Talking With The Bastard Executioner’s Stephen Moyer! Why Bad Looks So Good! The Layers Of A Villain! And More!

I’m a proud Trubie. So I was totally pumped when I heard about Stephen Moyer being part of “The Bastard Executioner”. Stephen plays Milus Corbett, a cunning Chamberlain with an impressive political agenda. We are only four episodes in and he is already one of my favorite characters on the series. Stephen looks so good playing bad. We got the chance to talk to him about the new show and go deeper into his intriguing character, Milus Corbett. You might notice that we talked way too much about sex, but then again, is there such thing as too much sex? Stephen surely had fun talking about it and we can’t thank him enough for being super awesome. A lot surfaced about Milus and all the relationships around him. You definitely don’t want to miss this, so check it out!

THE BASTARD EXECUTIONER Lee Jones “Wilkin Brattle” press still 12

How did you get involved? What drew you to the character?

Stephen explained how it literally just happened after a certain tweet with some of the “Sons of Anarchy” cast; “I got to meet Kurt for coffee. He immediately started talking about the show; the story and the idea of the character. He let me in on some of the bigger arcs. He asked me to read the script and get back to him. I knew I was too old and grey to play the executioner.” I beg to differ, he still got it. Stephen could totally be the executioner, but I do enjoy seeing him being a silver fox. Bad looks so good on him. Stephen loves the medieval world; “This is my period. I know quite a lot about it. Loved the idea of the character; hanging on to his best friend’s bootstraps”. He added on to say that he enjoy the darkness and the richness of the pilot.

THE BASTARD EXECUTIONER - "Effigy/Delw" Episode 103 (Airs Tuesday, September 22, 10:00 pm/ep) Pictured: Stephen Moyer as Milus Corbett. CR: Ollie Upton/FX

Milus has many layers, not just a villain. What do you think about the character?

“Milus is someone who is trying to push himself forward; not necessarily a villain. He brought his own stuff, a rich past. He is from a very very poor upbringing. His best friend becomes the commander of the troop. His best friend becomes the Lord of the Shire.” Stephen goes on to say that it’s up to Milus to look after the Shire now. They are in the middle of completing episode eight in Wales. Stephen is blown away by Kurt, introducing new ideas and new worlds. The back story and keep the audience and he is excited for people to see it on the screen.

How challenging is it to film in Wales?

Stephen has worked in Wales before and no doubt, he is happy to be back. He claims it’s extraordinary and beautiful; they work between four studios. An entire castle was built just for them. It’s like a whole different world. Stephen doesn’t find it to be challenging at all. His whole family is in Wales. He took his mom for a visit on set, and she was blown away by the detail. Even his dogs come to set. Sounds like he is having a blast working on the series; “We are shooting in castles that the characters were probably in, crossing over with real things that happened in history.”

THE BASTARD EXECUTIONER - "Effigy/Delw" Episode 103 (Airs Tuesday, September 22, 10:00 pm/ep) Pictured:  Stephen Moyer as Milus Corbett. CR: Ollie Upton/FX

Kurt Sutter knew how many seasons he was going to do when he was working on “Sons of Anarchy”. Do you know how many seasons he is planning on doing for “The Bastard Executioner”?

“Don’t know. Definitely envision 5 seasons. I love “Sons of Anarchy”. Never thought it would carry that long, but Kurt did it seamlessly.” I guess we can’t tell just yet, but don’t be surprised if this goes on beyond 5 seasons.

What is the relationship between Baroness and Milus?

“Remarkable beauty on camera; she comes straight and knocks it over the park. She is a lady of Wales that got married off to. No question that there was no affiliation between me and her. The relationship is new to both. She has deep feeling about controlling the core. She is wary of him. He will look after the Shire. He has seen her grow and start taking on the power as a woman. Milus is more oppressed by her; taken in by the brilliance of her. When he saw Lady Love with Wilkin, he tries to mutilate that relationship. He never entertained the idea of being with her.” Stephen loves working with Flora Spencer-Longhurst, who plays the lovely Lady Love.

THE BASTARD EXECUTIONER - "Effigy/Delw" Episode 103 (Airs Tuesday, September 22, 10:00 pm/ep) Pictured: (L-R) Lee Jones as Wilkin Brattle, Stephen Moyer as Milus Corbett. CR: Ollie Upton/FX

Milus Corbett and Wilkin Brattle, is there sexual tension between them?

“There is something there. His past will come clear and explains his choices. I think he gets his kicks where he sees them. He is not very discriminating; intrigued by people of power. It intrigues him as much as sheer brutality.” Wow, I did not pick up on it at all. I better go back and watch the episodes all over again. Stephen Moyer is such a distraction; it’s easy to miss subtle queues. This certainly makes the story more interesting. All along, I thought all those looks were just hate.

Does his sexuality intensify with Wilkin’s arrival?

