Himesh Patel speaks with Esquire Middle East about Station Eleven, one of year’s most highly-acclaimed series, now streaming on Starzplay Arabia in the Middle East.
Read our full conversation below.
Adapting a beloved book is an attraction of its own, but what about this world and this character did you connect with most on a personal level?
There was something of the lost soul in Jeevan that I really related to. Sometimes it takes a director to make you realize what you connected with, and towards the end of shooting the pilot with Hiro [Murai], he said that when I did my audition, he could just tell that there was something melancholy, something sad going on with me. And that he really liked that.
There’s definitely something about Jeevan where doesn’t quite know where he fits in the grand scheme of it all. I’ve definitely had moments like that.
He’s also a character just goes through a tremendous journey, which was probably unlike anything you’ve ever had to go through in terms of the lengths of development in the character from start to finish. What was the unique challenge of that?
Yeah, there was a lot of tracks, really. What was great was Patrick Somerville, our showrunner, was just such an open door, and he encouraged all of us to really take ownership of our characters. He wasn’t overly precious about anything, he wanted it to be collaborative. So I wanted to know where we’re headed, so that I can make sure that I’m not doing anything that might contradict that, he was all ears and, and that really helped make it a bit easier to track. As you say, it’s such a complex journey.
How was this journey made personal for you?
I’m still learning a lot. It is a lot of discovery. I’d say it was really empowering to work with people like Patrick and Hiro, Lucy and Jeremy, the other directors, I worked with people who are open to the actors having opinions and having thoughts and as I said, having an ownership of the character.
That’s taught me that there is value to the things that I may bring to the table, ideas that I might have. I think previously, ‘ve been wanting to just do what I’m told, but as I grow into myself, I think I’m learning that, actually, a lot of the best directors want you to have an opinion, they want you to bring something to the table, and hash something out and see where we go. I think doing this job has certainly given me that.
Have you shed that melancholy spirit yet?
[Laughs] No, I think that’s here forever, probably.
What have been your thoughts as you’ve wrestled with how the world has evolved since the show’s journey began over the last two years, in terms of how you think people are going to receive it. What do you think of the messenger this will resonate most with people?
It was obviously quite disturbing when everything started happening in real life. And we just shot the pilot, I was going okay, is this going to happen? Are we going to do this? Obviously talking to Patrick and to the producers, they said that that we don’t need to change anything, that the story was beautiful , as was Emily’s novel. I think the story that we’re telling is that ultimately, it’s about hope in the face of the collapse of civilization, especially in episode two.
We end episode one with the end of the world, and in episode two, and we pick up 20 years later, and there’s just this band of travelers and performers and there’s energy and hope and humanity has found a way to survive and be joyous in that. iI’s not bleak. It’s not hopeless think hopefully that’s something that people will take away is that we’re telling a story with many ups and many downs and many characters and twists and turns. But hopefully, they’ll realize that there’s beauty in the world no matter what happens.
Station Eleven is now streaming on Starzplay Arabia