Entertainment
Exclusive: Pendragon's Merlin Reveals The Secrets Of His New King Arthur Series
By Jennifer Asencio
| Published
It should go without saying that a show called The Pendragon Cycle: Rise of the Merlin might just be about the famous wizard, but the show is not about the wizened old man we all know from King Arthur stories. Rise of the Merlin tells a different origin story: the story of the young man who will someday become Camelot’s advisor. Featuring all the drama, romance, and action of Arthurian legend, the show centers around Merlin’s efforts to help the Pendragon brothers, Aurellius and Uther, gather the forces of Britain against invasion by the Saxons in the 6th century.
Newcomer Tom Sharp plays the title role, and I got to ask this incredible actor some questions about the show for GIANT FREAKIN ROBOT. I’ve previously reviewed and commented about the show and its themes, and have interviewed other actors from the show.
Tom Sharp’s Early Career
The first thing I wanted to know about was Tom’s experience leading up to his casting as Merlin. What got him into acting? Like most actors, he admits, “I grew up obsessively watching films. As a boy, I’d happily burn through a load of VHS tapes on repeat, and a trip to the cinema was special.” But it was more than just watching movies for the Merlin lead. “My family introduced me to a wide variety of genres & classics at a young age, which sparked my imagination… I consider it my ‘unofficial training.’”
Hope and determination were important elements in Tom’s career, too. “Acting was considered a pipe dream where I grew up,” he explained, “and with no industry connections, it wasn’t until my 20’s that I considered taking the leap. Independently, I began leading short films and on stage in small indie theatre, whilst trying to get my foot in the door for years… a lot of ‘trial & error,’ taking risks and relying on my instincts.”
Becoming Merlin
For Tom, the role of Merlin was a big leap, since he was a relative unknown. “I applied independently to the series without an agent via a self-tape,” he told me.
And the suspense went on. “After a few weeks of sending off endless Merlin tapes, production flew me to Budapest last-minute for a final audition in person. I had a pleasant dinner afterwards with the producers and directors, but they didn’t give me any answer when I was there, so I assumed the worst, expecting a NO after I flew back. However, when I returned home, I received a call from producer Dallas Sonnier (Bone Tomahawk and Dragged Across Concrete) telling me I got the job and am needed back in Budapest ASAP for what he described will be my ‘Most challenging five months EVER!’… and he wasn’t wrong.”
Naturally, the actor was thrilled to land not just his first lead role, but the lead on an ambitious, well-produced project. “Landing a production of this size for the first time, let alone the lead, was wild,” he told me. “When I applied online to the opening casting call, I didn’t know the scale of it and the script was kept under wraps, obviously. Once I knew it was Merlin, and it dawned on me what this was, I dove in. An opportunity of this size for a lot of actors I know is RARE, and my mantra has always been when something like this finally comes along, that I’d go all out and not leave saying ‘if only.’”
Since movies were such a family affair, there was plenty of joy to go around for the budding actor. “My parents’ reaction to when I landed the role was the best and meant the world. I gave a thumbs up to my Mum & Dad, who both broke down with joy – my favorite memory!”
Tom Sharp’s Approach To Playing Merlin
Once he got on set, he had to get to know the character. What did he think of the venerable magician in his younger years? “I really like how young Merlin grows from a naive, rebellious, and curious lad to a more wild and deeply rooted figure after living with the hill folk,” he said of Merlin’s history. “They taught him to ‘see and heal,’ appreciate the world around him, and [that] ‘the rhythm of life flows through him.’”
He continued, “Merlin’s a deeply flawed character, but has so many admirable qualities. For instance, he could easily rule as High King himself unopposed in a tyrannical position with his power and immortality, yet he doesn’t want it and fears losing control and hurting the ones he cares for. Constantly doubting his destiny, he humbly says ‘perhaps they saw through me to another,’ obviously foreshadowing Arthurian Legend. I really admire him.”
The young Merlin wasn’t all wisdom and counsel. He had a lot of extremes, from stoic to furious to deeply in love to deeply grieving. What was it like for Tom to be playing all of those emotions? “Episode 6, ‘Gaineda’ was my most important episode and has a special place in my heart,” he said of the emotional story of Merlin’s romance with his bride.