Stephen talked about the scene where Baron takes a dump in front of Milus and the servant boy; he thought it was such a strange scene and asked Kurt about it. Kurt replied, “He is new in the castle and he hasn’t had him yet”. Some of the conversation on that scene makes more sense now. Milus isn’t the only one who gets his pleasure anywhere or with anyone he wants. Stephen went on to described how they, “Talked about the idea of sex being power. Something to hold over them in the future; classic alpha stuff. Milus wants to be the alpha on his own way. He will take whatever he can and spin it. He is physically and mentally active as sexually.” Stephen claimed Milus won’t be f****** behind pillars; he will take his pleasures without any hesitation.

THE BASTARD EXECUTIONER - "Effigy/Delw" Episode 103 (Airs Tuesday, September 22, 10:00 pm/ep) Pictured:  Stephen Moyer as Milus Corbett. CR: Ollie Upton/FX

What do you think about the cast? How was your experience?

Stephen explained that he read the pilot, so he knew everything except about all the actors involved in the series. When he got to work with Martin McCann, Stephen was completely blown away by him. Martin played Randolph Corbett, Milus Corbett’s half-brother. Stephen was absolutely delighted to be working with Martin; “Just ripping the shit out of each other.” He couldn’t stop complementing his work; Stephen admires Martin dearly and was pretty devastated to lose him. Martin’s character, Randolph Corbett unfortunately becomes Wilkin Brattle’s first execution. Felix Scott who played Maddox was another amazing actor who didn’t survive that first week. Stephen even went as far as to beg Kurt not to kill actors with such caliber next time. He loves the whole cast and their works. Alec Newman is another great actor Stephen is excited about and hopes they’ll stick round longer.

We witness some gruesome things; medieval justice. What’s your character’s view point on torture?

“When I read the episode, I didn’t realize she accidently knocked the nose. She just fell, something innocent. I thought they were going to kill her. Maybe we’ll end every single episode with a death. When I found out about the nose, I was like “Omg, that’s hideous”. That’s even worse; someone who has to live with this every day. Love knows she has to seem strong; not allow rebels to mount up against the castle. My character thinks it’s not enough. Watched out for the people at the de-nosing, he sees the villages being upset. For the village people, that was their theater. That was normal. Very interested to see how the rest plays out.” Milus sees it as a necessary evil. He is all about sending out a message to keep everyone in line.

THE BASTARD EXECUTIONER - "A Hunger/Newyn" Episode 104 (Airs Tuesday, September 29, 10:00 pm/ep) Pictured: (L-R) Lee Jones as Wilkin Brattle, Stephen Moyer as Milus Corbett. CR: Ollie Upton/FX

Did you add anything to the character?

“Kurt has written a really complete character. This is a man that takes what he wants. Not a man who takes behind the pillar. He goes and takes it. Straight f******.” Stephen experiments with the way Milus speaks. He alters it depending on who he speaks to at the time. The badass thug comes out when speaking to Wilkin; whereas, the more controlled tone takes over while addressing Lady Love.

We have to ask, what’s up with the doll?

“Something from his childhood. We see him packing some of Erik’s stuff away. We are playing many many kinds of different ideas, but it plays out. Reminds him of his childhood.” Stephen couldn’t reveal much about the doll. I guess we have to wait and find out as the story unravels.

Do you judge Milus’s actions or justify them?

“I know he is ambitious and also trying to save the Shire. He knows the King will not allow a woman to lead the Shire. He knows he needs to do this to keep the position and the people. Well aware that I have stuff to do, even the killing is collateral damage. Everything he does is to keep the Shire. He is not just looking out for himself. He does have a conscious deep deep down. He is doing it for everyone. When Kurt said this, it all made sense. I went back and read deep into every line. It’s all there in the script, but it’s not out yet. There are small layers to it; great thought behind it.” Milus is much more than what meets the eye.

THE BASTARD EXECUTIONER - "A Hunger/Newyn" Episode 104 (Airs Tuesday, September 29, 10:00 pm/ep) Pictured: (L-R) Lee Jones as Wilkin Brattle, Stephen Moyer as Milus Corbett. CR: Ollie Upton/FX

What did you do to prepare yourself?

“Quite a lot of reading. The more you understand, the more you are aware of what goes on. They sent us all to Knight Camp. I’ve dealt with that stuff before. Days and days of horse riding; for me that was the cherry on top. Really enjoyed it; great benefits of taking a character like that.” Looks like Lee Jones wasn’t the only one who enjoyed the horse riding.

Stephen was amazed at the sets and he told us how he was shocked when he talked to the extras. People casted were doing their actual trades. They are doing the things they did before. “It freaked me out. I was so impressed. They wanted to make it feel real. Every single extra has been given a life, an area to be, a place to go.” He went on to say that even some of the props were legitimate relics from history. Now that’s pretty awesome.

Stephen is clearly excited about the new series and it was so much fun talking to him. I can’t thank him enough for taking the time to talk to us. I walked away even a bigger fan of Stephen and his work. I already loved his character, but after all this insight, how can you not love Milus? Hope you guys are enjoying the show. You can catch “The Bastard Executioner” Tuesday at 10PM only on FX.

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  1. iamtrue2bill October 4, 2015
  2. Anushika October 5, 2015

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