Michael Beach – The 100

By starrymag | February 12, 2016

By: Lisa Steinberg

 

Q) Did you do anything to prepare for this season?

A) No, not really. I’m a guy who goes through the script and makes sure that I understand why I’m doing what I’m doing. Physically, I’m a fairly physical guy and when you are doing a TV show you are used to doing long hours and it always drains you. There are lucky times when you only have one scene a day as opposed to four or five scenes a day, which obviously doesn’t drain you as often. On this show, I have quite a bit to do and it just gets more and more deeper and deeper and more and more physical and mentally draining. I think I get more mentally drained than I do physically.

Q) How does doing the action and stunt work for the show wear on you?

A) Obviously, there is a lot of violence on the show and a lot of action. It’s so funny because I don’t really feel I’m doing a Sci-Fi thing or an action thing, because for my character it is such a mental game that Pike plays. Pike is a very thoughtful guy and he really uses his mind. Yes, he’s kind of manipulative, but he has an end goal in mind. I think the physical stuff we do a lot. I find the high action stuff is a lot harder to do because it is a line here and there and then you have to run over here. You get punched and beat or you’re doing something physical that isn’t that challenging, but you have to act like it is challenging to do. Maybe you have been shot or stabbed or beat up and you have to add that into it. So, for me, that’s a lot more difficult and intensive than really intense dramatic moments with the dialogue and the interplay between the characters. That’s the stuff I really love that I can get into. As much as I’m a physical person, I don’t do a lot of physical stuff in my world. So, I found that it is difficult because you have to remember this happened to you and that happened to you. Incorporating all of that and then throwing out a line here and there is draining. It’s really draining. Pretending this or that has happened is very difficult because obviously it hasn’t happened, but you need to use it. As opposed to having a scene where I am trying to convince someone to do something as my main focus. I don’t have to add something physical that has happened to me to that. All of that is very draining.

Q) If it is following a car chase or someone on foot, that provides a lot of energy and gets your heart going. Also, the mind games can get your heart going, too.

A) That’s something that Pike specializes in, the mind games. Between myself and a few characters, the whole season is just intense with one pitted against the other with who is right and who is wrong. It will be interesting to see where people align. Do you side with this character or that one? Hopefully, there will be a debate instead of just, “This guy is horrible” or “This guy is great.” We’ll see. Even with what Pike has done in the first three episodes that he is in, he is in a lot more and it just goes farther and farther into chaos.

Q) People will love to hate him or hate to love him. There will definitely be a great debate. Do you feel like he is a villain or because of the circumstances he is in this is who he has become?

A) I don’t see him as a villain at all. It would be really hard to play the character if I thought of him as a villain. I think he has a way of doing what he thinks needs to be done. So much of it is based off when he landed. All the mayhem that happened the moment that the farm station landed and that really sets up Pike’s whole reason for doing what he does and why he doesn’t trust the circumstances that he is in and why he thinks this is the way to do what we need to do in order to survive. Pike is a survivor and I think he is an extremely moral character. He has a code and he lives by it. He is not an evil, vicious person. He doesn’t stab people in the back. He is very loyal, but he just believes that the way for his people to survive and thrive (not just exist) is his way. He fights for that way.

Q) Pike and Bellamy seem to be becoming a united front and are aligning. Can you say anything about how Pike and Bellamy becoming this team in a sense might drive wedges in other relationships they have formed.

A) The relationship between Bellamy (Bob Morley) and Pike is really essential to Bellamy’s character. Obviously, he was getting tight with Kane (Henry Ian Cusick) and Pike and Kane were very, very good friends on the ark. They were close. Pike really respects Kane. Obviously, as you have seen there starts to be two ideas and mentors for Bellamy – Kane being one and Pike being the other. As the show goes on, you are probably seeing who these two men are through Bellamy’s eyes and which way should Bellamy go. Should he be a more direct, aggressive guy or should he be a little more understanding and laid back and more of a negotiator than a conqueror.  Those three characters really have a lot to do with each other as the season progresses, which way Bellamy goes. One of the things I always thought when I started on the show is, “When is it going to get to the point where Pike does something that I just find unreasonable?” Because it is probably coming. [laughs] I’ve found for the most part that everything that Pike did I thought was justifiable based on the circumstances of how this character was created, in terms of the circumstances that surrounded him when he landed – when his station landed – and what they needed to do to survive. Landing in the ice nation, which is the most deadly of all – you think what the kids went through when they first landed was nothing compared to what Pike and the farm station went through when they landed, just based on location. How many people Pike lost so rapidly and how they have had to survive…because Pike is the Earth Skills teacher, he is the one who knows how to survive under any circumstances. I just find the dynamic between these three characters and the battle for (without putting words in anyone’s mouth) Bellamy’s trust, wanting him to be on your side, because he has so much sway over a lot of the kids on the show, it’s going to be something that develops a little more.

