THE ORIGINALS: Nathan Parsons on Jackson’s Ties with Hayley, the Alliance with Klaus, and More

THE ORIGINALS is finally back tonight, and things are as tense as ever as the fight for control over New Orleans rages on.

To get a little bit of intel about the werewolf side of things, I spoke with THE ORIGINALS’ Nathan Parson (Jackson) to see what he could tease about what was going down…

What can you tease about tonight’s episode?
Nathan Parsons: We start to see more and more of Jackson moving in to the world: getting involved with the vampires, getting involved with Hayley, developing that relationship more. And we learn more about what it means to be a wolf, and what it means to be in a pack going forward. We pull back the layers of those family ties.

Is there a particular person he’s attached to in his pack?
NP: We start to see more of what’s between Jackson and Oliver, the two brothers. And Hayley’s more involved a little bit. So mostly those.

He obviously has long-standing bond with Hayley, but what is his mindset towards her at this point? Does he care about her? Or is she expendable to him?
NP: She is genuinely, genuinely valuable. It’s tough, because on a personal level, Jackson has developed this whole relationship in his head as he was watching her in wolf form. So he has a whole mentality about it: he knows the family history there, he knows they were meant to be married. On a personal level, there’s been a lot of genuine affection there and genuine care.

But her connections with Elijah, and her connections with Klaus — and that baby — it makes it difficult to get over that. Werewolves and vampires don’t get along. They’re not supposed to get along. They’ve hated each other for years. So that connection really makes things difficult. But at the same time, maybe there’s an opportunity because these vampires are in power, to use that relationship to get home, which is really the ultimate goal.

How does Hayley’s baby fit into Nathan’s plans?
NP: It’s going to be a vampire hybrid baby…there’s something about werewolves, and the pack is one unit, and then to have this one thing come in. But it’s a powerful connection to have. I don’t know, how much is [he] willing to sacrifice? I don’t know.

And he also now has an alliance with Klaus…
NP: Klaus is offering something that no one has really offered before — especially no vampire has offered before: he’s offering us the power and the opportunity to move back into the home we created. The normal life we had from before that was taken from us by Marcel. And Jackson has never known this — they’ve been cursed for all these years now, and they have no knowledge what it means to live [there], but in their mind, it’s almost their birthright. And Klaus is offering them a way to get back there. So whatever he may be asking, whatever he may be expecting, that is a powerful, powerful incentive. We’ll see what happens.

Will the pack be divided about whether or not it’s actually worth the price to move home?
NP: I don’t know; we’ll see. Jackson is always very level-headed, and we try and keep that in mind. He’s more of a thinker. And he sees options and opportunities. And he’ll see through it, because he wants ultimately what’s best for the pack. And if someone has a problem with it, Jackson is the alpha; he’s going to make the right decision.

How does Jackson play into the Feast of the Blessing and everything that does down there in tonight’s episode?
NP: Jackson will definitely be involved. Everything that happens to the werewolves, at the end of the day, goes through Jackson. He is going to be involved in all of that stuff.

How have things changed for you since you joined the show? Are you getting a lot of fan response?
NP: [Laughs] Not yet. Jackson is new, and I’m always back and forth between LA and Atlanta, so I haven’t gotten to see that side of it yet. I’m sure as we get through the season and you start to learn more about the character, and the character starts to get more prominent, that’ll probably change a little bit. But I love it. I love the fans. I just hope we can get more people to get involved, because they are such great stories….I hope more and more people get into it.

If you do survive the season, is there anything you’re hoping to do next season that you haven’t had the chance to do yet?
NP: [Laughs] If I’m lucky enough to survive — I hope I am! What am I excited about? Just discovering this whole family, this whole werewolf story. The original werewolves, and developing the relationship with Hayley more, and moving back into New Orleans, and getting to see what this pack — if we ever get to full strength — what we’re capable of. Is it for good, or is it for bad? If I do survive, just more and more of the exploration and the discovery of what it is and what is happening. It’s an evolving story every day. I get to chip in and be a part of the evolution, and that’s what excites me about this.

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THE ORIGINALS returns Tuesday, April 15th at 8 PM on The CW.

Related:
THE ORIGINALS: Leah Pipes Teases What’s to Come
THE ORIGINALS’ Joseph Morgan on the Latest Klaus/Elijah Betrayal: ‘Why Don’t They Just Talk to Each Other?!’
THE ORIGINALS: Daniel Gillies on Elijah/Hayley, Klaus’ Betrayal, and More

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