At the center of the Apple TV+ science fiction thriller Constellation is a family affected by the merging of two parallel universes. When astronaut Jo Ericsson (Noomi Rapace) returns home from the International Space Station, she discovers that her daughter Alice and husband Magnus, though physically identical to her family, are not the family she knew back on her Earth. As Jo struggles to learn what is going on, she begins asking herself if she lost her mind, or if the portal between the two universes holds sinister secrets that could forever separate her from her true family.
In an exclusive interview with CBR, Constellation star James D'Arcy talks about the challenges of playing two different versions of the same character, reflects on working with co-star Noomi Rapace plus the rest of the cast and crew, and shares his hopes for a second season.
CBR: James, how was it approaching this project, with its alternate universes and different versions of your character Magnus? I feel like it's unlike anything else in your catalog.
James D'Arcy: I feel like I really enjoy projects that challenge you. I like projects where you can’t go off, put the kettle on and come back, and you've missed nothing. Some years ago, I did a movie, Cloud Atlas, which I feel like lives in a similar universe of head-f------. When I read the scripts, I read them all in a day. By the time we got to Episode 7, my head had exploded because of the complexity of what [Constellation creator and writer Peter Harness] had put together. I did have to go back and look at it again. I didn't realize that we had met both versions of Magnus in the first episode.
It was a challenge, actually, because you know how they say "in a multiverse, every possibility is happening?" In Magnus' world, his multiverses aren't actually that dissimilar. Whereas Bud and Henry are two pretty wildly different characters, with the two Magnuses, the differences are very subtle. Honestly, that was quite confusing at times, trying to remember which Magnus was which. [laughs] It was hugely entertaining to try to figure it out.
One of the Magnuses, they spent about 15 minutes putting a chickenpox scar on my forehead every day – it would've been Magnus B, the Magnus we meet mostly in Season 1 – because there's a line in Episode 8 where Jo says "I don't remember you having a chickenpox scar." We did that every day for the eight months to shoot the show and the day before we shot the scene, Peter cut the line. [laughs]
In talking about the subtleties in playing different Magnuses, one is driven by grief and the other by jealousy. How did you want to layer that into your performances?
You say that one of them is driven by grief and that is true, but actually, his character was slightly before he found out Jo was dead. The relationship between him and Jo would've been different before she went into space. The differences in Magnus A had to predate discovering Jo was dead, and that was something to try and wrap your head around. Discovering she had died in space gave me something that I could hang my hat on, but I wanted it to be that he was actually a bit more selfish, a bit more of an a------ than the Magnus who has his Jo returned to him.
Magnus A, as we called him, was less understanding, less thoughtful and not that good of a husband. He was actually jealous, too. He was jealous in a different way. He was very jealous of Jo's success. Magnus B has a different jealousy in that he feels that he's lost his marriage since she's gone off with Frederic. Quite often, when you figure something out, it's relatively early on in the project, and you don't have to think about it too much more. I'll be honest, I was still thinking about those differences the last week of the shoot.
I was telling Noomi this, but my favorite scene is when Magnus and Jo argue halfway through the season about her cheating on him because they're both right. How was it working with her on that scene?
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Constellation is plodding and monotonous, lacking the plot twists or surprises that will make Apple TV+ viewers eager to tune in for future episodes.Honestly, that's the joy of getting a job like this, that you get to work with somebody as good as Noomi and the scripts are as tight as they were. All you have to do, really, is get out of the way and let the words do the work for you. Truly, Peter was the one who had to sit around and figure that all out in his head. But you're right, and it's great, you have an argument where both people are right, and they're absolutely certain that they're right. That's terrific drama.
Doing that scene with Noomi, with that particular scene, I don't even remember that we rehearsed it a great deal because it was just clear how we had to go about it, and it was near the end of the shoot, so we were very comfortable working with each other by then. It was an enjoyable scene, that!
I think the funniest scene in Constellation is when Magnus snaps at Alice over breakfast, and Davina and Rosie Coleman are so great in the show. How was it working with them?
They're wonderful girls, really amazing girls in real-life. They're extraordinarily talented actresses, but they're such sweet, kind, lovely girls. I must admit, when I first read the script, I was a little apprehensive because most of what I had to do with a 10-year-old girl in the show – Davina and Rosie are a little older than the girls they played. I was a little apprehensive about how that would go. It could've been a little tricky. It was so easy with them, and it wasn't easy for them because they switched out, not by scene, but by time. They were allowed to be on set for four hours, or something like that, and then they'd have to switch.
