When The CW’s The 100 returns for its fifth season in 2018, it will be taking a six year leap forward in time. The final minutes of season four revealed Clarke (Eliza Taylor) has spent the time taking care of a young girl named Maddie, and when season five kicks off it will pick up right where the final scene of season four left off. As executive producer Jason Rothenberg explained at the 2017 San Diego Comic Con, Clarke will be in protection mode as the season begins.
“Clarke is Clarke. She’s always going to be a bad-ass,” said Rothenberg during our roundtable interview. “She’s always going to be in charge, but she has a child, really. I mean, that relationship is essentially mother/daughter. If you have kids, you know the second you have children your priorities change. Suddenly her crew is that child, that person, and there will be some interesting conflict if what’s good for Maddie is not good for Sky Crew. What’s Clarke going to do? No one else cares about Maddie the way Clarke does.”
Eliza Taylor also talked about where we catch up with Clarke and how she’s approaching the six year leap forward in time during our interview at Comic Con.
She’s being very nurturing to this young girl. What’s going on in Clarke’s mind at this point?
Eliza Taylor: “At the very beginning, we’re going to sort of pick up where we left off. A lot has changed. I’m still kind of working through how I’m going to perform as a girl who’s six years older. She’s gone from like an 18-year-old girl who was dropped on the Earth, and even though she went through a lot and she became more mature, this is like now a 24-year-old woman. So, I think it’s going to be really fun to play a more maternal, caring, simplified character. She’s not worrying about a million people. Her responsibility is to this young girl, Maddie.”
Will Clarke get to show a softer side a little?
Eliza Taylor: “Yeah, I think so. She’s always put her emotions on the back burner. I mean, while it’s still going to be total survival mode, it’s a lot more like care and softness with this young girl.”
What’s it been like growing with the character and now transforming to this new world?
Eliza Taylor: “I don’t know yet because I haven’t started but I think it’s kind of terrifying. But, it’s a good scary. I think I’m really going to get to explore almost like a fresh character.”
Which character are you most excited for Clarke to have a reunion with and to play that reunion?
Eliza Taylor: “Good question. I don’t know. That’s hard. It’s like asking which one of your kids is your favorite. I guess everyone. Just anyone, really, if you think about it. (Laughing) Someone come up or down, please.”
Can you tell us about the dynamics with the new people who are arriving and how Clarke will react to their presence?
Eliza Taylor: “I think it’s really interesting. The dynamic is that she’s essentially a grounder now so it’s like we’ve gone right back to the beginning and she’s in danger and she’s the one who’s going to react probably violently at first, just out of sheer fear the same way that the grounders did to them when they came down. It’s like this foreign object and it’s threatening her life. I think that will be really cool.”
More on The 100 Season 5:
- Lindsey Morgan Interview
- Jason Rothenberg Interview
- Richard Harmon Interview
- The 100 Cast Photos at Comic Con 2017
