Titans S4 NYCC 2022 roundtable interview with Brenton Thwaites (Nightwing), Joshua Orpin (Superboy), Ryan Potter (Beast Boy, and showrunner, Greg Walker by Anthony Andujar Jr 10/9/22
I had the opportunity to interview the showrunner and some of the cast members of Titans Season 4. I asked each member of the show one question in regards to their characters and their experience working on the latest season.
Q. Given the course of the seasons thus far, we’ve seen Dick Grayson go from being the son that ran away from his dad to being a father figure. What’s it been like seeing the trajectory of Dick Grayson as a team leader and paternal father figure for the Titans?
Brenton Thwaites: I guess in season one, he just wanted to break away from what he would call, abuse. Being taught things at a young age that he probably shouldn’t have been taught, you know what I mean? Being exposed to a world of crime, and the goings on in Gotham that you’re too young to be exposed to. I also think that throughout the season, season one, two and three, he’s been dealing with his parents, and the death of his parents in different ways and I think during season three he lands in the right way. Which is to try and be that father figure for younger people that need him. To try and be someone, to be the best person that he can be but also step up in that patriarchal role for people that have talents, that may have the same PTSD going on, that may have lost their parents, that may need some father figure in their lives. Season four kicks off with almost the exact parallel with Conner Kent wanting to meet his father, and he doesn’t get to meet the father he wants to meet. He gets the other one, and we all know he’s a villain, a serious villain that Bruce Wayne was afraid of. Someone not to tread lightly. Dick has to try and figure out how to be that father figure to Conner Kent in a way that he doesn’t have. And that’s a tricky dynamic because on one hand, he tells Superboy, I wouldn’t get within 10 miles of Lex Luthor. But on the other hand, everyone should get to know their parents. So he’s battling with that throughout the season.
Titans S4 interview with Joshua Orpin (Superboy) by Anthony Andujar Jr:
Q. Given that you’re playing Superboy, and seeing his journey of his growth thus far, I’m sure you’ve been familiar with the comics and seeing the nature of his relationship with his fellow Titans members. Were there any particular moments in this season that you feel represented those elements? Do we get to see more scenes with you and Dick Grayson this time around this season?
Joshua Orpin: I think about all of these thought points and another one of the great things about this season is the interplay between the characters. Those dynamics between characters within the team, you’ve got the brotherly relationship with Beast Boy, the pseudo father relationship with Dick Grayson, you’ve got this new kind of budding friendship with Tim Drake who has now joined the team. All of these are kinda unique in their own way and I think fans are really going to respond to those specific interactions and how those relationships are unique and differentiated within the team. I don’t want to give too much away, but those relationships, particularly with Dick Grayson, play a big role in Conners story this season. Conner has to rely on his family and like any kid growing up, he wants to rebel but then he comes back. You see those relationships shift and you see just how important those people are to his life.
Q. Given that you guys are adapting Brother Blood into Season 4 of Titans, what is the most difficult thing when navigating the horror elements of this series? Because you guys have gone into darker territory with characters such as Trigon, and others. But dealing with Brother Blood, what was the most difficult thing about adapting him and his overall story as an antagonist for the Titans?
Greg Walker: Well, two things. One, I think that making it grounded, because our show is grounded in nature, so we couldn’t just go into full fantasy land. It’s always a challenge to make it feel real, so we think of movies like John Carpenter’s The Thing, The Exorcist, that’s kind of (and I hate this term) psychological horror, because we have beasts and blood, nothing visceral. But I think that’s the biggest challenge is having it match our tone and not just throwing in horror for horrors sake.
I didn’t get the chance to ask Ryan Potter (Beast Boy) questions about his role for this season, but I did get the chance to hear him talk about the challenges with playing a character that heavily relies on CGI and how he and the SFX team navigate those challenges. Despite the lack of time, I did get the opportunity to take a pic with him.
Thank you for your time! And be sure to tune in on Titans Season 4. The show will be released and streaming on HBO Max, November 3rd.
Brian Isaacs - Executive Editor / Publisher