ALMOST HUMAN: Karl Urban on the Appeal of the Show, Working with Michael Ealy, and More

ALMOST HUMAN star Karl Urban has spent most of the last decade of his career working on movies (he previously was Caesar on XENA and HERCULES), so it took a very special project to draw him back into the television world.

“It was obviously, firstly, having the opportunity to work with J.J. [Abrams, Urban’s STAR TREK director and ALMOST HUMAN executive producer] again, whom I absolutely adore,” Urban told me of deciding to take the role of John Kennex on the Fox series, a futuristic buddy-cop drama. “I think he’s one of the most talented artists currently working in film and television. [And ALMOST HUMAN creator,] Joel Wyman, I was a huge fan of [his work on] FRINGE, so that was a huge draw.”

“And then it was, quite simply, reading the script and getting drawn into this world and getting drawn into the character of Kennex,” he continued. “A character who is damaged goods, a character who is trying to reclaim his life; a life that was stolen from him…living in a coma for two years [after an injury sustained during an ambush], and then coming back from that, trying to pick up the pieces. For me, that’s a really interesting starting point.”

And while ALMOST HUMAN is getting the latest start of all the new network fall dramas, Urban was gratified by the response the show’s first episode got at this summer’s Comic-Con panel.

“I clocked in and was really excited about the response at Comic-Con,” he said. “The pilot was screened, I think, three times, and the response was phenomenal…And it just seemed like they loved the pace and the energy and the dynamism of the show. So that’s a good sign. I think it’s on the right track. It’s our goal, week in and week out to deliver cinematic style show on a weekly basis. It’s basically a movie cut up into 22 pieces….They particularly enjoyed the relationship between Kennex and Dorian.”

Ah, yes, the relationship with Kennex and Dorian. Urban’s co-star, Michael Ealy (Dorian) has noted that their chemistry is growing with episode, and Urban allowed that much of that is just naturally there between the two actors.

“We just got on immediately,” Urban said with a smile. “And I think J.J. knew that we would. [Michael]’s a very generous actor, and I feel like I’m in a real partnership. And I feel that he respects me, and I totally respect him. We’re in this together. We’re working long hours, and we get along. And we laugh a lot. I think that that energy translates to an on-screen relationship between our two characters.”

Urban is equally as relaxed about what he knows — and doesn’t know — about where ALMOST HUMAN is going.

“There’s only a finite information I have about the show, and I like it that way!” he insisted. “Because in life, you never know what’s around the corner. And to me, that’s what’s quite exciting. I’ve had my discussions with Joel [which gave me] a good general idea about where this show is going, where my character is going. But the specifics, week-by-week, episode-by-episode, they’re all being unraveled to me as I receive [the scripts].”

In the meantime, he does have one futuristic toy he’s really excited for viewers to see: Kennex’s car.

“I enjoy getting to drive the cruiser,” he laughed. “That’s really cool…the car that we got, I really love it. Growing up, I was a fan of whether it was the latest James Bond car, or the DUKES OF HAZARD or KNIGHT RIDER, these cats all really had a really cool car. And Kennex and Dorian have a really cool car. Just on that level alone, I’m really excited.”

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ALMOST HUMAN’s two-night series premiere event kicks off Sunday, November 17th at 8 PM on Fox, followed by its time period premiere, Monday, November 18th at 8 PM.

Related:

ALMOST HUMAN: Minka Kelly and Lili Taylor On What Drew Them to the Series
ALMOST HUMAN ‘Movie’ Trailer
J.J. Abrams on What Sets ALMOST HUMAN Apart from the Other Bad Robot Shows
ALMOST HUMAN: Watch the First 3 Minutes of the Pilot

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