You remember what happened to Wart in “The Sword in the Stone,” right? How he suddenly went from
being Kay’s clumsy squire to becoming the “ … rightwise King born of England.”
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Well, Bradley James now knows a little bit about Wart must
have gone through. Given that — two short years ago — this 24 year-old was
just another student graduating from Drama Centre London. And now Bradley is playing Prince Arthur on BBC
One’s hit fantasy series, “Merlin.”
“I finished drama school in July of 2007,” James recalled in
a recent phone interview. “And by January, February of 2008, I had been cast in
‘Merlin.’ I consider myself extremely fortunate to have landed a job like this
straight out of school.”
“Mind you, my friends
were a little weirded out by this situation,” he continued. “They found it
extremely odd to see me on TV every Saturday night. But they’ve since calmed down and realize
that I’m still the same old Bradley, that guy who tells those awful jokes.”
Bradley James as Prince Arthur in “Merlin” Copyright BCC One. All
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What helps James keep things in balance is that
“Merlin” (which has just begun airing here on the States on NBC on Sunday
nights. Which makes “Merlin” the first
British drama to air on a U.S. network — un-retouched, un-recast — since “The New Avengers” ran on CBS back in 1978) is a period piece.
“So unless I go out strolling in my chainmail, people just
don’t make the connection,” Bradley laughed. “Which means that I still get to
have a private life.”
That said, James is extremely grateful for all those cards
& letters that he receives from “Merlin” ‘s viewers. Who clearly enjoy this
revisionist take on the Arthurian legends. Which has Arthur and Merlin (played by
Colin Morgan) barely out of their teens when they first meet.
(L to R) Colin Morgan & Bradley James in “Merlin” Copyright BBC One.
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“You have to understand that the version of Arthur that I
play is considerably different from the Arthur that people are used to,”
Bradley explained. “On ‘Merlin,’ my character is still quite a ways away from
becoming a wise & noble king. He’s a spoiled brat, actually.”
Of course, what makes playing the part of Prince Arthur fun
is that James knows where his character is going to wind up … eventually.
“We all know the man, the king that Arthur is supposed to
become,” he stated. “But what ‘Merlin’ is about is how Arthur eventually
learned to be a good & wise ruler. It’s a long, long journey. But he has
Merlin there to guide him, help keep this arrogant teenager on the proper
path.”
Bradley James as Prince Arthur in “Merlin” Copyright BBC One. All
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And speaking of guiding … Bradley’s quick to praise the
folks from Shine Limited, the independent production team that’s behind this BBC One
fantasy series.
“They’ve been terrific since Day One,” James said. “Early
on, they brought in seasoned directors who helped me learn how to craft a
proper performance for television. (Stunt director) Andreas Petrides taught me
how to swing a sword. It’s great to have a role like this. Where you get all
sorts of on-the-job training.”
When asked if he had a favorite show out of the first 13
episodes of “Merlin,” James was quick to mention “The Labyrinth of Gedref”
(which – co-incidentally – airs this Sunday night at 8 p.m. on NBC).
Frank Finlay as Anhora in
“The Labyrinth of Gedref” Copyright BBC One. All Rights Reserved
“I’m really pleased with the way that that one came together,”
Bradley said, “We had a terrific director on that episode, Stuart Orme. Arthur
goes on quite a journey in that episode.”
And speaking of journeying … Now that BBC One has begun
shooting “Merlin” ‘s second set of 13 episodes, the one and future king has
really been racking up those frequent flier miles.
“Last week, we were France. This week, we’ve been shooting
at Cardiff in Wales,” he said. “But next week is the one that I’m really
looking forward to. That’s when we finally get a week off.”
The cast of BBC One’s fantasy series, “Merlin” Copyright BBC One. All
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Which will then give Bradley a chance to slip out of his
chainmail and once again hang out with his friends. Who – by now – are hopefully
used to seeing their pal play Prince Arthur on television.
FYI — If you haven’t
yet seen “Merlin,” this coming Sunday night would be a great time to sample this
BBC One series. You see, NBC is actually airing two episodes back-to-back on
August 16th. “The Moment of Truth” starts at 7 p.m. while “The Labyrith
of Gedref” begins airing at 8 p.m.And if you like what you see that night, be sure and circle
Sunday, August 23rd on your calendar. For that’s when NBC will be
airing the final two episodes of the first season of “Merlin.” “To Kill the
King” starts at 7 p.m. while the season finale — “Le Morte D’Arthur” — begins
airing at 8 p.m.