Playing MacGyver in the reboot of the classic show of the same name, Lucas Till speaks about working on the series and more
Lucas Till, best known for his role as Havok in the iconic X-Men series has made his move, like many other Hollywood actors, to television. What’s even better is that he stars in the lead role in the all new reboot of classic MacGyver. The show, about a secret agent, who uses his scientific prowess to uncover secrets and get out of sticky situations, is already becoming a fan favourite. Lucas talks about what it’s like recreating the iconic show and taking up the role.
When asked if it was nerve-wracking to sign the role since there is a huge responsibility to live up to the earlier series, he responds, “I think all of us feel like we have a responsibility to the old fans. But, you know, we’re not just taking it and making it completely our own. You have to — because it’s MacGyver. One of those things that we want to keep is having MacGyver making stuff out of nothing next to you using Swiss Army knives and other things like paper clips, duct tape.”
Lucas also goes on to talk about Peter Lenkov, the showrunner, “He makes sure to put all kinds of cool things, for people who were fans of the original show, in the show, and also we are just trying to do a lot of new things because, you know, you can always just go watch the show on Netflix. You’ve got to do something different. But yes, they’re big shoes to fill but I hope George (Eads) and I can fill them.”
The actor also sees that there is something similar between his most popular role as Havok and MacGyver. “They both have a tendency to get into highly realistic, disastrous situations!” he laughs. He also says that his training for the role involved working out and making things out of nothing. Doing a lot of the stunts himself, he states that his act involves a lot of running and fight scenes, which he enjoys.
Speaking about the first episode that maybe a hint that love could prove tough, and oftentimes, catastrophic for MacGyver, he says, “I think it could. I’m not going to say it is or isn’t that, but there is a possibility it could.
“It’s a conscious effort to be like the original show, but at the same time, I can’t do this every day — being someone else completely. So I always end up throwing a bit of myself in there as well. A lot of what I’m realising is that there are a lot of people who watched the original show and then there are a lot of people who are loving the show even if they’ve never even heard of MacGyver because they’re too young and so I think, all right, let me see what I can throw in there myself!” says Lucas about retaining the elements from the 1985-92 MacGyver, adding, “See, it’s kind of like James Bond, there’s a new James Bond every couple of years. Maybe I can do the new MacGyver this time and put my own twist on it. But yes, you do have certain things that you have to adhere to because otherwise, it’s not MacGyver.”
Finally when asked whether this could mean a win for the nerds — since the protagonist is a Bond-esque man with a penchant for science — he answers with a resounding ‘yes!’
(MacGyver premiers on 15th October at 11 pm on AXN)
