BY: DINO TAKASHI

Cassian Bilton is elated- as he plays the character of “Brother Dawn” in the TV adaptation of Isaac Asimov’s futuristic science fiction novel of the same title “Foundation.” This native Londoner, who completed his undergraduate degree in Oxford, has been steadily carving his own path to greatness- from starring in critically acclaimed “The Devil's Harmony” which won the Short Film Jury Award at Sundance 2020, to being part of one of Apple TV+’s biggest production this 2021, “Foundation.” 

Bilton was already a fan of Asimov’s book series when he received an email from his agent that David Goyer, the screenwriter of Christian Bale and Henry Cavill’s Superman, would take charge of the novels’ television adaptation. Bilton plays one of the three clones in the series that exist- currently trying to lean on their power from a story that charts a thousand years. With the production’s massive scale, Bilton shared that being cast as the emperor in this show has been a stark contrast to the life that he was used to. When I asked him how he felt about the show, he said that he was just eager to hear people’s reception to this work. A project that has been in the works since 2019 and that was filmed in around a dozen countries in eighteen months. 

A conversation with Bilton feels like something you’d have with a friend that you haven’t seen in a while. Currently, Foundation has just been given a green light for its second season, and I am incredibly excited for what’s next for Cassian and how this show will continue to elevate his career to greater heights. He also shared what is so exciting to him about “Foundation,” and valuable lessons he has learned and will always carry with him, his love for visual arts and his other great passion, music and his vocal gift. As our “friends” embark on their new journey and promising new beginnings, I am excited to share what Cassian and I talked about over this interview as he his home in London and my own in New York with this new normal brought by the pandemic.

Hi Cassian, how are you? 

I'm good. Thank you!

Are you in your hometown of London currently? 

I am in London, yes.

Are you busy?

I’m just waiting for Foundation to fully air and I can’t wait what people think about the show. Honestly that’s keeping me busy!

And, how are you feeling? 

Thrilled! We’ve been working on this for two years and I am excited that everyone will finally get to see it!I feel really grateful to be a part of Foundation. It’s insane in its scale. meaning it’s quite a big job for the cast and crew but then at the same time it hasn't felt that way when we’ve been shooting because I've been so blessed to work with everyone on set. They have been so welcoming and generous, especially the cast I work with, they were so kind when I came onboard. 

That sounds awesome! Now, let’s talk about you!

I'm a Londoner born and bred. I grew up in London and I still live here now

How did acting come about? 

I’ve been acting since I've been really young. Ever since I started doing school, I caught the acting bug then and I’ve been hooked ever since. After I left uni in 2017, my first professional gig was a Shakespeare play and I also did a lot of short films, one of which won the Jury Selection of “Best Short Film” at Sundance in 2020. Following that, I was lucky to have Foundation came along. 

What was the audition like? 

It wasn't very complicated for me actually. I got an email from my agent saying they're going to try and adapt Asimov’s Foundation series and David Goyer, who was involved in the creation of Henry Cavill’s Superman and Christian Bale’s Batman films, was set as the showrunner- which is incredible. I went in for an audition and then a few days later, I got a call back. Within that space of a week I got another call saying we're getting on a plane to Ireland with the rest of the cast. 

We started filming in November 2019. In March 2020, we filmed in Ireland but then had a bit of a hiatus because of Covid, obviously, but managed to continue filming in Ireland. We also shot in Malta for a while then Fuerteventura and Tenerife and up until around April [we were shooting] in Iceland and Berlin. As a production we shot in around half a dozen countries over the course of eighteen months. But, I was mostly shooting in Malta, Ireland and Tenerife. 

Can you tell us a brief summary of the show? 

The show is epic in its scale as it charts a story of a thousand years. It essentially hinges on the prediction of one scientist that if nothing changes, that society as we know will crumble. It’s his idea to build a new society and take the best bits about the society into the future and start to kind of plan it. For the ruling empire, which is made of three cloned men, this threatens their control. I play one of those three clones, Brother Dawn.

Brother Dawn is the youngest of the three. There’s always three clones existing currently. It’s like having Dino now, Dino as a teenager and Dino at 60.  Imagine living with two other versions of yourself and what that might mean. That’s essentially what we were wrestling with on the set each day. Brother Dawn is perhaps the more sensitive, more  introspective  and gentler of the three. They are all clinging desperately to this power that has been established for centuries. But now this is being threatened, and two of the clones handle this by being very authoritarian. Whereas Dawn seems to co-opt in his own world. Still finding his way to speak. 

