Phoebe Tonkin Interview: ‘The Originals’ Season 4 and Hayley’s Relationships

The Originals stars Joseph Morgan, Phoebe Tonkin, Charles Michael Davis
Joseph Morgan, Phoebe Tonkin, and Charles Michael Davis from ‘The Originals’ at the Warner Bros. booth during Comic-Con 2016 (Photo © 2016 WBEI. All Rights Reserved)

Phoebe Tonkin says we can expect Hayley to be in full-on protection mode when The CW’s The Originals returns for its fourth season in 2017. Tonkin and her fellow The Originals cast mates Joseph Morgan, Daniel Gillies, Charles Michael Davis, Yusuf Gatewood, and Riley Voelkel took part in a jam-packed panel at the 2016 San Diego Comic Con where they answered questions from fans. The cast also sat down for roundtable interviews in a slightly quieter room where they delved further into what’s coming up on the show’s much-anticipated fourth season. Here’s what Tonkin had to say about the upcoming season and where we will picking up with Hayley, Hope, and the Mikaelsons.

Phoebe Tonkin Interview:

How does it feel to be the last original female member of this cast?

Phoebe Tonkin: “I know. Good, but sad. I wish there was some more around. I think the season’s opening up a lot of new doors, new characters are able to come in. And obviously with the 13 episode pick up it just changes the pace of the show. It’s kind of fast this year; storylines are a little more condensed which just changes the show.”

During the time jump, what has Hayley been up to?

Phoebe Tonkin: “I don’t know. I would love to think that she wasn’t just spending 24 hours a day thinking and looking for cures for the Mikaelsons. I would think that maybe she did some fun things with her daughter and went on a holiday or something. She probably didn’t. But you know I think she’s still bonding and getting to know her kid. I think what’s going to be really fun to play is this new character as Hope and what kind of a little girl she is. She may be a little bit like Klaus. Has she got a little bit of a dark side? She is his daughter. I think that’s going to be fun to explore.”

Is she still thinking about all the people in her life who have died?

Phoebe Tonkin: “I think five years have passed so I think it’s enough time. I think she still thinks about the people that she lost but I also think that time has moved on. She also has her kid now and her kid is her sole priority.”

It’s possible Klaus will come back into the picture fairly quickly. How will the reunion be between Hayley and Klaus?

Phoebe Tonkin: “You know, I think she’s been thinking about them for the last five years. I think it’s going to be very weird to see them all again. I think a lot of time has passed and things have changed, but I think he’s going to be really emotional to see that he missed so much of his daughter’s life. I’m sure that would be really hard to leave your daughter when she’s a baby and then come back when she’s a little (girl). She’s like a walking, talking little girl.”

Do you think Hope will take a more important role in the series this season?

Phoebe Tonkin: “Yeah, definitely. I think now that she is seven, she is her own character. She’s got her own storylines. She’s got her own interests and her own maybe, as I said, dark side to her. I think she’s a very powerful witch. She may be a bit of an ally to Freya (Riley Voelkel). She may be able to help Freya with witchcraft and things like that. So, yeah, it’s going to be really interesting.”

Hope’s a werewolf-witch-vampire hybrid. How does Hope balance all of these supernatural traits she has?

Phoebe Tonkin: “I don’t know. We haven’t seen that yet. I would love to see like a little puppy wolf and then like a big wolf running around the woods. That would be really cute.”

Hayley is pretty bad-ass in her own right. Will we see that side of her initially in season four or will she be in straight protection mode for her daughter?

Phoebe Tonkin: “I think it’s probably straight protection mode. You know, she’s never had family and now she does. I think her daughter is the only thing that she loves, the only thing she cares about, and I think she’d do anything to protect Hope.”

Does this mean we’ll see a more mellow side of Hayley?

Phoebe Tonkin: “Yeah. I just think that the world has changed for Hayley now. She’s alone, just her and her daughter. Yeah, I think it’s kind of mellowed – she hasn’t been on a mission in five years. I’m sure when she’s finally able to save them, she will be able to resume some sort of level of normalcy maybe with her daughter.”

What would be the first thing she wants to tell Elijah when she sees him again?

(Daniel Gillies slips into a seat next to her and asks the same question.)

Phoebe Tonkin: “What would be the first thing I’d say to you?” (Daniel teases what he’d say.) […]”Do they have carbs in hell?”

Daniel Gillies: “Wow, wow, wow.”

Phoebe Tonkin: “I can only say that because you’re so fit now. You’re so fit.”

Daniel Gillies: “That’s not what she meant.”

What would Elijah tell Hayley?

Daniel Gillies: “Something kinder than what she said to me. That’s so rude!”

Phoebe Tonkin: “Carbs are good! When were carbs labeled as a bad thing?”

Daniel Gillies: “That’s a terrible way to dig yourself out of this ditch.”

Phoebe Tonkin: “Really?”

Daniel Gillies: “Doesn’t she look gorgeous today? And can we see your shoes? I want to show you (her shoes).”

(Phoebe lifts her leg up above the edge of the table to show off her shoes – it’s on the video below.)

Watch the Phoebe Tonkin interview:

(Interview by Carrie Chavez. Article by Rebecca Murray.)