As Marcel on “The Originals” (Tuesdays at 8:00 p.m. on the CW), Charles Michael Davis is one charming (and dashingly handsome) vampire. Of course, he also seems to have a death wish, in that he's plunging into the battle for New Orleans that already has the werewolves, witches and Original vampires determined to get their slice of the deep-fried pie. I spoke to the former model about his take on the character, whose backstory with Klaus will be examined in tonight's episode as Klaus struggles with memories of his paternal relationship with Marcel — and nightmares about his vampire hunter father.
If you've ever wondered why Marcel is willing to go up against Klaus again — given how poorly it went the last time — you might appreciate Davis' explanation. And if you're hoping Marcel gets together with Cami again, don't rule that out, either.
Charles has really thrown down the gauntlet with Klaus. Should we be worried for him?
][Laughing] With any character on this show you should, yeah. Except for Elijah and Klaus, you should worry about any character. What you're referring to is how Marcel's kind of backed into a corner with his desperate play at the party with the drummers, and how everything looks as if Marcel is in a desperate position now. And when people get desperate, they put themselves in harm's way. Especially when you're pissing off someone like Klaus.
But going up against Klaus seems like a suicide mission, especially since he's failed before. What do you suppose Marcel is thinking? What's the logic there?
The show's a lot about relationships, and I use a lot of relationship analogies when I talk about it. When you're trying to make a relationship work with someone and there's nothing more you can do to change the person's mind but to break up, that's what you do — you cross that line. You hope in doing so, by making that last ditch effort, this might change their mind. I think he's reached a point at which he's saying, I don't know what else do. There's no working with him, he's unreasonable, and Marcel can't really leave the city. So this is him saying he wants to break up. From here on out, he doesn't want things to stay this way. Like any break up, it really rocks people. Of course, a break-up doesn't usually end in death, but it ends in a moment of pause. But they don't really talk about how they're feeling on this show, so this is Marcel taking action.
Was there any part of Marcel that slept with Cami hoping Klaus would find out?
That was really impulsive. Marcel is definitely an impulsive character, really calculated, but that's his flaw, beautiful strong women, and there was some alcohol involved, too.
Think there's a chance it could happen again? And again?
Definitely. They're both very strong characters, and Cami needs some insurance while Marcel is looking to get out of the shadow of Klaus, so they don't really have the attention to give to a relationship.
What do you think the werewolves stepping into the fray is going to mean for Marcel?
Another spinning plate, and another thing that will draw the attention of every other faction, and they were dormant for so long. For me, it reminds me of the '60s, the Civil Rights era, how that evolved, and then you had the women's rights movement evolving, and it brings everything to the forefront. They have a lot to say and a lot to fight for, and a lot of things are changing, and that's catching the attention of Klaus.
Klaus has been very canny in making alliances with unexpected people. What trick does Marcel have up his sleeve? Can he get by on charm?
I think he's pretty good with the charming strategy, and that leads him to get away with a lot of things. He can cut off Jane-Anne's head, and say, oh, I got caught up in the crowd's emotion, and Klaus was there, he felt it too. He's able to recruit people and he's able to get people to really side with him.
What's next for Marcel?
I think you're gonna see him really man up. He has a real opponent now, and he has to really risk his life. I think you're going to see him become a little bit more of a man. He's been in the shadows with stuff from his past, his own father issues, and then with Klaus, and now he has to really stand up for himself. I'm really excited about that, as far as the character becoming more of a man and becoming more grounded.
And there will be flashbacks this week. Do you love shooting those?
This one, I did, and you'll see why. Because we shot in Atlanta, and Georgia has a lot of history, even the little kitchen where we shot had an authentic feel. It was really cool to connect to that time period, that era, and dress in that particular style.
How do you think Marcel will survive Klaus' wrath? Do you think the werew