“It’s the full hero’s journey, Merlin’s core story, as he goes through every event and emotion. It’s beautifully tragic. When reading the script, I knew this was the ‘tent pole’ of the series, it was vital I land this episode else the character and show would fall apart. Playing opposite Brett Cooper (Gaineda), Steve Varnom (Custennin), and Lynn Hunter (Gern-Y-Fhain) was an absolute joy, which made the job a lot easier. I kept an eye peeled in the film schedule every time a scene from 6 would pop up. It was very challenging, very rewarding, and I was very relieved how it all turned out.”
The Mystery Of Merlin’s Yellow Eyes
I often wondered about Merlin’s distinctive yellow eyes. In some scenes, they were very prominent, and in others, they were very natural. I asked Tom about the use of colored contact lenses, and found out there were none.
“I didn’t wear contact lenses,” he revealed. “They changed the color of my eyes to gold digitally, which I’m very thankful for. You connect to actors on screen through their eyes. The problem with colored contact lenses is the pupil is fixed and won’t dilate when emotional or in different lighting, which is very disconnecting to the audience. We tested it before filming and it looked very wrong. Digitally changing the eye color only was the best decision the producers made, allowing my eyes to dilate naturally and connect with the audience.”
Conveying The Burden Of Immortality
Every good actor puts something of themselves into their part, and Tom Sharp is no exception. I asked him about his own contribution to the character, and he told me, “I’d constantly look for clues in the script and ask questions. For example, in Episode 3, ‘A Fatherless Child,’ Merlin narrates, ‘They say Merlin is Mad’ and ‘the future and past are known to him.’ I didn’t want to simply play him crazy, I wanted to know ‘how mad?’ After all the events and tragedies he has lived through – being abducted as a child, the murder of his loved ones, killing 500 men, his constant visions and how he stares into the fire zoned out like a soldier returning from war… to me his ‘madness’ is PTSD. That was the biggest puzzle piece and gave me a foundation to build upon and make this mysterious figure relatable to the audience.”
Tom explains, “Plus, he’s burdened with immortality, an incredible loneliness as he will outlive everyone, including loved ones, so he keeps everyone at a safe distance. I let the filmmakers deal with the magical elements whilst I focused purely on his humanity. He’s not ‘happy go lucky,’ he’s stoic, but when you threaten the ones he cares for, he snaps, and when he’s around loved ones, he softens. Again, for his voice, his immortality and power come into play, he has all the time in the world so his voice glides, he doesn’t need to bark.”
Living Out Every Boy’s Sword And Sorcery Dream
Some of acting is hard work, and some of it is really fun. With all the conditions the actors had to endure, contrasted with getting to do cool stuff like sword fighting and simulate medieval battles, I asked about what he enjoyed and what was hard to do.
“I grew up watching epics like Braveheart, Gladiator, Last of the Mohicans, Lord of the Rings, and to get to play this genre is every boy’s dream,” he explains. “Charging into battle or running with a wolf or giving a speech to an army with exploding sets and practical effects, whilst on location was a blast.”
Not everything was paradise, he admitted. “Filming was either brutally hot or bitterly cold, yet it was all worth it.” Fans of Rise of the Merlin appreciate both his endurance for these conditions and the powerful optimism that drove him through.
With this in mind, I asked him what scenes he enjoyed from the show, both on set and off. “There were many scenes I loved, especially the second half of Episode 6; however, the very final scene of Episode 7, ‘The Last True Bard,’ is easily my favorite. Without spoiling anyone who hasn’t watched it yet, it was a very surreal out-of-body moment for me because it’s so iconic. We shot that in the middle of the night in freezing, snowy conditions, but I was so euphoric afterward. When it happened, all I could think of was my journey here and my family, which was very rewarding watching it back with them. I’ll never forget it. Whatever the future may hold, I can look back and say, ‘I did that!’”
As the main character of the show, Merlin got to be in every setting the series offered, from the otherworldly Ynis Avallach to the mysterious hills of the Fain Hawk, the spectacular Goddeu set, and the epic final battle. I wondered where he liked filming best. “Budapest is gorgeous and I encourage everyone to visit,” he suggested. “But I have to say the many locations in Italy were breathtaking. One of my favorite shots is riding through Gran Sasso, Italy with Alex Laurence Philips, where Pelleas looks back and sees Merlin riding alone talking to himself just as the sunlight rolls in. That, paired with Kyle McCuiston’s stunning soundtrack, is beautiful.”
