Aaron Ashmore has plenty of genre cred. His breakout role came courtesy of Smallville, where he played earnest photographer Jimmy Olsen for multiple seasons. Ashmore went on to join Warehouse 13 and Killjoys, so it was no surprise when he popped up in the supernatural drama Locke & Key. Ashmore portrays Duncan, brother of the deceased Rendell Locke and uncle to Tyler, Kinsey, and Bode. The TV show revolves around the Locke children as they collect mystical keys and prevent them from falling into demonic hands. At the beginning of the series, Duncan couldn't recall the existence of magic from his younger years, but it was eventually revealed that he created some of the keys.
Once Duncan's memories were restored using the Head Key, Duncan pitched in to defend the family's ancestral home and defeat the evil Dodge in the Season 2 finale. In Locke &Key's third and final season, Duncan has found happiness. Friends and family gathered to celebrate his union with fiancé, Bryan. When the cruel Gideon and his ghoulish cronies break into Keyhouse in search of the keys, it almost ruins the festivities. Ashmore recently spoke with CBR about the next stage of his career, Duncan's wedding, the Timeshift Key, and his grounded series Skymed.
CBR: Back in Smallville, Jimmy Olsen was kind of this rookie. He was the new guy who was a little green about life and work. Now, here you are portraying, Duncan Locke in Locke & Key, the older and wiser character. What's fun about those types of roles at this stage of your career?
Aaron Ashmore: Do you have to rub it in? [laughs] It is the truth. I am definitely noticing that in my career. I've heard actors talk about that. You really do transition throughout your career. I have been doing this long enough that I have sort of transitioned from the teenage years to the college stuff to now, a lot of uncles, a lot of dads, and that type of thing. I am actually quite fortunate to be able to have been doing it this long that I get to do that stuff, but yeah, it's a very different process to play those characters and the roles they fill in the show. It also feels very natural to be doing that because I am now a father and at that age. We are getting old, Bryan. I don't know what else to say.
Last season of Locke & Key found Duncan in the thick of all the mayhem. He was regaining his memories. He proved pivotal in this battle against Dodge. Where do we meet him again?
Wedding planning. That's basically it. I had an absolute blast filming the wedding episode. It was a nice moment for Duncan, as a character who has been through a hell of a lot, to have this happy moment. Also, for the rest of the Lockes, although I know in the rest of the episode there's some other stuff going on behind the scenes that Duncan is unaware of, there are some really nice moments. I think they all deserve it because, man, this family has really been through it.
This is your second marriage on TV. Jimmy was set to exchange vows with Chloe on Smallville until Doomsday crashed the party. What is it like doing these monumental celebrations?
It was very weird to do the Smallville wedding scene because I actually hadn't done it. There are certain things that feel a bit strange to do on camera. To get married before I had actually gotten married in real life was a very strange thing. It's such an amazing and vulnerable moment, a lot of the time, standing up there in front of everybody you care about, everybody you know, and professing your love to somebody. I love weddings. I cry at weddings all time. It is a beautiful thing, so to get to take part in one, even if it is fake, I still like weddings. I really do like those scenes, but I've never married a man before. That's the newer thing for me.
Duncan marries Bryan. It's not only a union of two men, but it is an interracial marriage, as well. How important was that representation to you?
I think it is very important. I tend to hope, or tend to think, there are a lot more of these stories being told. That is where the world is at. People want to see those things. People want to see themselves represented. People want to see people they know and family members represented in a positive way on TV. I hope that is what is happening. It's great to see, and I hope the fact that we are able to do these things on TV means we are moving in the right direction, that there is going to be more acceptance.
There are other supernatural elements in play. Duncan is a well of knowledge when it comes to the Timeshift Key. What insight does he have to offer?
The insight is really, "Do not mess with it." I think, as we all know, the idea of time traveling, especially amongst people who are into genre stuff, it is very appealing. It's a very cool idea, but rarely does it go well. The downside outweighs the good when we look at a lot of these stories and a lot of the ways time travel is represented in TV shows. I think this is another one of those things where it's like, "Of course, it has its uses, but you would have to use it very carefully." However old Bode is supposed to be, an 8- or 10-year-old boy does not have the maturity or the grasp of a bigger picture to use it as it is meant to be used. We are going to have some trouble because of that.
Duncan bookends this season. He joins in Episode 2 and then comes back later on after the honeymoon. What brings him back?
I remember being very happy to come back and be part of the wrap-up with the family and have a moment with them. Especially over the second season, Duncan really solidified himself as part of that family. So, to get to come back and have those family moments felt really good to me.
Another one of your projects currently airing is Skymed, where you star as pilot Wheezer. Audiences are so used to seeing you in these genre shows, which is totally the opposite of Skymed. What was the draw of doing a series like that?
Julie Puckrin, who is the creator and the head writer on that show, she worked on Killjoys. She was a writer on, I believe, the fourth and the fifth season. I really liked the episodes that she wrote. She had a great sense of humor in her writing and really understood those characters. And, yes, this was totally a different departure, which is kind of nice. I love sci-fi stuff. I think that will always be where my heart is, and I have gotten to play some really amazing roles in that world, but there are other types of projects out there.
This seemed like a fun character, where he was again the older guy. I don't want to call him a screw-up or a slacker, but he just doesn't have the ambition of other people. He is happy where he is with the simplicity of, "Yeah, I am just happy to be a pilot and do what I love. I have my family. Why are you chasing all these bigger things?" So, I liked the character, I knew Julie, and I thought it would be a fun show -- and it was. I get to fly a plane, almost like flying a spaceship. Less complicated. More things to crash into, though.
Wheezer was in an accident and walks with a cane. What's it been like using that prop and bringing that physicality to the character?
It was important to play that up. In the first episode, he almost died. Everybody was so committed to saving Wheezer. To come out of it and be walking around wouldn't necessarily have done it justice with how serious this accident was. When there was a cane there, I was like, "Oh, sweet." It just helps play into that, and it slows him down a bit. That's okay. That's where he is at.
What can you tease about the remaining episodes?
The show ends on a big cliffhanger like all good shows do. It does a great job of being easy to watch... Beautiful young actors being physical with each other, hooking up, appeals to a lot of people. I can understand why, but I also think there are fun, crazy medical things that are happening, and they do a great job of keeping that interesting. The fact that it is set in the North and there are things that people who live in cities take for granted as far as healthcare, especially in Canada, because it is set in Canada...
For most of us, if something is wrong, we can just walk into the emergency room. We can walk into the hospital. When you are way, way far up north, those options are not there. That is an interesting concept for a lot of people. What do you do when you are pregnant and about to have a baby, and there's an issue? What do you do when there's a gunshot wound or a bear attack, and you are way the hell away from somewhere you can get help? At the end of the day, it is a show about relationships. It's kind of a family show, which I really like. The characters are not related, but they are in these stressful situations and end up really supporting each other and caring for each other. That's what is going to make the show really popular.
Stream the third and final season of Locke & Key now on Netflix.