CWWe think we can speak for every fan of The Originals when we say: Noooooo!
We're not sure what the CW's hit drama has against handsome actors, but seriously, why do they keep killing the pretty ones?! First Kol (Daniel Sharman), and now this?! Unacceptable.
In Monday's heartbreaking episode, The Originals' new big bad Dahlia claimed her first victim (Spoiler Alert!): Aiden (Colin Woodell), Jackson's (Nathan Parsons) second-wolf-in-command and Josh's (Steven Krueger) boyfriend, ripping out his heart and framing Klaus (Joseph Morgan) for the murder. Making it all the more heartbreaking? Josh and Aiden had just exchanged their very first "I love yous" and were planning on running away together.
As if that wasn't enough, it turns out the actor playing Aiden is just as freakin' lovable as the dearly departed wolf. When we hopped on the phone with Colin Woodell to talk about his exit from the CW drama, he was just as upset as we were over Aiden's demise, and unable to stop gushing over his time on The Originals.
In an interview, Michael Narducci said the writers were contemplating a few different options for Aiden before deciding he had to be the one to die. Is there one particular option you would've wanted to see play out?
The one that I heard was that we were going to escape together and get away. And yeah, that would've been awesome because I could've come back. At the same time, I love good TV and especially with a good drama, it's at the expense of someone's life and that's unfortunate. It kind of needs to happen to make for an even more stellar finale, even though it's four episodes away. It sucks to be the bait and to be the victim, but at the same time the reaction I'm seeing so far, it was well-written and it really moved people.
In the episode, you were able to share some pretty great scenes with the characters closest to Aiden—Josh and Jackson especially—but which scene was the hardest for you to film?
I've never had my heart ripped out of my chest before and that was definitely the easiest thing to imagine, getting your heart ripped out of your chest. [Laughs.] That being said, saying goodbye to Steven was the toughest. I guess more than anything it's funny because I feel like we finally reached a point in at least showing the audience our relationship…we finally got to where we say the three words and we're finally coming to terms with where we are and who we are as people. It's kind of sad because I knew it was the last scene we were going to have together. That one was tough because Steven and I, as much as we had a lot of good moments and I think our chemistry grew exponentially throughout the entire season, but especially with the last two episodes that we did together. That takes time. You have those rare instances on a show where two people really click from the get-go and not that we didn't, but it was a process for he and I to get comfortable with each other and trust each other.
What will you miss most about the show?
Family. That's so cliché and I hate answering with that, but I graduated from college in the midst of doing this. And leaving the west coast and all my friends and family on the west coast was really tough and for the first time... it wasn't a job, it became this wonderful experience of getting to know people who are all from different places and who are mostly older who could really teach me something and don't look at me like I'm inferior to them. I think that's pretty unheard of. And that's not to say that all other shows have actors with superiority complexes, but I think there is no hierarchy whatsoever on this show. Everyone's an equal and that's pretty special. Being new, I was really intimidated. I felt like I was on the show for two years and I was only here for six months; that's a pretty unique experience.
Not to mention, I've learned so much as an actor, too. I've made so many mistakes, but errors, where I had to do another take because I didn't hit it right the first time. This was a safe place for me to really learn and to grow a lot.
And, I'm not going to lie, I'm probably going to miss the fans more than anything because talk about an ego booster! You just go on Twitter and you see all these different people from all these different countries who love you so much for just playing pretend. That's pretty incredible and rare.
It's a pretty incredible fanbase. But you never know how they are going to react to a new character who hasn't been on the show from the beginning.
They're so passionate about it that it could go either way. But if they love you, they love you and they'll pour their heart out to you.
You've mentioned how new you were and how much you've learned from The Originals. What do you think is the biggest thing you've learned?
I would say to be patient in the world of television. As an actor, you're so desperate to know what's going to happen to you next. Especially with a supernatural world where someone can be dying right around the corner and I just so happened to be that person. I had an inkling I'd say for months, but I also had an inkling when I took this job. And yeah, it's an easy, safe thing to do, to worry and be cautious so you don't get as hurt, I guess you could say. But at the same time, you really have to learn to be present and be happy and willing to grow not only as an actor, but as a character, and trust that the writers have your best interest, and if not your best interest than the show's best interest in mind. I would definitely say patience and trust.
You've became pretty close with the cast and crew in such a short amount of time. I know they even threw you a goodbye party, right?
Yes! It was like a birthday party for dying! It was really bizarre, not going to lie, to be celebrating my death. [Laughs.] That alone just tells you everything about the people working on this show. And it's not just me, if any other character had died on the show, I think it would've been the same story. It's just a close-knit group. Maybe that has to do with being in Georgia, but I don't think it is. Michael Narducci and Julie Plec, even though they're in Los Angeles for the most part, have created this close-knit family and set these parameters of actually caring for each other. That felt really, really special to be "honored" like that.
Finally, what do you think Aiden's tombstone would say?
"Should've Been Jackson."
The Originals airs Mondays at 8 p.m. on the CW.