DC Universe is set to launch with the premiere of Titans on October 12, 2018. The comic book inspired series follows Dick Grayson aka Robin (Brenton Thwaites) as he gathers together a team of superheroes. Based on the Teen Titans series, Titans also stars Teagan Croft as Rachel Roth/Raven, Anna Diop as Kory Anders/Starfire, Ryan Potter as Gar Logan/Beast Boy, Minka Kelly as Dawn Granger/Dove, and Alan Ritchson as Hank Hall/Hawk.
DC Universe brought the Titans ensemble to the 2018 New York Comic Con to participate in a panel which included a screening of the series’ first episode. The Titans cast also participated in roundtable interviews to discuss their characters and what’s in store for the series’ first season. During our interview, Brenton Thwaites talked about getting into Robin, the dynamics of the team, and putting on his costume for the first time.
Season one of Titans will consist of 11 hour-long episodes. Prior to its debut, DC Universe has already announced the series will return for a second season.
What did you pull from getting into the character?
Brenton Thwaites: “Definitely that search for identity was one thing that I pulled from. I think we can all connect to that, not knowing where to go or what to do. Maybe a little bit of regret for the past, guilt…there’s touches in there that I really wanted to explore with Dick. I wanted to feel like when you saw him there was inner problems going on that’s going to take a long time to fix. There’s a darkness and a sadness that’s deeper than just getting a full night of sleep. It’s going to take a long time to iron out these deep, grounded, emotional issues that we do see in flashbacks throughout the series.
And we all know from the comic books his time with Batman and living with Bruce at the mansion, things didn’t go so smoothly. It was nice to start the story from that point of view, from a place where we would most likely end the story. To be honest, it was really the fact that I was given the material to do that, given the mission to bring that to the character. The writers really wanted to show that side of Dick Grayson, as opposed to just seeing Robin kick ass. They wanted to explore who was the guy behind the mask and what kind of pain was he going through.”
When you researched the comics were there any Robin or Nightwing moments that really made an impression on you?
Brenton Thwaites: “You know what? The comics were so different to our story. Every comic that I read, in terms of the relationships and the way that the costume worked out, were very different characters to who I would use for stimulus to create a character. So, although the stories are similar – it’s all the same people from the comic books – ours and how we built our relationships were pretty unique to how we built this series.”
Can you say how soon Jason Todd shows up in the season? Will you become Nightwing?
Brenton Thwaites: “So midway through the first season Jason Todd comes up and he’s basically used as a way to describe to the audience what it is like currently working with Batman. We’ve seen flashbacks of this and that, but we get the current Robin coming in and saying, ‘This is what it’s like with Batman right now.’ And we see that Robin is right; Dick Grayson was right. It’s not great. The current Robin’s ideals are maybe a little less just than what he would have thought.
In the first season, I don’t know. We did shoot a little bit of stuff, but they may want to cut it. I really don’t know if they’re going to tease us with it. But, I do transition into… Well, I don’t really. You see me learning and putting away Robin and trying to ask my fellow Titans – in a weird way – ask for their opinion without asking, obviously. But whether I become that character or not in the first season, you’ll just have to wait.”
Can you talk about getting into the costume for the very first time? Is it easy to do the action while wearing it?
Brenton Thwaites: “The first time it wasn’t that easy, but I say that as a very loosely dressed person. I don’t wear suits that often. Anything tight on my body and I get… So, the costume design was very actor-friendly. I could do all my own stunts. It never prohibited me from doing anything, so that’s saying something. Hawk could barely scratch his ass. A lot of the guys on Doom Patrol had major time issues getting into their suits, and mine was very seamless in that regard. But, at the same time, you’re in it for so long. You’re in it for 16 hours and you’re sweating in it, you’re fighting in it. After a while it becomes quite comfortable because it’s broken down. So, at the beginning I was complaining like a little girl but towards the end it wasn’t so bad.”
How do you see Dick’s relationship with each of the different Titans in season one?
Brenton Thwaites: “Dick has responsibility to hold it together as the leader of the group. I feel like he is the one who’s held responsible for a lot of bad decisions. We see him forming bonds with Rachel Roth, taking on that protective father figure role. You see him do that to Gar Logan as well, and also Kory somewhat. But he makes mistakes. He breaks those bonds. So, we see him kind of getting closer in friendship to these people but also kind of stuffing everything up. We see him learning how to become that leader. It’s not just all-on from the get-go. He fails a lot. He’s trying to figure out who he is at the same time he’s trying to keep the crew protected and safe.”
Is he a reluctant leader or does he embrace that role?
Brenton Thwaites: “Reluctant leader.”
More on Titans:
- Anna Diop Interview
- Teagan Croft Interview
- Ryan Potter Interview
- Minka Kelly Interview
- Alan Ritchson Interview