Q) Octavia has become mostly Grounder now in my opinion. Will that also play a part in the battle for Bellamy, her being so transformed into a Grounder over sky person?

A) I would call her a Grounder. Yes, there are some…without saying too much, there are some troubles because of who she identifies with, the Sky people and Pike possibly.

Q) Trust is about give and take. What is Pike willing to give in order to take?

A) It’s funny because in reality you are like, “Well, I’m cool with you if you kind of think the way I think. If you don’t think the way I think, then we have a problem.” I think that’s true in human nature. I respect the fact you think this way, but if we did things your way, which I don’t agree with, we could all be dead. Especially in “The 100” world! It’s not like the life we live today in our comfortable homes and apartments with heat and air and nobody is trying to kill us every day or take or land or conquer us. The world of “The 100” is if you make a mistake (because you think we should trust these people or be more accepting) then you could be dead. So, I think the battle is which way should we see these people. It’s so important because if we make the wrong decisions it could cost us our lives. I think Pike is a leader and Kane is a leader and they butt heads. What makes it even worse is that up on the ark they were such good friends, they really respect one another and really care about each other’s points of views, but down here it is so much more costly.

Q) You were on a spaceship for so long and now you have to use these skills that you have mainly only talked about as opposed to actually applying them.

A) Nobody ever thought we’d be down on Earth. So, I don’t know how important Pike would be on the ship because no one ever thought they would need Earth skills. It’s like when we go to Math class (unless you are a Geek), nobody cares. You go, “I know how to add, subtract, multiply and divide and that’s all I need. I don’t need Algebra or Calculus.” Nobody expects they need these skills because we didn’t expect to be down on Earth for another one hundred years. So, coming down and being able to put those things into practice is something Pike never thought would happen. But the truth is that is his thing. He is probably now in the place that best suits him, the place where he is most needed and most effective as opposed to up on the ark where that stuff didn’t have much meaning.

Q) You are one of the many cast members who are incredibly interactive and connected with fans on social media. Why is it so important for you to share so many behind the scenes photos and respond to fans?

A) When it comes to time, I’m pretty busy with all of the work on the show. I have seven children and my wife. For me, I can’t speak why somebody else does it or doesn’t do it. For me, it’s fun! I just like it. I’m a pretty social guy, even though I’ve never been an actor who goes to Hollywood parties or premieres. I’m a biker. I’m a family guy. I love acting. So, I’m not somebody who hangs out at parties, but on another basic level I’m really social. I love when people come up to me on the street and say hi or ask a question and want to take a picture. I’ve always been like, “Thanks man! I really appreciate that.” So, now with the invention of social media, I guess I understand how it must be cool for somebody to meet someone or be able to ask someone a question who is on a TV show or in a movie that they have always loved. It’s just like, “Whoa! I can actually talk to that person or get a response,” I understand how that is cool. It’s really not a big deal for me. It’s not something that is like, “Uh, I have to talk to people.” It’s kind of cool. It’s not an agenda for me. I’ve been acting for a long time so I don’t have an attitude about it where, “I’m an actor so I have to keep myself mysterious.” I’m not talking about anyone. I’m just talking about why I like to interact with people. It’s just fun for me and I’m just like everybody who is tweeting me. I’m a guy who was born, has a mom and dad and is getting through life and paying bills. My kids and family are more important than what I do, but I do love what I do. It’s not brain surgery or super important, but I know that entertainment really makes people feel good. It gives them a release and an escape. If I can make someone feel good even for a second or answer a question that I could possibly answer than I don’t see why not. It doesn’t cost me anything to make someone else happy and it makes me happy.

Q) Are you looking forward to the instant fan feedback you will be receiving this season?

A) Yeah. Like I said, a lot of the people who watch “The 100” I’m new to them because I’m their parents age. Some of my kids are right in the demographic for the fans of The 100 and a couple of my kids are even older. So, I wouldn’t expect the people who watch The 100 to know me because I haven’t done something with such a young fanbase before. I don’t care who I talk to, if someone is eighty or fifteen – it doesn’t matter to me. It’s just person to person. I’m not interested in whether or not someone likes Pike or not. I just hope he brings a lot of energy to the season and to the show so that people are engrossed in what happens because of him and what he does to push the story forward and what he does to complicate everyone’s lives and the choices people are making because of the things that Pike has come on and done. I hope that whether you love him or hate him or hate to love him or love to hate him that he pushes your buttons. I hope he makes you sweat, yell at the screen or gets you psyched or pumped to find out what happens next time and the time after that. I hope he does that and that’s what is really exciting to me about a show like this. When I first took the job, I didn’t expect to have such amazing writing. I think the writing on “The 100” is so good. It’s so layered. You can’t point to someone and say, “He’s a good guy and he is a bad guy,” because they are not. They are put in a situation where they have to fight to survive. All we’re doing is, “Would I be this guy or that guy,” or “Would I like to think I would be this guy or that guy,” because obviously we’re not in that situation. That is where the fantasy comes from. The stakes are just so, so high and that is what I love about it. That’s why the decisions Pike makes I stand behind. I think the writing has been that good that I say, “Yeah, I see why he did that. It might be a little harsh, but I understand why he did that.” I love the character. I really love the character.

