the full extent of what he knows, and what he plans next. So I tried to get James Marsden to tell me. Here is our conversation:
PAUL: One thing I’ll say to start here is that I know this is Westworld, which has the most mysteries of any show on television, so I know there’s a bunch of things that we don’t know about yet. you can talk but i will do my best here.
JAMES: But you will do your best to test me.
PAUL: Yeah, I’m sure you’re used to it by now.
JAMES: I’ve gotten pretty good at knowing what I can and can’t talk about.
PAUL: One thing I’m curious about is, did you know you were coming back in a future season when you died in season 2, or was it a surprise that you were invited back for season 4?
JAMES: That’s something I can answer. I sat down with Lisa Joy and Jonah Nolan at the beginning of Season 2 before we shot any footage of the movie, and we not only discussed my arc for Season 2 and the exciting journey that Teddy has to go on and that I’m doing as an actor, which is fun with the big switch right in the middle of the season. And then beyond that, they told me that “we’re going to do something that’s going to be really strong with the story we’re telling: Teddy going away for a while.” To which I went “forever?” No, specifically, they said , that he’ll be back in Season 4, but you won’t be in Season 3, and we believe there should be stakes in the show. The idea of taking away one of the beloved characters is going to upset audiences, and hopefully if we do our job right when we bring you back in season 4, they’ll be standing up and clapping. And it’s just a perverse little game we play with our fans (laughs).
PAUL: So they drew it pretty far?
JAMES: Yes, they did. I will say that they didn’t go into detail about what I’ll be doing in season 4 or how I’ll be back. It’s just “you’ll be back in season 4.” They’re very good at putting a cap on what they can say, even to the actors.
Western world
HBO
PAUL: So how different was it coming back to the show now that it’s not a western at all and now you’re in this modern city? What was that transition like?
JAMES: I mean it was fun. It’s definitely weird because it’s the same familiar faces, just without all the dirt and dust and horses. But welcome to be honest. It was fun to bring shades of Teddy to this season, but also speak in a very contemporary way. The first scene you see us on the date, Lisa Joy was like “I want this to feel like a modern day conversation. I don’t want any western feeling in your voice. Just like you are a modern person. He feels like he can remember things from the past (laughs).
PAUL: That’s actually my next question here. I know you have to… protect yourself a little. It’s kind of a simple question, but in Westworld it’s quite complicated. What can you tell us about this version of Teddy? We know he’s Dolores’ guide, but he doesn’t seem to be involved with Bernard and Maeve, like he’s not part of their plans. Is this the old Teddy Park?
JAMES: Well, I think it’s important to say that there needs to be a certain level of mystery to him, and that needs to remain throughout the season. My goal as an actor to approach this was well, what part of Teddy is still there and I’m not even going to ask who he is, where he comes from, if he’s remodeled, if he’s a host, human, whatever. There’s not even to think about it. I’m reading the scripts and here’s my goal. My goal is to gently open Christina’s eyes to the world she thinks surrounds her and her powers in that world. And do it in a trusting and gentle way that feels like a friend. Like an old friend. And that’s it. That’s how I’ve approached everything so far. What are we doing, episode six?
PAUL: Yeah, I watched the screening before and I was like “Oh no, he’s not in it!” But I guess you’ll be in the next one,
JAMES: (laughs) Okay. Well, I can tease the next few episodes… episode 4 was such a bomb on so many different levels and filled with crazy intense action that allowed us in 5 and 6 to lay more groundwork for what was to come. 5 and 6 are a bit of calm before the storm. So there’s a bit of a tease. I think… right now he’s a comforting, supportive presence that Christina trusts and somehow connects with on a deep level that she definitely doesn’t understand yet. Whether he knows everything or just…some things, there is a mysterious basket that some things must go into.
PAUL: I found a lot of those in Westworld.
JAMES: Yeah, in episode 5 she can say who did this to me, who built this? And his response is, you did. Teddy can say it, but he won’t explain it. Because this is Westworld, it’s a puzzle box. It’s a slow burn and I think we’re on a really good path this year to do something really great and powerful and make the fans really excited and very happy.
I often worry, am I not specific enough, am I too convoluted? Everyone enjoys a puzzle, but there should also be satisfaction in solving it, or at least having it come to you. So I think we’re about to make the fans really happy with the direction we’re going, and yes, a lot of that still has to stay in that mystery box. But what I want from the fans so far this season is to enjoy seeing them back on screen together, at least for the first few episodes, there’s a lightness to them, they’ve been through such hell in season 2 and it’s nice to see those iconic characters from Westworld appear together on screen, although they now wear leather jackets and have red hair and fashionable dresses. So yes, his purpose is to usher her into this existential awakening.
Western world
HBO
PAUL: So this is kind of an old question and I don’t know if you’ll be able to answer it yet, but I remember you were talking about your exit from Season 2 and you were asked if Teddy was one of the pearls smuggled out of the park by Dolores. And now that you’re back in the flesh, is that something you can still answer, or should that still be a mystery?
JAMES: Oh god, yeah, a mystery (laughs). That would be a big mess on my part.
PAUL: Well, that’s something that will probably come up at some point.
JAMES: Yeah, I mean we want these theories, we want these questions to be asked. It’s frustrating because it hasn’t been answered yet, but it will be. At least we feel it should be and I believe it will be. And I say believe because it is not a fact that it will happen. I fool myself even in this show.
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Thanks to James Marsden for talking to me. My final theory? (That no, Marsden did not reveal). Teddy was created and written as a buffer against rejection by Dolores/Christina, using his old pearl and memories to inform her of what’s really going on, given that he doesn’t seem to be connected to the old household brigade, nor the human resistance, nor with Hale. But we’ll see!
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Take my science fiction novels the Herokiller series and The Earthborn Trilogy.
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