MERLIN: Working with Nathaniel Parker

Part 2 of the season premiere of Merlin airs Friday night, and this season introduced a new character, Agravaine, played by the lovely Nathaniel Parker. Read what the cast members had to say about working with Parker.

Nathaniel Parker is 'Agravaine' on MERLIN

Angel Coulby (Gwen) – “I love Nat – he’s a brilliant and lovely to work with. Right away, he said, ‘You must tell me if I’m doing something wrong – I’m not as stern as I look.’ And he’s really not. I thought he was going to be very serious, very method, but he’s a lot sillier on set than I could’ve imagined, and he definitely blended into the MERLIN atmosphere quickly and easily.”

Katie McGrath (Morgana) – “When I think of Nat, I think of laughing — during the entire season, he never stopped trying to make everyone laugh. Even on the longest days, when everyone was cold or tired. He was always there with a smile and a joke, bless him.”

Anthony Head (Uther) – “Guest artists have always commented that they’ve been so easily and readily been accepted on MERLIN, but I think that’s because it’s the kind of show that they can easily be assimilated. The writing is strong, and the series has such a good rhythm – people just don’t feel under pressure. Plus, it’s always fun for us to get to play with someone new. And Nat definitely fits with this group.”

Nathaniel Parker on his character, Agravaine – “Agravaine is pretty much a baddy – you know that within the first 20 minutes of the first episode – and yes, I do enjoy playing baddies. We have changed the mythology a bit, but the bottom line is that Agravaine has come to help advise Arthur, and that isn’t going to be a good thing for him. I’m playing a fairly dark, mysterious character behind Arthur’s back, and it’s both a good part to play, and good fun playing it.”

MERLIN continues its fourth season this Friday, Jan. 13 at 10 p.m. (ET/PT) on Syfy. Previous seasons are available on DVD or on iTunes. Be sure to follow the latest news on MERLIN at the Official Merlin page on Facebook.