What’s the difference between acting in a sci-fi show compared to the drama and indie films that you have worked on before?  

We were just incredibly lucky working on a job like Foundation. Our director wanted to shoot in practical sets - as much as possible where spaceships and intergalactic places were all there for real. So obviously that’s a very distinct difference between shooting an indie film and shooting a very large scale production like Foundation. The production value is so high and we were lucky that Apple gave us that opportunity to properly own the Asimov story and build a world that was so rich, full and detailed. In terms of scale, the indie films I have done before have all leaned into a small family in a small village, or a city you won't recognize. A lot of Foundation is something that has never been seen before. 

And what are the challenges? 

I feel like the things that I find challenging are the things I find most rewarding. 

The thing I found most challenging, you would be surprised, is that it is the first time I played a clone of someone else. However this was the most interesting part of my role was arriving onto a project where two other actors were already playing my part as they were reiterations of the same character. I found it exciting but also difficult as I had to choose which bits of that performance I take and which do I not. Also, how do we as three create the core of that character? 

What is your artistic process like?

I wouldn’t say I'm a method actor- at least not with a show like this.  So much of the work is about building a world and making the world as real and lived in as possible. Living in an imperial palace on a metal planet for the trains of people is quite different from the life I live in London.  A lot of it is making the world so distant to me. Even in an imperial palace, I live the most extravagant life as BD. I wake up in the morning and I live the life of an emperor but it's of course very different to the life I live in London. 

The best part of being an actor is when scripts land on you and it’s like you are being invited to explore a new world. For example, one day I can get a script, it could be western and the next time it can be something like Foundation or it could be a period drama. For the day of the audition, you have a license to dive into a whole new world.

What are you working on at the moment? 

I [guess] I Am waiting to see what comes my way? I am not auditioning for anything for the moment. I am just watching how the world is reacting to what we’ve been building in the last two years. 

What are your other passions aside from acting? 

I am a singer. I might be involved in musical theater or do films that are musical. I am also interested in art and the art world. I spend a lot of time going to galleries or reading about artists.  

Which contemporary artist are you currently following? 

Favorite artist is probably James Turell and the way he constructs light and space which is smart. 

Any dream roles? 

I don't have any dream roles. I think I quite like not having a certain role in mind. I think what's exciting about acting is not knowing what [may] come my way. If you were telling me a few years ago that I am going to play the emperor of the galaxy I wouldn’t have believed it but I'm so grateful that I am. I like to hold in tight and wait to see what lands on my inbox - that’s more fun.

Who are your acting inspirations? 

Michael Fassbender’s work with his collaboration with Steve McQueen. Oscar Isaac, particularly him in  Ex-Machina, he's great in that. Anthony Hopkins he’s just a great method actor. 

Any particular genre you want to be part of? 

I really love to do it all - which is the fun part about my career. I would love to perhaps play a character in drama? But I would love to really explore a range of different genres.

Do you ever see yourself doing something in the romance genre for example “Before Sunset” and from that series? 

I already Liked Richard Linklater films. I think those films are so brilliant. Why not if the right one comes along?

What is the most valuable life lesson that you always carry with you?

There’s a stage director called Peter Brook who used to say Hold on Tightly Let Go Lightly.  I try to live by that when in time comes to my work’s purpose and in my life. Connect yourself fully to whatever you’re doing. Then when you come to do it, just let go, just surrender yourself and have faith. I bring this a lot to set. 

What did you learn about yourself during the pandemic? 

I think a lot of us, particularly our generation, think that we’re always in a rush. I learned the value of stillness and also the value of my family. 

What are you looking forward to for the rest of 2021? 

I can't believe it’s almost over. I saw the trailer of Succession today and I am a  big Succession fan. Maybe Succession season 3. 

If you were a book, what would you be and why? 

I am reading Little Life, the 2015 novel by American novelist Hanya Yanagihara. It’s about four 20-somethings starting to have careers and planning their way to the world and how important their friendships are to navigate their new lives and I see a lot of myself in it, especially the qualities in their character. 

FOUNDATION IS NOW STREAMING ON APPLE TV+