The looming mountain vista and lonely green plains provided an ethereal setting for Merlin to be talking to a ghost that Pelleas couldn’t see.
The Brotherhood Of Merlin
Cast and crew who post on social media have spoken proudly of the camaraderie on set and even after production was over. I asked Tom about the “Brotherhood of Merlin” and if he made any new bonds on the set.
“Absolutely,” he confirmed, adding, “We pretty much all stay in contact on a daily basis. It was an incredibly challenging shoot, and we were all in the thick of it together. The cast had a rigorous boot camp before filming, involving horse riding and fight training in the intense Hungarian sun. It was tough, but we all bonded and supported each other from Day One.”
Tom Sharp’s Bright And Shining Future
Now that filming is over, I asked Tom what was next. “It’s very early days, but I’m open to anything,” he told me. But he’s in it for love of the game: “Whether it be Merlin again or something completely fresh, whether it’s another big production or an indie arthouse production, I’m good.”
While I was getting this interview together, I decided to finally replace my lost copies of the Stephen Lawhead novels The Pendragon Cycle: Rise of the Merlin. The second novel is called Merlin, and familiar golden eyes gazed back at me from its cover. I asked Tom how it felt to be the new face of the book as well as the show, and this was big news.
“I didn’t know about the books; they were purely a surprise,” he confessed. “Having my face on a book cover was never on my bucket list, but it is certainly welcome and an honor. It’s a great addition on the family shelf.”
Entertainment
Khloé Kardashian Says Daughter True Thompson Has an 'Elevated' Way of Wearing Her XO Blue Perfume
Like mother, like daughter! Khloé Kardashian’s new XO Blue perfume has already earned the approval of daughter True Thompson.
Ahead of the launch party in Malibu, California on June 16, The Kardashians star shared that Thompson, 8, is already taking after her in one unexpected way.
“She doesn’t wear fragrance on a daily basis, but she has the Squishmallows fragrance, which is so cute and age-appropriate, and then she has all of mine on her counter, and sometimes she sprays herself, and sometimes she doesn’t, but they’re into scents, these kids,” she explained during a virtual press day.
When Kardashian’s daughter does decide to borrow one of the reality television star’s favorites, she has her own way of doing things.
“I do let her use it, but it’s everything in moderation and she’s so great. She sprays her clothes and not herself, which I’m like, ‘Okay, elevated.’ I love when kids are smarter and more creative than we are. So, she doesn’t spray her body, which I’m fine with.”
It’s a far cry from Kardashian’s own spritzing habits growing up.
“When I was younger, it was Bath and Body Works. … I mean, we doused ourselves in the most potent of stuff.”
These days, though, Kardashian is chasing vacation vibes with her signature scent.
“XO Blue is very tropical, in my opinion. I think when you put it on, you immediately get this woody coconut. I feel very transported onto a beach with a piña colada. … It’s still something that you can wear, but I just love where it transports me to.”
And for the Khloé In Wonder Land podcast host, the appeal goes beyond an island getaway.
“I just want you to feel the sexiest at your core, and that doesn’t have to be this aesthetic thing.”
“For me, that’s all energetically. I just want you to feel just super sexy and feminine and that you can manhandle anyone and do whatever you want to do, and you’re just that girl. … You want to be in a summer dress or a tank top. It’s so silly that that’s how I feel when I’m wearing it, but I feel like the less clothes, the better.”
The Khloud founder is just as passionate about what goes into her body as what goes on it.
“I love peptides. I don’t know if that’s a secret. I feel like everyone takes a peptide. … I take injections, which I love, and they just make you feel good and you look good. … I’m also a big vitamin girl and just staying active. There’s not one thing that’s gonna make anything all better.”
