Posted in: Netflix, Preview, streaming, Trailer, TV, YouTube | Tagged: andrew horton, bleeding cool, cable, Frank Quietly, Ian Quinlan, josh duhamel, jupiter's legacy, Jupiter's LEgacy Television, Mark Millar, netflix, preview, streaming, teaser, television, trailer, tv

Jupiter's Legacy Star Andrew Horton Discusses His Evolution as Paragon

Published Sun, 09 May 2021 09:45:17 -0500

by Jimmy Leszczynski

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Leaping from the pages of Mark Millar and Frank Quitely's "Biggest and best superhero story of all time" comes Netflix's Jupiter's Legacy. On a mysterious island, in the 1920s, six ordinary people are granted powers far beyond those of mortal men. Generations later The Union must not only battle new evil threats but also struggle with the newest batch of super-powered teens. in a world that has somewhat outgrown their antiquated ideals. Jupiter's Legacy isn't about battling evil super villains or stopping runaway trains for eight episodes. Although that does happen, this story is about kids who never asked for superpowers wanting to live their own life. Imagine your relationship with your parents, now add capes.

As Brandon Sampson aka Paragon Andrew Horton (It Came From The Desert, Doctors) plays Grace and Sheldon's super-powered son. In training to assume the mantle of The Utopian and become the new leader of The Union, he is struggling to live up to his father's mythic legend. Jupiter's Legacy focuses on the next generation of young, disillusioned heroes and their idea of right and wrong. What we're left with at the end is a shocking revelation that will challenge your own concept of good and evil. Andrew recently took some time to discuss playing the young superhero and how his character feels about 'The Code'.

There is a lot of pressure on Brandon's shoulder's to be 'in charge and to perform in the shadow of his idyllic father. After reading the comics how is it preparing for that role knowing his story beyond this series?

Andrew Horton: For me knowing the overall things that were going to happen made playing out what happens in Season One so much more enjoyable than I think if I'd just gone in as Brandon is in the comic books. We encounter Brandon as a much more emotionally complex guy and he's really as you say 'the guy' who's in charge of the younger generation. So for me, you know, in terms of preparation that was physical,. I spent a little time in the gym to get bigger for the part. You want to look like a superhero as well as pretending to be one… Also reading the comic beforehand, to see the journey that Brandon goes on and to then come back to this more naive and… sees the world through rose-colored glasses. To be playing that required me to play slightly younger than my actual playing age as well.

Like The Utopian (Josh Duhamel) I am always constantly telling my kids to do the right thing, especially when they think no one else is watching, to always show what the right thing is as an example to others. Can you tell me about 'The Code' and how does Brandon's opinion of it change over the course of the story?

AH: 'The Code' is these guidelines that are set out by the Utopian, and the original five once they received their powers back in the 1920s. It's essentially to do good, to not interfere with political and religious dynamics that are within the world or the country, and it's to not kill. So it's a pretty broad code that they have but it's fairly specific in terms of not interfering and not killing. And above all doing good. For Brandon, that is what he lives his life by. That's what he aspires to be. He aspires to be his father. In the present day, what the younger generation is finding is that 'The Code' feels slightly outdated. Maybe some of the ideals that have been upheld for so long have been .. have been put on a platform. Not necessarily how they want to see the Union going forward.

And for Brandon, what particularly changes his opinion, without giving too much away – there is a moment in the show, a moment of life or death for his parents and he chooses to save them at the expense of someone else's life. And that fundamentally changes him and it changes his parent's opinion of him. His pier's perspective of him as well. And It really makes him question well, what's worth more? My parents or my friends or someone who is out there to take us all down. And that is the question that then bleeds into the rest of the Union and what Hutch (Ian Quinlan) tries to pick apart the entire time by challenging this culture of what's effectively almost a fraction but in a very light way. I think Brandon by the end of the series is completely disillusioned by 'The Code' and is disillusioned by his father and is maybe looking to move from the Union, perhaps.

You have sincere onscreen chemistry with co-star Elena Kampouris, describe working with her.

The real-life relationship is great as well. As with Chloe and Brandon in the series, Chloe has much more experience in a lot of areas of life than Brandon does. Elena is a much more experienced actor than I am. And to get to work with someone else's expertise as that, and then to have that coming into the scene was amazing because that was my first big job. So to be working with actors of such a high caliber and then have them raise your own game. As Chloe is trying to help Brandon, Elena helped me to raise my performance. There are nice little bleeds from real life to the screen.