Q) The show keeps flipping all of these dynamics around. That’s the character development they provide and the layers they give. Every minute you’ll be thinking something different.

A) As the story goes on, you start to see more of someone’s reasoning. You go, “Oh! Okay! This person doesn’t like this person and that’s how it is always going to be.” This person will kill this person whenever they get a chance, but then you find out this person saved this person. There are just so many layers to what is going on and once you think you have boxed someone in like ”Yeah, I know this person,” then you get slapped in the face. You thought you knew everything and understood everything, but you don’t. It gives you a little more backstory and reasoning for why someone is the way they are. You look at Clarke (Eliza Taylor) and the things she has done, if you just read it in the newspaper…”This person has killed 100 people,” then you are going to think, “Well, this is an evil person.” Well, this is why this person did that. I guess everyone on the show has killed a multitude of people. But it’s so funny because you go, “I hate this person because they killed however many people, but you love Clarke and she’s killed more people than that person.” Then it becomes is it because she killed this particular person that you happened to love? Clarke killed a lot of kids, too. It’s so complicated and that’s what is fun as an actor, to have those complications be played and actually be thought of. So, when the writers are actually writing it, they are not afraid to take a character to a place that you may never recover from, but then try to work at showing you a different side to them. It’s really been a surprise for me, it really has, in terms of how deep they go and in terms of relationships and the why’s and what not’s and what they are not afraid to do. They are really not afraid. I’ve watched the other two seasons and I think this season is going to blow people away. I really do. Stuff is happening…WOW! Twitter is going to go nuts on some of these nights. They are going to go NUTS!

Q) Some people are just finding the show now and it’s getting more attention. There has been this slow finding of the show and now it has so many people buzzing about it, all done by word of mouth as opposed to advertising.

A) I think particularly this season is not just about the kids. There are a lot more adult interactions this season. So, you have a great span of the ages. Obviously, you see a lot more of the Grounders this year, what their life is like and their political system. In terms of the audience possibility, it can grow because it is not just for 20 somethings. If I think about the other seasons, obviously, everyone knows about Kane, Abby (Paige Turco), Jaha, and not to say they weren’t essential in the other two seasons (because of course they were), but I think they have a lot more to do in season three and it has a nice balance between the young people and the older people and how they mesh and collide and how relevant they are to each other becomes a little bit more (or is actually more in play) in season three.

Q) What have you taken away from your experiences working on “The 100?”

A) I think what I take away from most projects that I do that I really love is you get to know a new group of people that you get kind of close to and you know that whenever you see them again that in between the seasons (and we haven’t gotten a fourth season pick up yet) is the relationships. I’ve gotten pretty tight with Bob and Richard Harmon is my man! That guy is, for me – for my money – is so talented and gifted. He is twenty-four years old and I have two children older than him and one basically the same age and I just find that guy is so talented. He is so, so gifted and I’ve had a great time working with him. I have known Isaiah Washington for years, so the time I have spent with him just talking about not just the show, but our family lives and our kids…Adina [Porter] I have known from New York for forever, but we’ve never worked together. So, I’ve been getting to know her a little bit better. Those are the things I’ll take away, the relationships and the experiences. I’ve done a lot of work and most of the work that people do nobody ever sees. It’s not whether something is successful or not that lives with you. It’s those experiences. I can go back thirty years and remember how things have shaped me on projects that no one has ever heard of or cared about. I remember some of the things that I learned as a young actor from someone who was established then and had been around. My experiences with them and what I learned on set about set etiquette and how you treat people and the hierarchy on the set, which is a very real thing, how you respect that…I’ve seen people take advantage of it and I’ve seen people who don’t really care about it. For me, everything I do whether it is good or bad or successful or not successful, the things that I take with me are the experiences. There seems to be always someone on a job that you do that you really connect with and have a relationship with long after that projects is over. That’s the thing I like the most and I think when we get back to Los Angeles there will be a couple of relationships that I have that will go beyond what happens on “The 100” if there is a fourth and fifth season, whatever happens with my character beyond that. Some of those are with guys who are half my age. It’s fun! I really, really had a great time on the show. It’s been a really fantastic time.