Bruce Langley on 'American Gods' season three: More of rollercoaster than train ride
Mumbai: British actor Bruce Langley says the latest installment of his fantasy-drama series "American Gods" will feature several fan favourite moments as the third season falls back to the narrative of Neil Gaimon's book.
Based on Gaiman's 2001 novel of the same name, the series primarily revolves around a war brewing between the Old Gods of ancient mythological roots and the New Gods of modern technology.
While the first season of "American Gods" was received well with showrunner Bryan Fuller and Michael Green its follow-up saw a mixed response, which had "Lost" producer Jesse Alexander replacing the duo.
Last month, when the trailer for season three was out, Gaiman wrote on Facebook that the show is "back to the book and back on track. Judge for yourself."
In an interview with PTI over Zoom call from Los Angeles, Langley said season three closely follows Gaiman's structure of storytelling.
"The fan base of the show is really smart. In season three, we fall back to the narrative of the book. There are many fan favourite sections.
"We get to go back to Neil's structure. It's more of a rollercoaster than a train ride. If there's a track, we are back on it. I am excited for people to see it."
Charles Eglee, screenwriter and executive producer of "Dexter" and "The Walking Dead", serves as the showrunner for season three, currently streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
The ten-episode series brings back Langley as the Technical Boy- the new God of technology.
The 28-year-old British-born actor said there's pressure to deliver on fans' expectations "to a certain extent" but believes Gaiman's contribution to "American Gods" is its biggest strength.
On season three, Gaiman is attached as the writer and executive producer.
"We have the benefit of coming from such a high pedigree in terms of our production team. We have, basically, Neil on tap when we need to. So I know while coming in that we will have some good stuff to play with as a foundation. That's a huge weight off your shoulders."
Before landing "American Gods" in 2017, Langley had featured in the 2015 horror-thriller "Deadly Waters" and was busy doing theatre in London.
The show gave him the opportunity to co-star alongside an ensemble of Ricky Whittle, Ian McShane, Emily Browning, Yetide Badaki among others.
"In season one, I went to work with people who I had watched on TV for years. But I went in with the attitude that it wouldn't be practical, in any way, shape or form to go in afraid or idolising them in any way. They are professionals there to do a job, exactly the was I am.
"It's my job to come in and do as good a job, if not more, than them. So I do all the work I need to do, before hand, to come in ready to play. Then it's just like dancing, it's good fun."
The actor credits the show for opening him to a global audience and said the impact of "American Gods" has been "huge" in his career.
"I have not worked on anything of this scale before. I've never been on a project with so many minds, hands and people working towards the same thing. It has been an amazing experience. It has changed my life," he added.
- By Justin Rao
