Fans are still up in arms that The CW canceled The Secret Circle on May 11 and now star Thomas Dekker is opening up, for the first time, about the show’s passing.
I caught up with Thomas on the set of Squatters, a dramatic new film very close to his heart (but more on that at a later date), when talk naturally turned to Secret Circle. And while Thomas was sad to say goodbye to the cast and crew, he wasn’t exactly torn up about losing the job.
TheInsider.com: How did you find out about the show’s cancellation?
Thomas Dekker: I actually found out the show was canceled the first day of filming on Squatters, so I feel very lucky to have something to jump into. I admire and am very grateful for the season I got of that show because I worked with such an incredible cast, but I never really felt the show and I particularly clicked in the way it was intended. Don’t get me wrong, I was surprised it was canceled, but I was comfortable with moving on.
Insider: When we spoke back in September, you were excited to take Adam down a dark path. Something that never quite happened on the show. Is that what you’re referring to?
Thomas: Absolutely. I don’t think I’m being offensive in saying that Adam was the most underdeveloped character on the show. Which is not at the fault of the writers – I think it was just how the narrative of the series wound up. The importance of other stories and development of other characters was more pressing. But I think I entered with a different view of who the character was and where he was going, versus what it ended up being. And that might have been true for Andrew [Miller, showrunner] and Kevin [Williamson, EP] as well. Adam definitely ended up being quite different from who I thought he would be. Not in a negative way, just in a different way. And if you saw in the season finale, that’s where we were hinting it would go next season, so I’m just going to pretend that in the season two that never happened, Adam became the Antichrist [laughs].
Insider: This is now the second beloved TV show you’ve been on to get canceled and draw ire from fans. Has it disuaded you from doing another TV show?
Thomas: Not at all. I love television. When I’d gotten Secret Circle, I’d been doing a lot of movies since Sarah Connor, so I had forgotten how much of a grind it is. I mean, it’s such a long commitment and such long hours and gives you a product you have to match every week. But that’s a great challenge. I feel like the grown up in me enjoys working in TV, and the playful child in me enjoys making movies.
Insider: You’re currently preparing to direct a film you’ve also written — is that cast locked, or might we see some of your Secret Circle co-stars cameo?
Thomas: We had a locked cast last year, but it was put off because of Secret Circle — I couldn’t exactly make the movie while we were shooting in Canada. I would work with any of those people again. In particular, I had one of the greatest working and learning experiences on that show with Shelley Hennig. I would love to work with her again. We have a very special friendship and creative bond. The great thing about the shows that I’ve done is that I’ve walked away with the greatest friends of my life – like Lena Headey and Summer Glau from the old one, and all five of my crazy cast mates on the new one. I feel very lucky.
Squatters is due out in 2013.
As you recall, Thomas spoke to us exclusively about Squatters here and more info on it can be found
