Created by Mark Bomback and based on the best-selling book of the same name, the Apple TV+ original series Defending Jacob shows the effects of a shocking crime on one family in a small Massachusetts town. When the son (Jaeden Martell) of Assistant District Attorney Andy Barber (Chris Evans) is accused of murdering a fellow classmate, it puts the unconditional love for family on the line.

During this 1-on-1 interview with Collider, actor Jaeden Martell talked about playing such a complex character, learning from the actors and directors that he’s worked with, how lucky he feels to have a career as an actor, having a lot of fun on such an intense set, the most challenging episode to shoot, whether he decided to read the book that the series is based on, whether he watches his own acting performances, why he’d love to play a villain, and the directors that he’d like to work with.

Collider: When this came your way, what was it about this character that most interested you, and what did you feel most nervous about?

JAEDEN MARTELL: He’s such a complex character, and he’s super unique. It’s definitely the most challenging that I’ve had to play. But I was just so excited to have the freedom of being able to create my own background for him and create the scenario that created this whole mess, of him being accused of murder. Basically, (director) Morten [Tyldum] gave me the freedom of choosing whether I did it or not, and no one knows. It was just such an interesting experience and it definitely helped me grow, as an actor. Just being able to create my own story about him was definitely very interesting and powerful. It definitely made me closer to him, as a character, and made it easier to become emotional or get into character and be him, in certain scenarios.

Did you struggle with whether or not you felt that he did it? When you were thinking about it, did you come to a really set conclusion, or did you kind of go back and forth with it?

MARTELL: Yeah, I definitely struggled with it for awhile ‘cause I just didn’t know. But the thing about the show is that, regardless of whether he did or not, the story wouldn’t change and him, as a character, wouldn’t really change. It would be the same and he would have the same reactions. You would be just as hurt, if your dad asked you if you killed a boy or not, whether you did it or not. You would have the same reaction, and you’d be hurt by it. So, in a sense, it’s the same story, whether he did it or not. But I definitely went back and forth, trying to figure out what was best and what was more powerful for me, as an actor, or what would get me to a certain place.

Once you made the decision, did you stick with that decision throughout the shoot?

MARTELL: I made the decision, but I thought about other possibilities, and I thought about what it would be like or how would I act in this situation, if it were the other way. So, I made the decision early on, but definitely was going back and forth, thinking about both sides.

You’ve certainly had an interesting career, the last couple of years, doing the It movies, Knives Out and Defending Jacob, which are all pretty high profile products. What has that felt like, as an actor? Is it what you had hoped for, for a career? Is anything, at all, like what you thought it might be?

MARTELL: No, I never and still don’t imagine a certain career, and I never wanted to be an actor, growing up. This really was a huge surprise. I just feel so lucky that I’m able to do what I love. It’s sounds rude or dumb, but I don’t care if it does well, I just wanna make movies and become a better actor. That’s just my goal. But I feel very, very thankful for the opportunities that I’ve been given.

When you work with a certain level of talent, I would imagined that certainly raises your game.

MARTELL: Oh, yeah, absolutely. Working with the very talented actors that I’ve been lucky enough to work with has been such a learning experience, and it’s definitely helped me grow, as a person and as an actor.

Do you feel like you’ve learned more from the actors that you’ve  worked with or from the directors that you’ve worked with, or is it both?

MARTELL: Definitely both things I feel like. With directors, I feel like it’s more specific, in learning what to do in this role, for this film. Whereas with actors, I’m able to watch and learn how to do something that may be helpful, in the future, or maybe helpful for all the projects that I do, in just seeing their process and watching the little details. I think it’s really all in the details, and the little things. The things that they think about, that you would never think about, and that people may not appreciate, but it’ll help you become more invested in that character.

You talked about not having planned for this career, but did you have a moment when you realized that this was actually a career that you wanted?

MARTELL: I never knew. Even when I just started acting and was doing commercials for awhile, I didn’t know what it meant to be an actor. But then, when I did my first movie, St. Vincent, I was 10 years and I discovered, “Oh, this is what acting is, and I love it. I don’t think I wanna do anything else, for the rest of my life.” That’s a crazy thing to discover, when you’re that age. It’s hard enough to be able to do what you love, but to know what you love is also extremely hard to come by, so I just feel lucky.

Have you also been inspired to try your hand behind the camera, as well?

MARTELL: Yeah, definitely. I would like to be a director, at some point, and write, and stuff like that. It’s so difficult, but I’ve definitely been inspired by the people that I’ve worked with to do that.

Doing such intense material, what was the atmosphere on this set like?

MARTELL: We had so much fun, surprisingly. Even though we would be crying and screaming, in one moment, we would just be laughing, off-camera, and having a good time. The environment that Morten, the director, and Mark [Bomback], the showrunner, created was such a light environment, where everyone felt open to put in their input and everyone was so creative. It was definitely a very creative and fun experience.

Now that you’ve done three projects connected to Chris Evans, have you thought about how weird that coincidence is?

