Earth Abides's Aaron Tveit Teases His Villainous Introduction-You're Distracted by Him Singing Oasis

Mark your calendars for December 22, when Aaron Tveit joins the cast of MGM+'s impressive adaptation of George R. Stewart's forward-thinking 1949 post-apocalyptic novel Earth Abides in Episode 4. Fans of Tveit's work on Broadway know him best for playing penniless loverboys like Christian in Moulin Rouge! The Musical or righteous revolutionaries like Enjolras in Les Misérables, and Charlie is a far cry from either of those roles. In Earth Abides, Charlie is a deceptively cruel character who threatens the safety and security of a community of survivors in the wake of the deadly pandemic that wiped out most of humanity.

Rather than setting the series in the 1940s, like the novel, the 6-episode series is set in present-day California. Geologist Ish (Alexander Ludwig) discovers what has happened to the world after a snake bite forces him out of the mountains where he has been secluded working on his graduate thesis. After discovering that his family and everyone he loved has died during the pandemic, Ish reckons with a new form of isolation in the premiere, before finally crossing paths with the love of his life, Emma (Jessica Frances Dukes) who has similarly survived the deadly disease. Earth Abides spans years in a matter of episodes, and by the time Episode 4 rolls around, the series has already explored seventeen years in the lives of Ish, Emma, and the other survivors that they have built a community with.

Ahead of the premiere, I spoke with Aaron Tveit about playing Charlie, and we dug into what it was like jumping into a series with so much pre-established history; what methods he deployed to create a character like Charlie; what animal his character would be, since so much of the series is rooted in very primal animal insticts; what it was like shooting one of the most memorable scenes in Episode 4, with Jean (Hilary McCormack); whether the series is staying true to Charlie's arc in the novel; and if he wants to take on more roles like this one in the future.

#EarthAbides #AaronTveit #AlexanderLudwig

For interviews, movie reviews, and more visit https://collider.com

FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL
  / collider  
  / collider  
  / collider