Matt Lanter Weighs In On How Jupiter's Legacy Characters Are Like The Clone Wars' Jedi Council - Exclusive
Contains mild spoilers for "Jupiter's Legacy"
According to Matt Lanter, who plays George Hutchence, aka Skyfox, in Netflix's "Jupiter's Legacy," in order for a villain to have a complex and compelling character arc, they need to think they're doing the right thing. Luckily for Lanter, the villains he plays onscreen tend to possess that character trait.
Between his "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" character Anakin Skywalker and his new role as George Hutchence in Netflix's Mark Millar superhero series, Lanter's villains wade in the murky grey waters of villainy. Both Anakin and George react (albeit poorly) to a series of strict rules from superiors that help drive them down their destructive paths.
Looper recently spoke with Matt Lanter for an exclusive interview, during which he dished on how Anakin and George are cut from the same cloth. The actor revealed how Anakin's Jedi Council and George's superhero Union pushed the characters to meet similar jaded fates.
A Jedi and a supervillain
On the similarities between George and Anakin, Matt Lanter had a lot of thoughts. "George is kind of labeled as 'the world's greatest supervillain.' I think any good villain has justification and legit justification as far as they see," he said. "Even Anakin — I mean, aside from killing little kids — was justified in what he was doing. He thought he was doing the right thing. He thought everyone else around him was corrupt. I think that most of us, as humans, want to be good."
Some of us are just better at acting on that impulse than others, but George and Anakin don't fall into that category. As Lanter added, "I think both of these guys, both of these characters — and Wyatt too, from 'Timeless' — they do some questionable things, but I think the heart ultimately is there. I think in George's case in 'Jupiter's Legacy,' I think he might get labeled by the outside world. He gets labeled. I don't know that he necessarily thinks of himself as a villain."
The Jedi Council vs. the Union
While the Jedi may spout assurances like "only Siths deal in absolutes," the Council is more than ready to entirely disown any Jedi who struggles with fear or love rather than teaching them to deal with their feelings in a healthy manner. Similarly, the superhero Union in "Jupiter's Legacy" and its strict Code does the same for initially well-meaning superheroes. Matt Lanter agreed, noting, "The Jedi Council seems antiquated and just doesn't apply in every situation anymore. And the Jedi Council is so black and white [in its thinking]. I think Anakin realized that things aren't black and white. In fact, there are shades of gray, and that's exactly what's going on in 'Jupiter's Legacy.'"
On the "Jupiter's Legacy" code, Lanter made the connection. "Sheldon Sampson, played by Josh Duhamel, really sees the Code, that is, the truth, the way, and the light. It is black, or it is white — good or evil. And I think George Hutchence sees shades of gray," he explained. "I think he sees the opportunity for middle ground, and that just doesn't sit well with Sheldon. And I think then, obviously, if you're a fan of the comics at all, you know there are other outside forces — Walter, Sampson, and Brainwave, he's kind of manipulating things also to paint George in a specific picture."
To make the connections for themselves, "Star Wars" fans can check out all eight episodes of "Jupiter's Legacy," streaming on Netflix now.