Ed Harris has been in both science fiction and Westerns—his own written/directed Appaloosa springs to mind—so him taking a turn in HBO's Westworld seemed like a perfect fit. But like all good things that must end, it seems season 5 may be when the dust settles on the robotic horizons and bloody trails of the HBO reboot of the Michael Crichton '70s classic.
Westworld is currently airing its fourth season after dropping trailer that’s more of a piece of The Matrix and William Gibson than the Western-genre trappings of the debut seasons. The new chapter sees Ed Harris' Man in Black, a.k.a William, the brutal owner of the West World park, fading into that sunset along with all the other characters audiences have come to know and love.
In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Harris was asked about everything under the Westworld sun starting with his golf swing. “I haven’t played for a few years, so a pro came over and helped my swing a little bit. It’s not a very good swing, it’s a little lurch-y, but it’s better than it was.” The conversation touched on his costume, with Harris saying, “I really enjoy my Man in Black western outfit and who he is when he’s wearing it.” Harris then said of his gun, “I’ve had a really hard time with that thing. They actually got another replica that’s a little better, but it’s really hard to cock with one hand.”
The conversation moved onto his character itself, first playing William-as-Host. "She’s [Tessa Thompson] programmed him to the extent that he’s really doing it in her bidding, but hopefully…he’ll start growing within, getting a little more consciousness of his own being and expanding his horizons a little bit.” It continued with his character’s arc—and if the violent killer could ever be redeemed. “That’s a really good question. You know, I wouldn’t mind if he, the actual human William, got out of the cryo machine and corrected some situations that he’s responsible for…We have one more season, which will start filming next April and May. I have no idea where that’s going to end up.”
When Harris first started on this new take on the scifi classic, it was a dual-timeline series showing us what would turn out to be William as a young man, played by Jimmi Simpson, and William now, a brutal, cold-hearted Man in Black who gleefully and wantonly slaughters the denizens of the park with the hand of someone long seasoned in the world the park offers. Having survived the downfall of the park, William is prepared for the next evolution of his relationship to it.
The last season saw Harris’ Man in Black having his own throat slit by his own double in the form of an AI-controlled host—something he apparently survives—and getting back in the saddle where he’s under the doubtful ministrations of the Charlotte host played by Thompson. The Man in Black, who joyfully terrorized hosts for years and even killed his own daughter (played by Evil star Katja Herbers), thinking she was also one, is getting a taste of his own medicine. Whether Harris will get redeemed by the time the final season of Westworld airs remains to be seen.
Westworld season 4 airs new episodes on Sundays at 9 p.m. EST on HBO.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter