John Bradley chats to RadioTimes.com about his 3 Body Problem character.
*Warning: This article contains major spoilers for 3 Body Problem episode 3.*
It’s the Netflix sci-fi that has continued to grip viewers since its release last week and in one of the earlier episodes of 3 Body Problem, viewers are delivered quite the shock ending for character Jack Rooney.
Played by John Bradley (Game of Thrones), Jack is one of the Oxford Five in 3 Body Problem and is not only an intelligent scientist, but is also building his own food empire and is, basically, the comic relief in the show.
So, it’s safe to say that it comes as a complete surprise when Jack is suddenly killed in episode 3. But what did Bradley make of his character’s brutal end?
Chatting exclusively to RadioTimes.com, Bradley said: “It became quite daunting actually. It was a bit like, I’ve got three episodes to make people care that this happens.
“I think making people care is one of the most under-respected and hardest things you can do across the board when it comes to film and TV.
“I’ve got three episodes with a lot of other stuff going on to build enough of a rapport with the audience, so they’ll miss him when he goes.”
He continued: “When I found out he went so early, I was a bit disappointed because, as an actor, you want to stay around for longer [but] I was very flattered that they thought I could pull that off and they fleshed out that character enough over those three episodes to make it more than worth it.
“It’s also then playing with expectations because they didn’t kill me in Game of Thrones so people think they won’t in this. And then I go so early in this and you see him get killed in the game a few times before this, so you’re not even sure it’s real, but I like to think when he goes there’s a tonal change.
“It’s suddenly a bit less fun and everything because a bit more serious… If you do die, you just want it to feel worthwhile and important.”
Of course, Bradley is best known for his role as Samuel Tarly in HBO fantasy series Game of Thrones, but stars in 3 Body Problem alongside the likes of Jess Jong, Jonathan Pryce, Eiza González and Alex Sharp as well as special features from Mark Gatiss, Reece Shearsmith and more.
As per the synopsis for the series: “A young woman’s fateful decision in 1960s China reverberates across space and time into the present day. When the laws of nature inexplicably unravel before their eyes, a close-knit group of brilliant scientists join forces with an unorthodox detective to confront the greatest threat in humanity’s history.”
Read more:
- 3 Body Problem author gave approval for Netflix adaptation’s biggest changes
- 3 Body Problem creators want to “get to the end” of story with more seasons
Based on the Three Body Problem novels, creators David Benioff, DB Weiss and Alexander Woo revealed that all of the major changes from the acclaimed books was actually given the okay from author Cixin Liu.
Speaking exclusively to RadioTimes.com, Woo said: “He knew that adaptations would have to be made, he recognised that some of the male characters might be better served being female and he recognised that, because we were doing the English language adaptation, there would also be changes made in terms of setting and characters.
“The opportunity that it afforded us was that was that we could tell a story about humanity facing a global existential threat from an extraterrestrial civilisation, and if we’re going to represent humanity, we should represent all of humanity.”
3 Body Problem is available to stream now on Netflix. Sign up for Netflix from £4.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream.
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