MARTELL: I know. It’s funny, I’ve been in him, I’ve been his cousin, and I’ve been his son. It’s a little odd, but it’s great. I wouldn’t have it any other way. He’s a good person to work with, just to see how he works, as an actor. He’s also a very normal person – and I mean that, in the best way – despite also being a superhero. It’s really nice to see that.

What was it like to create that family dynamic, with Chris Evans and Michelle Dockery?

MARTELL: That was the most important part of the show. Morten said that it really centers around this family and their chemistry together. Luckily, it was really easy to find the chemistry and to be comfortable with each other because it could have gone either way. We were lucky that we became close and were able to have a good relationship. All of the characters are in their own elements, throughout the show, and going through their own struggles, but we were all connected, in a powerful way, hopefully. If you don’t believe that they love their son, then everything falls apart, and what’s the point of watching a show about these people? Hopefully, we got that across.

Was it tricky to find that balance to create doubt about whether or not he did what he’s accused of?

MARTELL: Yeah, for sure. We don’t want him to be an evil human, or some monster that’s not realistic. Maybe he is and he’s lying, but everything was done out of sincerity. Hopefully, we created a real relatable character. It doesn’t matter whether he did it or not because he’s the same human.

Was there a day or a scene that you found particularly challenging or difficult to do?

MARTELL: The second episode. Just the whole episode. I don’t wanna give too much away, but during the second episode, there are a lot of emotional scenes. It’s basically when everything starts and everything falls apart, and that was definitely difficult. The thing about this show is that we actually shot out of order. We basically treated it like an eight-hour long movie, so it was definitely difficult to be in a certain place, and then have to go shoot a fun family dinner scene, and then shoot a difficult emotional It was definitely hard, going back to that place, and then trying to find it again.

Were there things that you did, as an actor, to track him emotionally for yourself?

MARTELL: I was listening to a lot of music, so I would always go back to the same sad songs. It’s definitely hard, while shooting. I feel like it’s easy to get lost in it and forget where you are. I just had to remind myself that it’s the same character, but he’s in a different place, in every episode. Music helped me a lot, actually.

Did you decide to read the book, before shooting this?

MARTELL: I actually started reading the book, and I read maybe the first chapter, and then I put it down and said, “I cannot do this.” He is pretty different. The situations around him are the same, but his reactions to it are pretty different and just his overall tone. Mark and Morten wanted to create a character that was more relatable and real and normal, just so that audiences would be more conflicted about whether he did it or not. Also, the other issue is that the book is completely from Andy’s perspective, and I didn’t wanna be in his mind ‘cause I should be in Jacob’s, not his.

Looking back on it all now, do you feel differently about Jacob?

MARTELL: I don’t know yet. During the shoot, he felt like a friend. Coping with the things that he had to deal with, creating this background, thinking about the things that he went through, and going through the things that he went through, he felt like a friend.

Are you able to look back on some of the work that you’ve done? Do you go back to projects that you’ve previously done and look at them and try to learn things from them, or do you prefer not to watch yourself?

MARTELL: I’ll always watch it, just to appreciate everyone’s work, but no, I do not like watching myself, at all. I know that I’ll pick my performance apart, but not in a good way. It’s am irrational dislike for my performance, so I don’t really watch. But I always find my mom watching my old stuff and really enjoying it. It’s funny. But no, I don’t watch myself.

Do you feel like you’re more confident and secure in who you are, as an actor, and what it means to be an actor, now that you’ve done some work and you’ve worked with some really talented people?

MARTELL: No. I feel like, as an actor, it’s your job to be insecure, a little bit. If you feel satisfied with who you are, you’re not gonna grow. I feel more confident, in the way that I feel very lucky where I am and that I’m able to do what I love, and I feel more confident in the way that I just feel happy that I’m able to do it. But as an actor, no, I don’t feel more secure. It’s best to not be satisfied with your work, I feel like, ‘cause then you can grow from it and learn. It doesn’t matter how long I’ll be doing this, I’ll always learn from the people that I work with.

Are there certain kinds of characters that you’d like to play, or any real people from history or some sort of source material, that you would like to apply?

MARTELL: I don’t know. I’ve always wanted to play the bad guy or the villain in a movie. That’s always been my dream. As soon as I started acting, I was like, “I wanna be the bad guy.” It’s always just more fun. I loved Heath Ledger’s Joker growing up and I used to recite his lines, word for word. So, that’s definitely something that I still wanna do. I don’t know. I haven’t really thought about it. I do love history and think about how there’s so many good stories to tell.

Are there directors that you’ve seen work of, that you’d really like to work with?

MARTELL: Oh, yeah. Martin Scorsese is one of my favorite directors, of all time, and Christopher Nolan, [Quentin] Tarantino and Hirokazu Kore-eda, are also my favorite directors, too. That’s my wish. It’s every actor’s dream just to play someone new and have an interesting character to work with ‘cause that’s just special. I feel special, when I get a new character.

Defending Jacob is available to stream at Apple TV+.