Vincent Cassel played the world’s richest man in Westworld season 3: tech pioneer Engerraund Serac. He was the man who created the quantum computer Rehoboam, an AI that singled out, predicted and manipulated the lives of humankind.
As the villain of season 3, Cassel’s character was responsible for the death of Dolores…well, at least one version of her. But if you liked his villainous turn on Westworld, don’t hold your breath to see him turn to the dark side in a superhero movie anytime soon, because he’s not interested. “Honestly, these are not movie movies I watch anymore,” he told Inverse. “When they came up with the technology and the fact that suddenly Iron Man or Spider-Man could look real and not tacky in the special effects, I was interested. Then, it became normal.”
"I was a big fan of the comics at the time when I was a kid. Nowadays, I think these are movies for kids, really. And even though I still have a part of me who’s a kid, I would say no. I wouldn’t watch it. Maybe if you had a great villain and it’s done by somebody who’s really intelligent and talented enough to give it a twist so it doesn’t look like a movie for kids, then maybe I would do it. But otherwise, no. The few approaches that I had, I felt like it would have been a long time commitment for something that I wouldn’t even watch to the end."
Is anyone else getting reminded of when Martin Scorsese said that Marvel movies weren’t “cinema”? Those two should work on something.
Anyway, back to Westworld, in the final moments of the season 3 finale, it’s revealed that Rehoboam is actually controlling Serac. Cassel was as surprised by that twist as anyone at home. “I didn’t know before they sent me the last scripts,” he said. “I had no idea.”
"The way it’s put together, it fits what I did in the beginning. He’s always very calm. He’s here, he’s not. You ask yourself if he’s real or not anyways throughout the whole season. So it adds a layer to that. He’s real, but something that he created dictates his thoughts and the best way to put them together."
When last we saw Serac, he was alive but wounded, which means there’s a chance he’ll be in season 4. In fact, based on what he was told by showrunner Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy when he came on board, we can almost guarantee it. “hen they hired me they told me an arc of the whole character: where he comes from, what are his motivations, and what are his dreams,” said Cassel. “And the dreams that they told me about are bigger than what we saw.”
"I know they keep on writing throughout the whole season so I have no idea if it’s the end of the character or maybe he’ll come back in two seasons. I have no idea. But yes, they told me more than what I did in the show."
Cassel says he knew about the show because he was a fan of the 1973 movie from Michael Crichton, starring Yul Brynner as “the Gunslinger,” which is the character that became the Man in Black. “I could relate to a childhood memory,” he said. “And then, what I liked the most about the show is the whole universe, how they render this future without being tacky. Also, the multi-layered aspect of the show. The whole mindfuck that goes with it. The world-building. Even sometimes when you get lost, they still manage to keep you interested in the way it’s made.”
Now that season 3 is over, Cassel is aware that not everyone was a fan. “Obviously, the problem is that when you’re part of it, you can’t really watch it for what it is, ever,” he said. “That’s the price to pay. From an actor’s point of view, I thought it was incredible, but I need to watch it again to really have a closer look.”
"As for fan reactions, I’ve read some really good stuff that people were still amazed by the way it looked and that vision of the future that resonates with our times. And then, I think some people thought it was too complicated and not for them."
From your lips to god’s ears, Vincent Cassel.
To stay up to date on everything fantasy, science fiction, and WiC, follow our all-encompassing Facebook page and sign up for our exclusive newsletter.
Get HBO, Starz, Showtime and MORE for FREE with a no-risk, 7-day free trial of Amazon Channels