Hypable attended a conference call with Almost Human stars Karl Urban and Michael Ealy, who spoke about character, physical challenges, and sex-bots in an interview for their futuristic cop drama, coming soon to Fox.
Set several decades in the future, Almost Human will tell the story of LAPD officer John Kennex (Karl Urban), who – for reasons explained in the pilot episode – has a bad relationship with the android partners now mandatory for all police. Kennex is paired with Dorian (Michael Ealy), a discontinued model that was built to think like a human being, and the relationship between man and android becomes the backbone for the unusual cop show.
The relationships, set against the futuristic backdrop, were a big part of what drew Urban to Almost Human. “I felt like I would be kicking myself if I turned this down,” he said, citing how unique the series’ premise was. For Ealy, “It started with that pilot script… From the first reading I was highly impressed with this world [and] with the quality of writing.”
Ealy was also intrigued by the nuances the role offered him. “The opportunity to play a character like Dorian doesn’t come along very often,” he said, and admitted he had never considered playing a robotic character before. “I’m not the biggest sci-fi guy,” he said. “[Robotic immortality] is an interesting concept for me, and I’m still trying to wrap my head around it.”
Urban prepared for the role of Kennex by going on ride-alongs with police in Vancouver, where the series is filmed. He and Ealy both continue to prepare physically for the “fun, action-packed” show, which can take an exhausting toll. “One of the aspects that I find most challenging is the physicality of it,” Urban admitted, teasing an exciting fight scene in a future episode. “We shot an absolutely amazing sequence… but I tell you, the next day, both of us couldn’t move!”
For Ealy, the role of Dorian is a mental challenge as well as a physical one. Though he is growing more comfortable with “the idea that a machine… is trying to act human,” new challenges have arisen as the story progresses. “[I’m] trying to understand… the world that we live in,” Ealy said, which can be dizzying in its intricate technology and futuristic opportunities. “We’re trying to find out what are the rules of the world we set up.”
But in spite of the heavy technological presence in the show, Urban finds himself most fond of the humanity in both his and Ealy’s characters. “Often [Kennex] can be quite prickly on the surface, but as we get to spend more time with him on the show, we get to see a real softer side to him,” he said. “The wonderful thing is that he forms this incredible bond with Dorian, and he really comes to accept and see the value and the special unique qualities that this robot had. For me, that’s such an endearing kind of evolution in the character.”
Ealy enjoys Dorian’s growth as the first season progresses; seeing his character “learn about friendship, or learn about death from another human being” was very powerful for the actor. Dorian’s sincerity also intrigues Ealy, who noted that Dorian will be challenged by automatic elements of his programming in dangerous situations.
The actor found the extreme measures required of the android character surprising. “He has to sacrifice himself in a lot of ways,” Ealy said. “One of the things we’re dealing with on the show… is the civil rights of a machine. Are their rights being respected? We’re dealing with that [with people] right now.”
Both actors also expressed their appreciation for Lili Taylor (in the role of Police Captain Maldonado), who pairs Kennix and Dorian for as-yet-unknown reasons. Ealy admitted that though he tends to play jokes on most people on set, aside from Taylor. “I don’t mess with Lili,” he says, laughing. “I just don’t want to get on her bad side!”
According to both Ealy and Urban, Almost Human will be a mix of case-of-the-week procedural drama and character mythology. While bigger mysteries introduced in the pilot will eventually resurface, Urban said, “What we’re really focusing on is establishing the relationship between Dorian and Kennex,” as well as other characters in the police force. “I think we focus more on the characters than any other cop show that’s really out there,” Ealy said.
“Our main goal is to have fun,” Urban concluded. “And to make sure that we develop that really intriguing case-of-the-week – something that you’re not going to see on another cop show… and balance those elements out with the fun.”
For a look at what Almost Human has in store, check out the preview for the pilot episode right here.
Almost Human premieres on Monday, Nov. 4 at 8 p.m. on Fox.
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