Welcome to Seventeen’s Watch Club, where we talk with the celebrities behind your favorite latest binge, bring you exclusive content, and take you behind the scenes of the biggest hits you’re obsessing over. This week, it’s all about Shadow and Bone. Check back daily as a new interview with a cast member of the series is released and read more on the series here.
In a strange turn of events, Archie Renaux is about to have his greatest year yet. You see, the actor has spent years on various sets waiting for projects to see the light of day, as premieres continued to get pushed back due to the ongoing global pandemic. Now, at last, release dates have been set and Archie is about to be everywhere.
The actor, who is playing Mal in the Shadow and Bone series, wrapped up filming on the show almost a year ago, still sticking to schedule despite the pandemic. His latest new film, Voyagers, was released months after its original date due to the recent theater shut downs. And now his next movie, Morbius, is finally back on the schedule for a 2022 premiere after shooting wrapped back in 2019.
While all of these projects are quickly turning him to become a household name, Shadow and Bone is where he's highest on the call sheet. As Mal, he's Alina Starkov's best friend and partner as they discover her newfound powers. For Archie, it was something totally new and a challenge he wasn't entirely expecting.
"Playing a lead character in this story, you really have to help carry that narrative. Certainly Jessie [Mei Li] does more so than myself, which with Ben [Barnes], she's done so fantastically. But being able to tell the story through the character is hugely important. As an audience member, you want to watch things where you can really buy into the characters and fall in love with them," Archie told Seventeen. "So making sure that I did that right was my biggest challenge."
The recognition was not the reason why he wanted to help bring Mal to life. For him, it was all about getting the chance to play someone who would teach him how to be braver than he was.
"I think everyone could learn a bit about his heart and courage. He has this willingness to keep going on now matter how tough times get," he said.
That wasn't the only big learning curve for Archie as he discovered more about the Grishaverse and the fandom. Upon getting cast, he was surprised just how quickly fans were able to figure it all out just based off a simple interaction on Instagram.
"I didn't really know how big it was. I think Jessie and I followed each other and people latched onto us straight away saying, 'Oh, this person Archie has something to do with the show.' It was likely because they saw Jessie had also followed (book writer) Leigh Bardugo," he recalled. "At that point, I was like, 'Okay, this means a lot to a lot of people.'"
Despite the very early reaction to joining the series, Archie noted that things on set were relaxed and "there was no real pressure" when it came to presenting his own ideas to Leigh and the show creators for Mal.
"I kind of knew what I wanted to do and I think they'd seen from the sort of tapes and auditions, and screen tests that I had one what we were going to do. With a bit of help and direction from Leigh, (creator and showrunner) Eric Heisserer and our directors, I know I was going in the right direction. It was a little bit of trial and error at first, but I think it's all good now," he said.
Archie said he referred back to the first book whenever he felt like he was lost in finding the character, a luxury that not many have since for some, the series acts a brand new prequel for the people they play.
"I was going back to basics a lot. I went, 'This is what he's going through. This is how he's feeling.' And then I think about how would I feel in that situation. 'How do we need to build the gap between us both?'" he said. "That was kind of my method of doing things on this show."
In working on the fantastical new series, Archie and the rest of the cast had to move to Budapest for the majority of filming. While it might be lonely being in a foreign country by yourself as you prepare to work on a big project, Archie revealed that they got along so well they would even spend after hours together after long days on set.
"It was pretty easy creating relationships with everyone, because everyone was just a joy to be around. Especially when we're filming in a foreign country and you're doing like 11 to 12 hour days of filming, we still went out and had dinner outside of work with the same people for six months. I still absolutely love being in their company. I think that says a lot about everyone that was on the show. They're just wonderful."
Even though he already knew how much an impact the show was going to make thanks to its already existing fandom, Archie mentioned that it didn't entirely hit him until he saw the first teaser trailer.
"Seeing that with all the music and stuff, I was kinda like, 'Wow, this looks like a film.' It just looks so cinematic and so beautiful,'" he revealed. "I just went, 'Wow, that's me.'"
But just like a lot of viewers who will be tuning into the series when it finally drops, the Shadow and Bone TV adaptation will be the first time they ever meet these characters and dive into this world. Despite its long history, Archie hopes new watchers aren't afraid of tuning in, even if it doesn't seem like your kind of show.
"I don't think you need to be a fantasy fan to enjoy this. These characters, despite some of them having incredible powers, are all very human at the core. This could take place anywhere and it would make sense. And there's going to be a character that you're going to be obsessed with," he noted. "For that reason, it's very easy to fall in love with the series."
So if you were hesitant about tuning in before, take this as your sign to tune in as soon as it premieres on April 23 because you definitely won't want to miss it.
This interview has been condensed for length and clarity.
Tamara Fuentes is the current Entertainment Editor at Cosmopolitan, where she covers TV, movies, books, celebrities, and more. She can often be found in front of a screen fangirling about something new. Before joining Cosmopolitan, she was the entertainment editor over at Seventeen. She is also a member of the Television Critics Association and the Latino Entertainment Journalists Association. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram.
