Can Raven adapt to her new role on The 100?
The former Ark mechanic, now on crutches as she recuperates from her intensive surgery, won't be adjusting very well. She'll also be in close quarters with her former Ark cohort Wick (guest star Steve Talley), something she's not too keen on.
"She absolutely hates and despises it, which is tough because she doesn't want to be a big grouch. It's not who she is and she feels like it's unfair," Morgan tells The Hollywood Reporter of Raven's mindspace. "As resistant as she is to that and the frustration it causes her, it's a new challenge and this is what she's dealing with now. Her struggle internally is her biggest obstacle at the moment: How am I going to make this work?"
Morgan talks to The Hollywood Reporter about Raven's trouble adjusting to her new role in the group, future with Finn and rocky waters with Wick.
At the start of the season, Raven was seriously hurt, affecting her mobility and ability to walk. How did you go about portraying that?
It was extremely difficult and it was exhausting because I had to have my left leg just go completely limp and be dead weight. You didn't want to move it, you didn't want to use any of your muscles to move it and I was bracing all my body weight was on my right leg. The imbalance of that caused me to get tired more quickly. Mentally, it was difficult because it's such habit to think "I'm walking, I'm moving!" To be so much more aware of your body and forcing it to act a certain way while also hitting your mark and saying your lines and getting in your light and all the other million things you have to do. Intellectually, it was fascinating to dive into as an actor. I found this website, The Experience Project, which has people write first-hand experiences of their life and what they went through. There would be a 75-year-old man who talked about his childhood or a 15-year-old girl who talked about what she is going through right now. It was amazing to read their personal thoughts. I remember thinking it was so intimate. It's something I will carry on with me.
Now Raven will be hanging out with Wick, which is a completely different dynamic than we've seen her have on The 100 up to this point. How would you describe their back and forth?
You're absolutely right about that. Wick is someone who is completely different from anyone else you've seen her interact with. Wick is from the Ark and was her co-worker so they have history built in there. Wick just got to Earth and doesn't really know what's going on so that's interesting. Wick was her bro. She's such a guy's girl and she never wants to be treated like a dainty little flower. So now, she's in the position where people are feeling sorry for her and Wick — knowing her before all this a lot better than anyone else does — doesn't want anything to change between them or how they treat each other. They're friends but they definitely give each other shit.
In a scene that was released that really illustrated their "bro-y" friendship.
Yeah, they're bros! That's exactly right.
Is it fair to say Raven and Wick's friendship will evolve or grow into something else?
I'd say so. In this episode alone, it changes as far as how much Raven lets him see beyond her as a bro or her as a tough girl. And the only person she's let see that side of her is Finn. Now that he's gone and no longer in her life as much, it's interesting who she allows [to fill that role]. She's definitely not an open book by any means so what happens between her and Wick really allows her to open up to him. It's definitely not easy. I admire Wick for sticking with it and not turning away so quickly. (Laughs.) Raven's not the nicest to him. If that was me, I would've been like, "Later! Bye girl!"
Do you foresee a future still for Raven and Finn?
He saved her life in the [season-one] finale. It's a big deal! He risked his life to save hers so she wouldn't be alive without him and he was there through her whole surgery and while she was healing, even though it was valuable time for him to spend looking for Clarke. She knows all that and she appreciates that and that's why she gives him the OK: Don't be here when I wake up, not because I'm mad at you and hate you, because by him staying, he was showing he loved her. By her letting him go, it was showing him that she loved him and knew that his heart needed to go find Clarke. They're in a good place. They love each other, but in a very different sense — in a familial brother-sister or best friend sense. I think always will.
The 100 airs 9 p.m. Wednesdays on The CW.
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