Will Snow, who had starred in several commercials
and recently the series "Tales of the South Seas," was very into martial arts, weapon training, and boxing in his earlier
days. He was cast for "The Lost World" after hearing about it in LA and learning that Jeffrey Hayes, who'd also worked
on TOTSS, was to be the executive producer. Will's character, Lord John Roxton, lost his brother William tragically in a safari,
where Roxton shot a great ape that was attacking William and inadvertently killed his brother. He inherited the title after
his father's death, and takes delight in great adventures.
What was acting like in the beginning?
My first introduction to acting [Pacific Drive] was
one of the most unpleasant experiences of my life...I just walked away saying I would never try that again. (thankfully for
us he didn't keep that word!)
What do you think of "The Lost World?"
A description of "Lost World" to me would simply be
an action/adventure/drama with a dash of Sci-Fi and a splash of romance. It covers multiple facets. It has these clever shifting
planes of reality because you can escape into another civilization for a moment and then come back. It's intelligent in the
genre and I think it's unlike any other show.
What was your impression of Roxton when
you read the script?
Roxton on paper was a fairly cliched hero. He was
to be played staunch and reserved. With time, he's progressed. I've been experimenting so it becomes a more complex little
journey.
Tell us about him.
You would say Roxton is a tearaway from the aristocracy.
He's a protector through guilt, honourable without question, and honest to those he loves. He's a wanderer, a lonely man trying
to shed a past. He's like a lost soul looking for a place to rest. I really think that key place to rest is what he sees in
Marguerite in terms of his love and finding a soul mate.
Speaking of Marguerite, what is his relationship
with her?
The two have sparred more often than they have professed
their feelings. And it's not like Roxton hasn't let his eyes wander.But it's the little unsaid things that are the real tell-tale
signs. There's definitely chemistry brewing between them if they can only bring themselves to admit it. It is a typical love/hate
relationship, but there's a whole lot more love. The hate is really just the pure frustration of it all. Their story is fueled
by lust and desire and driven by passion. It's fractured more often on the surface but deep within it's a solid core of love,
undeniable to each other on the inside but inexpressible to both on the outside. (Of course, now that "Trapped" has aired...)
So you really do your own stunts? How
is that going?
I've fared pretty well. It's all done in the strict
parameters of safety. We do a lot of fight scenes which are very quickly blocked because of the pace. We've been very lucky
with injuries and I touch wood in that respect. Though, at one point, an ongoing gag...was how long [I] could stay on [my]
feet without slipping. In Season One, what Roxton, Marguerite and Malone run around in are essentially gum boots or equestrian
boots. They are naturally really slippery...I in particular would take a fall every two seconds if there was any running involved
in the shot. We've smartened up since then and have tractor treads on our shoes now.
What episodes do you especially like?
There are so many...In particular, I enjoy when Roxton
isn't essentially Roxton himself, when he becomes possessed, manipulated by somebody, or turned into a beast, which is always
fun to do. I also really love the episodes where Roxton and Marguerite get to sink their teeth into one another. A bit of
their usual banter is fun.
What do you think of Roxton's sex symbol
status?
I'm actually always fighting to keep the shirt on
with our writers. I'm always saying, 'Look, if you can justify it in the scene rather than make it a gratuitous act, then
I'm more than happy to do it'...Taking off my shirt is not necessarily something I take pride in.
Any thoughts on marriage, now that you're
in it?
It was very smooth, simple and a pleasurable transition.
You can put yourself under all sorts of extraordinary pressures with that magic word.
About those pink jeans...
God, how did you know about that? Holy Smoley! They
have a party here...called the Cointreau Ball, and they always have a theme...One year, it was a pink theme. I had forgotten
all about this. I'm a real jeans man, you see, and I guess I didn't have anything pink, so I had to dye a white pair of jeans
pink in order to blend into the crowd. If there's 500 other people dressed in pink, I'm not too worried about standing out.
Any last thoughts?
Acting is a tough job and I think many people perceive
it as a luxurious business where you get a lot of time to relax and it's full of perks. In some ways, of course, it is, but
it's also tough. You're subjected to being under the public microscope and you have to perform.