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Entertainment
Set Phasers To Fun: The Year Of Star Trek Video Games Is Here
By Chris Snellgrove
| Updated
Star Trek has been entertaining sci-fi fans for 60 years through TV shows, movies, books, and comics. There’s only one entertainment sector where the franchise historically falters: video games. If we’re being honest, there have only ever been a handful of really good Star Trek games, and the best ones came out literally decades ago. Because of that, any Star Trek fans looking to lose themselves in a good video game would be forgiven for giving a Bones-like prognosis to the state of modern Trek titles: “it’s dead, Jim!”
However, all of that is changing. We already got Star Trek: Voyager—Across the Unknown, a game that puts us in command of Voyager as the crew tries to make it back home from the Delta Quadrant. Later this year, we’ll be getting a SimCity-style game (Star Trek: Outposts Unknown) as well as a digital, customizable card battler (Star Trek Warp). Next year, Star Trek: Shadow Frontier will put us in control of Ro Laren, with Michelle Forbes reprising her role from The Next Generation. So, what’s the deal with all these games? What are they about, and when can you play them? Keep scrolling to replicate answers to all these questions!
Finally, You Can Kill Tuvix Yourself
The first game to kick off the Star Trek video game renaissance is Star Trek: Voyager—Across the Unknown, and it takes the franchise where it has never gone before. You take control of Voyager after it is zapped into the Delta Quadrant, and like Captain Janeway, you must help everyone find their way back home to the Alpha Quadrant. Much of the game is spent managing finite resources and using your best judgment of which systems to prioritize. Speaking of judgment, you’ll have to make snap calls in several adventures (including recreations of iconic Voyager dilemmas, like whether to kill Tuvix) that can save the day or possibly get everyone killed.
The general consensus on Star Trek: Voyager—Across the Unknown (which is out now on console and PC) is that it’s good but not great. The most notable thing about it is arguably its sandbox nature and its emphasis on resource management. Historically, many Star Trek games have been shooters, real-time strategy games, and RPGs filled with bonkers puzzles. This was the first game to focus extensively on both resource management and narrative choices, making it arguably the best Starfleet captain simulation since the 2002 title Star Trek: Bridge Commander.
Two More To Beam Up
Surprisingly enough, we’re going to get two more Star Trek games this year. One of them is Star Trek: Outposts Unknown (which will be released for PC and console sometime this year). This game is designed like SimCity, but with a Trek twist. Basically, you are trying to build, maintain, and defend an outpost on a distant planet. That means exploring strange new worlds, gathering resources, and defending everyone from the planet’s most hostile creatures. While not exactly a cozy game, the Outposts Unknown demo (which is out on Steam) proved surprisingly relaxing, which may be good news for players who don’t like the intensity of games like StarCraft.
The other big Star Trek video game of 2026 is Star Trek Warp. This title is described as a “card battler” that lets players “choose characters from a huge roster of Star Trek legends, heroes, and villains, and deploy them at iconic locations like Ten-Forward and the Warp Core.” With seven virtual lanes to defend, this game is designed to keep you on your toes; the title also features both PvE and PvP modes. Overall, Warp sounds like the weird lovechild of League of Legends (what with the lane defense) and the old Star Trek Customizable Card Game. That might just help it appeal to both young fans and older fans.
A New Strategy And An Old Legend
The most exciting new Star Trek game won’t be coming out until next year. Star Trek: Shadow Frontier is a survival horror title where a Starfleet officer must survive on a mysterious planet. The twist? That officer is Ro Laren, who once left the Enterprise-D to join the Maquis before making her way back to Starfleet. Since her surprise appearance in Picard, fans have been wondering how she went from being a principled rebel to being a good, rule-abiding officer. Shadow Frontier may very well give us that explanation. If nothing else, it will give us something unique: a Silent Hill-type game set in the Star Trek universe.
So, what’s up with this sudden influx of Star Trek video games? The smart money is that Paramount is continuing to throw everything at the wall with this franchise to see what sticks. No Star Trek show is currently in development, and the only definitive thing on the horizon is a movie intended to give this universe its second huge reboot. Trek games (particularly those featuring characters like Ro Laren and Tuvok) are a way of appealing to older fans who like the IP and younger fans who just like gaming. By seeing what sells, Paramount can finally get to the bottom of a decades-old question: what the heck Star Trek fans actually want.
