Thandiwe Newton was going to retire from acting before Westworld

It’s a tale as old as time: successful actors sharing that they nearly quit the business right before they landed their current project. Such is also the case for Westworld star Thandiwe Newton, who told Inverse all about her retirement plans before joining the HBO series as the rebellious host Maeve Millay. “Honestly, I was ready to quit,” she said. “Happily, joyfully, like, ‘Oh, I don’t have to keep acting? Fine.'”

Newton is involved in a number of things outside her acting career, so leaving that all behind didn’t seem like the end of the world to her. “I love being a mother. I love being a human rights activist,” she said. “I love writing. This was my moment to step away, and not in a fearful way. It just fit. And then I got the call for Westworld.”

Newton’s contribution to Westworld has made the sci-fi show what it is. Maeve was the first robotic host in the theme park to gain self-awareness; without her, the show just doesn’t work, so it’s a good thing the offer came along when it did!

Newton decided to come on aboard after reading the script and talking to her husband. “It was my husband, who said, ‘Oh, this sounds good,’ because of the team involved.” And what a team it truly is! Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy are the showrunners, Evan Rachel Wood and Ed Harris are starring members, Anthony Hopkins had a memorable role in the first season…who wouldn’t want to be a part of that?

Last May, Westworld aired its third season amidst the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, bringing Breaking Bad’s Aaron Paul into its extremely complicated world. It was the first time a season took place outside of the confines of the Westworld theme park, with hosts like Maeve now in the outside world. The series is currently filming its fourth season.

If you’ve been following Westworld from the start, you know it’s a very convoluted, trippy series. There are many layers to the story and we never quite know who is a host or a human. Maeve’s journey has been one of the most enjoyable to follow, particularly in season 1. It turns out that Newton agrees.

“The first season was the real epiphany,” she said. “After that, I feel like we’re in an entertaining show, honestly. And that’s not to discredit the show. I love the show. I think it’s wonderful. But it’s all about the origin story, isn’t it really? The origin story of Westworld is profound and had a massive impact.”

Back in season 1, we watched Maeve transition from a host programmed to be a brothel madam at the Mariposa Saloon to a fully aware host searching for her daughter. Once she gained awareness, the series took a wild turn and never looked back.

There’s no premiere date for Westworld season 4 set as of yet, but the sooner the better.

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h/t CBR