Posted in: MGM Television, streaming, TV | Tagged: Aaron Tveit, earth abides, mgm

Earth Abides: Aaron Tveit on Embracing Survival Side of Apocalypse

Aaron Tveit spoke with us about the Todd Komarnicki and MGM+ apocalyptic survival series Earth Abides and what attracted him to the series.

One thing Aaron Tveit embraces as an actor is telling the extreme story of the human condition, which has been evident with his signature works like Universal's Les Misérables (2012), USA's Graceland, FX's American Horror Stories, and his latest in MGM+'s Earth Abides. Based on the George R. Stewart novel of the same name, Tveit plays Charlie, one of several survivors of a plague of unprecedented virulence that sweeps the globe, and the human race is all but wiped out. In the aftermath, as the great machine of civilization slowly and inexorably breaks down, only a few shattered survivors remain to struggle against the slide into extinction. The Schmigadoon! star spoke to Bleeding Cool about why the Stewart novel is as relevant as ever today as it was written then in 1949, how Todd Komarnicki masterfully updates it for 2024, and if he had to do any prepping for the role

Earth Abides Star Aaron Tveit on Embracing Stewart's World Through the Komarnicki Series and Conveniently Going Method for His Beard

Bleeding Cool: What intrigued you about the 'Earth Abides?'

I read the script and was quite moved by it. We're so trained as audience members, and when you hear something about a project being science fiction or living in a post-apocalyptic world, you have certain expectations and wait for this pending doom of a zombie, alien, or something to come up, put the characters in peril, and have them have to fight against. The doom is they're up against humanity. They're up against the pitfalls and trappings of humanity, and it's a simpler story. I was moved by the idea of these people. If something like this happened and the world was wiped out by humans except for small groups of people. We had the opportunity to start over and ask ourselves, "Could we do it better? Could we do it in a more loving way or caring way for one another and our environment?" I've never seen anything like that before, and I was interested and moved by that.

Before taking on the project, were you already familiar with the George Stewart novel? How well do you think Todd Komarnicki adapted it?

I knew what the novel was, but I'd never read it until I signed up for the project. This is a wonderful adaptation. It's fascinating because the book was written in the late 1940s and is somehow more apparent today than maybe then. The book was set against the backdrop of the end of World War II and the atomic bomb just being dropped. Everyone in the world…I read something about when the book came out that everyone was so worried that we were all going to blow each other up with that "new" technology.

Instead, this book came out about a silent killer that killed everyone, and I find that fascinating and the time. I love it when there's source material because you have so much to go on. It was great to read the book, and then you must let that go and look at what's on the page [of the script]. Todd pulled off such a faithful adaptation, it's based on relationship and character. That's why the show has so much heart and hope going forward, and it was a thrill to jump in there.

Did you do any physical prep before taking on the role of Charlie?

Nothing physical. I luckily had a beard from a previous project, and so that was something of my physical appearance that worked super well for it. That was great, but nothing physical aside from not cutting my beard.

Earth Abides, which also stars Alexander Ludwig, Jessica Frances Dukes, Rodrigo Fernandez-Stoll, Elyse Levesque, Luisa D'Oliveira, Birkett Turton, Hilary McCormack, and Jenna Berman, streams Sundays on MGM+.

Enjoyed this? Please share on social media!

Stay up-to-date and support the site by following Bleeding Cool on Google News today!