Rosie or Davina wouldn't have seen what the other one was doing, so they'd have to walk into a scene that was half-shot and pick it up in the middle of it just before a close-up. What was amazing was that, quite often, one of them would start the scene and make a certain choice that wasn't in the script, like touching my arm or something like that. When she would leave and the other one would come in, she'd do the same thing.
This happened four or five times, and I'd say "Oh, did you have a conversation about the arm touch?" and she'd look at me and go "No, I just felt it was the right place to touch your arm. Do you mind?" and I’d go "No, it's fine! It's just amazing because Davina was doing the same thing, and it's not in the script." [laughs] There was some telepathy between those two girls.
When doing sci-fi and horror projects like Cloud Atlas, Exorcist: The Beginning or Constellation, I feel like you have to be dialed up to 11 for so much of the filming. What about that appeals to you creatively?
The truth is, and I'm sure most actors would probably tell you the same, you just want to work with good scripts and with good directors and actors. For me, good scripts usually mean that you have to sit up and pay attention. I'm a little less interested in things that wash over you – I'm happy to watch them! [laughs] When you come across a script that really challenges the viewer; I feel like this is probably the most challenging script, even including Cloud Atlas.
It's a wonderful thing because this is what television can do so well. Christopher Nolan is one of the few people who can get away with doing this in film but, even at his best, it's a three-hour story. This is an eight-hour story, so there's a lot more real estate that you get, and you can explore more deeply.
I heard you spoke to Peter, so I'm really intrigued what his plans for a second season are, should we get one, because he's laid so much of that groundwork that you don't have to explain, and it worked – not that he didn't really explain a huge amount for a long time. [laughs] With a Season 2, I feel like you could really go off the deep end.
What do you look for in reprising a role, be it a potential Season 2 of Constellation, or coming back as Jarvis in Avengers: Endgame? Would you be open to exploring more of the Magni in another season of Constellation?
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Thanks to a star turn in What If...?, fans are ready to see more Peggy Carter in the MCU and the Multiverse offers the perfect setup.I would love to see what happens next for sure. In terms of reprising a role, Jarvis is one that is very close to my heart. I had a lot of fun doing that TV show [Agent Carter]. With Marvel being what it is, there's always the possibility and, if they knocked at my door, I would be very happy to jump back in, but nobody has knocked at my door, Sam! [laughs]
How was it working with Peter Harness and directors Michelle MacLaren, Oliver Hirschbiegel and Joseph Cedar in Finland for this eight-month shoot?
Well, we only shot in Finland for three weeks. We shot in Morocco for a few weeks, but mainly we shot in Berlin. Peter is a very clever man. I think, because I didn't know his work when they sent me the scripts, there was a cover letter that came with it and a very nice letter from Peter as well. Noomi is obviously a terrific actress, but the name that really jumped out to me was Michelle MacLaren. I think she's just a genius in television directing. I had so many times seen things that she had directed and thought "Wouldn't it be great to be directed by her?"
To have that opportunity was amazing. They say that you shouldn't meet your idols, but it doesn't apply to Michelle MacLaren because she's just such a wonderful woman and so great, as was Oliver and Joseph Cedar is a genius and such a gentleman. The directors held us together really.
I always find the nature of rotating directors in episodic television fascinating in that way.
Yeah, but it wasn't quite like that on this show because Michelle did two, Oliver did three and Joseph did three. But because they didn't do it episodically, but based on location, all three directors were around for the whole shoot, which is really rare. As you said, with episodic television, a director usually comes in for their episodes, then they go out and the new guy or woman arrives. But this felt much more filmic in that regard.
Constellation is now streaming on Apple TV+.
Constellation
Jo returns to earth after a disaster in space and discovers that there are missing pieces in her life, so she sets out to expose the truth about the hidden secrets of space travel and recover what she has lost.
Release DateFebruary 21, 2024
CastJames D'Arcy, Jonathan Banks, Clare-Hope Ashitey, Noomi Rapace
Main GenreSci-Fi
GenresSci-Fi, Thriller
Seasons1
Streaming Service(s)Apple TV+