Entertainment
Star Wars Is Dying Because It Can’t Stop Copying Marvel
By Chris Snellgrove
| Updated
Lately, I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about one of the coolest things from the Star Wars prequels: podracing! Even the biggest critics of The Phantom Menace readily admitted that the podracing scenes were some of the most thrilling moments ever captured on film. This high-speed racing in a galaxy far, far away was so popular that it led to multiple podracing video games. Now, another game is on the horizon: Star Wars: Galactic Racer. Releasing on October 6th, this game will feature a solo campaign mode as well as a variety of multiplayer modes that pit players against different races.
Between excitement for this game and social media users rediscovering the darkly hilarious story of racer Ratts Tyerell, it’s clear that excitement for podracing is greater than ever before. That excitement is so great that it seems like a no-brainer for Lucasfilm to create a Star Wars TV show about a plucky young racer trying to win big. Unfortunately, we’re never going to get this or countless other great show ideas for a simple, depressing reason: the MCU. You see, Star Wars authorities like Dave Filoni are obsessed with creating their own Marvel-style cinematic universe, meaning that any shows that don’t directly connect to other series or movies will never see the light of day.
The Mando Cinematic Universe
If you somehow don’t know (what, you didn’t feel a disturbance in the Force?), there’s a slowly growing mountain of exciting Star Wars projects that got canceled before they ever got off the ground. This includes things like Patty Jenkins’ Rogue Squadron movie, Guillermo del Toro’s Jabba the Hutt film, an untitled movie from Taika Waititi, and even an entire new trilogy from The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson. Some canceled projects were later transformed into TV shows for Disney+. This includes a solo Boba Fett movie and what was meant to be a solo Obi-Wan Kenobi trilogy. Interestingly, both TV shows featuring these characters underscore why Star Wars is doomed to fail.
You see, part of why The Book of Boba Fett sucked is that a huge chunk of its runtime was dedicated to other characters. Like, midway through its first and only season, this Boba Fett spinoff focuses on the Mandalorian and Grogu, with a bit of Ahsoka thrown in for good measure. Similarly, Obi-Wan Kenobi couldn’t simply focus on the wacky dessert misadventures of its titular character. Instead, Lucasfilm inexplicably threw in both Darth Vader and Princess Leia, which threatened to disrupt established Star Wars lore. Ahsoka is, of course, a live-action Rebels sequel with plenty of character overlap, and even The Acolyte features appearances by familiar names like Yoda, Ki-adi-Mundi, and even Darth Plagueis.
Let Me See That Thrawn
Why are potentially solid Star Wars shows getting clogged with characters that ultimately hurt the overall story? Simple: Dave Filoni wants this franchise to be more like the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Part of the MCU’s charm is that characters can pop into each other’s movies. Iron Man is in the first Spider-Man movie, Black Widow is in the second Captain America movie, and so on. Done well, this lays the groundwork for major team-ups, like The Avengers. For years, there have been rumors that Star Wars is trying to put its own interconnected characters in place to loosely adapt Timothy Zahn’s Heir to the Empire book into a show or film.
That sounds fine on paper; after all, Heir to the Empire is one of the best Star Wars books ever written. But it’s a book featuring characters that Disney likely won’t feature in their own adaptation, including all of the Original Trilogy’s primary heroes and fan-favorite new characters like Mara Jade. Even if we do eventually get an Heir to the Empire adaptation, it’s clear that it would have almost nothing in common with the book besides the presence of Thrawn. Adding some salt to the wound, the lack of any official updates means that this project is very likely dead.
No Heir, No Spare
If Filoni’s dream of creating an Heir to the Empire movie or series is over, then it means that we’ve had years of wasted Star Wars TV shows. Why bother using The Book of Boba Fett to set up more Mandalorian stuff? Why use The Mandalorian to set up Ashoka? Why try (and fail) to cause Ahsoka to set up Heir to the Empire? From the outside looking in, it seems like these shows were extensively tweaked to set up a project that we’ll never see. Episodes and entire series that could have been great ended up sucking, and for what? To set up yet another franchise project that ended up getting canceled.
Star Wars is dying because it can’t stop copying the MCU, which itself is on life support thanks to superhero fatigue. Just like that, two great franchises ruined themselves because they were too busy setting up the next big thing instead of giving fans what they really want: something original, for once!
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