Nathan Dean Reveals How He Really Feels About Jackson's Ending In The Originals - Exclusive
Before Nathan Dean was getting his extraterrestrial on as Max Evans in "Roswell, New Mexico," the actor bore his claws during the full moon as Jackson Kenner in the Louisiana Bayou on "The Originals." Like most werewolves in the series, though, his character met somewhat of a grisly end. Having the Mikaelsons in your life without being in the actual family is almost certainly a death sentence, and sadly, Jackson ended up on the wrong side of the claw.
Yet The CW is an expert at pulling on fans' heartstrings during (or after) death scenes, sprinkling in some beauty onto the sadness. Fans got a taste of that in the finale when Jackson's once stepdaughter Hope (Danielle Rose Russell) briefly meets him and the rest of her slain family in the afterlife for some much-needed closure.
Looper spoke to Nathan Dean during an exclusive interview for "Roswell, New Mexico," where he dished on his thoughts on Jackson's ending on "The Originals" and whether he'd be down to head to Mystic Falls in some capacity to appear on the spin-off, "Legacies." He also delved into the rich folklore and history of the "Vampire Diaries" franchise.
Saying goodbye to Jackson
Speaking about Jackson's first ending — and then getting to meet Hope and Hayley again at the end — Nathan Dean said, "I think that was a really sweet way to go out. Jackson was always a passenger on that ship. The story was about the vampires and about Phoebe's character, and Jackson was always just sort of a bystander." Dean added, "So, to have that kind of closure with Hope at the end and have that moment, it was nice. I think Jackson serves his purpose. The story wasn't about him, but yeah, it was nice that they brought me back, and I was able to have that moment."
Dean is so pleased with his "The Originals" ending that he probably wouldn't come back for the "Legacies" spin-off if given the chance. He explained, "I'm happy where it ended up. I think 'Legacies' is on its own journey now. And I know the actress who plays Hope, and I know that they're on their own path. Jackson doesn't really have a place there."
Well, that's rough news for Jackson fans, but it sounds like the right call. Yet fans have learned never to say never when it comes to the "Vampire Diaries" universe.
Finding the folklore
The best part of the "Vampire Diaries" franchise is arguably its deep roots in history, culture, and folklore — and Nathan Dean had a lot of thoughts on those storylines. "Yeah, I mean, I think when I was doing the vampire-werewolf stuff, it was fascinating to learn so much about where those legends came from. The origin stories of, you have, what was it? Vlad the Impaler was one of the first people thought to be vampires, and these horribly dark stories that gave rise to these myths and legends." Yet Vlad the Impaler has nothing on Klaus Mikaelson.
"And it was really, really fun to just learn about all of that and to learn the history of where these myths come from and why they're so compelling today. I mean, why do we still talk about this stuff? What is it that draws our attention to it?" Dean explained, "So it was just fun to learn, I mean, from an intellectual standpoint, just get into the mindsets of people that may have thought these bloodthirsty sorts of things. It was kind of wild, and yeah, it was a lot of fun to learn about."
Fans can tune into new episodes of "Roswell, New Mexico" Mondays on The CW. The entire catalog of the "Vampire Diaries" franchise is ready for a binge on Netflix.