WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Roswell, New Mexico Season 3's finale.
Season 3 of Roswell, New Mexico had a lot in store for its characters, with Michael experienced some of the biggest changes yet. With the introduction of Jones (Nathan Parsons), Michael (Michael Vlamis) reluctantly learned the truth about his parentage. With Jones as his father, Michael combated whether or not that meant he would be a monster like his old man; however, not every revelation this season had been bad for Michael.
Throughout Season of Roswell, New Mexico, Michael realized just how much Alex (Tyler Blackburn) meant to him, thus pushing both of them to finally delve fully into their relationship and reveal their more vulnerable sides with one another. Vlamis sat with CBR to discuss the highs and lows of Michael's journey throughout The CW show's latest season.
CBR: This was such a huge season for Michael. What was it like when you first learned about Michael's father?
Michael Vlamis: I thought it was really cool. I especially thought it was cool because I remember reading [about] Season 1 -- because I like to read the reviews and I like to read what fans think and what they're speculating and I'm all over Twitter, seeing all that -- and a lot of people thought Michael Guerin was maybe a Jon Snow type character. I never knew that would be the thing. I'm not saying he is the Jon Snow character or anything like that, but the fact that he's a little bit more important than he maybe came across at the beginning, similar to that character in Game of Thrones, it was just very cool to see that the fans who are watching the show so adamantly, they actually pieced that together. I knew immediately that it was going to level up my character, and I figured his powers and also probably work on the show and the different avenues and the different types of scenes I was going to get to do. I always got to do stuff regarding mom, but now I'm really getting to do stuff regarding dad, which is interesting.
Speaking about how this levels up Michael, what did this revelation mean to the character?
That's a complicated question. Depends on which episode you're on?
At first, it's a horrible thing because he is realizing that he comes from a monstrous stock, and a lot of people have a really hard time breaking the cycle from being their parents -- whether that's in a relationship or just how you treat others or what you want to do with your life. So many times we feel like we are our parents -- it took me a long time to realize that I'm my parents in a certain way, but not completely -- and that's something that Michael Guerin is figuring out, so I thought it was really cool to be able to play that because I had recently in the last several years of doing self-work and figuring out who I truly am and what I can feel from my dad, but I'm not entirely him. At first he's scared to death, and then I think he starts coming to terms with the fact that he doesn't have to be who his father is, and he embraces a little bit more.
Speaking about his father, How is it navigating this relationship with your co-star Nathan, especially since you've been working together for years as Michael and Max, but now Jones is in this mix?
It was super easy because when I line up across from another actor, I'm based off them. Nathan came in immediately and had a whole different game plan when it came to Jones. It made my job, Lily's job, everybody's job so easy because all of a sudden we're not acting with Nathan as Max. We're acting with Nathan as a whole different human being. There was never a big conversation. I'm sure he had all those conversations with Chris Hollier, our showrunner, but with us, it was like he showed up. He started talking, saying howdy partner, and we just got into it.
That's awesome. A lot of these confrontations with Jones eventually lead to plenty of action and special effects. What was the most challenging or exciting part of these action sequences for you and what was it like to see them finalized with those effects on screen?
Well, to be honest, I haven't seen it yet. I got the episode last night, but I was on set all night, and then I slept two hours, and now I'm at a wedding. We were on Episode 6 already of Season 4. We shot late last night, and then I had to catch that early flight out. I will say, having done it and having seen some, I do my stunts up to a certain point, then it's completely handed off. I had way too many surgeries from sports and accidents in life. My body might not be ready for it.
When I read that stuff in the script, I'm very excited about it because there's something really cool that happened. When an actor gets to do stunts, all of a sudden, you're seen as this type of person. I can just be me. I can do nothing. I don't have to act tough or anything like that, but if you see me get thrown against an Airstream and survive or get stabbed and take a staple gun to the stomach, then all of a sudden that makes my job as an actor infinitely easy because the viewers know what this person is capable of without me ever saying it or talking a big game or anything. When I see that stuff on screen, I'm just like they're making [Michael] even cooler than he already was. They've done an amazing job making Michael Guerin just such a fun and three-dimensional character. I feel very fortunate every time I see a stunt because that just adds to his whole aura that is my goal here.
Another major part of this season for Michael is his relationship with Alex. What were you most excited to explore about the relationship this season, and what was it like to explore that with Tyler?
A lot of people ask what's most important or what you're most excited about. A lot of times I say seeing them happy together and actually coexisting together.
If we're being completely honest, it's just working with Tyler Blackburn. That is what I'm most excited about. It's working with him. His eyes are that cliche -- the eyes are the window to the soul. I'm going to quote a quote because that is literally what I'm feeling just by looking into his eyes. It's so easy to work off someone like that. I was so excited as the season progressed, and we didn't work together till Episode 3. I was blown away, and not like I'm tooting my own horn or anything like that, but that drive-in scene in Episode 3 this past season... It was a similar conversation that we've had many times, and on the day with the writers and the director, we all came together and we figured out a new way to play that scene. I thought it just works so well. That was kind of the foundation for what happened the rest of the season. I feel like our work got even more intimate, more connected. Doing scenes with Tyler is just an absolute joy.
There was one more relationship we got a little bit more of a glimpse into that we didn't get to see before so much, which was Michael and Rosa interacting. What about that dynamic were you excited to touch on this season?
That was so cool, isn't it?
We're both people that feel we've made grave mistakes in our lives. We're both people that have a lot of regrets, maybe not much self-worth, because maybe one was a foster kid and one was an addict. We both have snarky senses of humor. As actors, Amber Midthunder is very similar to me. She's always down to play and bounce different ideas, different reads of lines, different behavior on every take. The moment we got to work together when I was like scrubbing off the graffiti off the Crash Down I just knew I'm in for something special with Amber, and I think that scene is one of my favorites of the season.
Speaking of some of your favorites of the season with the season wrapping up soon, what was one of your favorite memories from production?
I cannot wait to see what they use when Maria (Heather Hemmens) staples my stomach because I was having a lot of fun with that. It was just so fun. All the crew's there. It's super late for the very end of the season. Everyone's tired. We had just come from the junkyard where the stunt guy got tossed 30 feet into a hole. The whole oil barrel got thrown at me and it's cut in half. We're doing all this crazy stuff, and then we go downstairs, and all of a sudden, I'm stapling my stomach. I haven't seen it yet. I'm so thrilled about it. I cannot wait.
I gotta say, my Sanders' (Nicholas Ballas) scenes are unbelievable. I love working with Nicolas Ballas. He's directing a play right now at the New Mexico Actors Lab in Santa Fe. I got to see that last weekend. The guy is multitalented. It's running this weekend and next weekend. The fact that [Ballas] gets to come out and be this father figure and I'm kind of a dick to him, but it's because he's always been gruff with me. We're just kind of on that same page. I really appreciated those moments over the season.