Tonight Exclusive: The Musketeers stars

Published Dec 1, 2014

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The four beefcake cast members of The Musketeers were not short of attention when they flew into Joburg to promote BBC Entertainment’s new flagship adventure drama last week. Debashine Thangevelo managed to briefly steal Luke Pasqualino (D’Artagnan) and Santiago Cabrera (Aramis) away from star-struck fans before duty called them once again…

 

ALEXANDRA Duma’s The Three Musketeers is a timeless tale. Over the years, it has inspired a host of adaptations from Broadway musicals (dating back to 1928), animations, comic books, TV shows and movies and penetrated the gaming market.

In the era of TV, where comic books and novels are becoming fodder for shows, it’s little surprise that Adrian Hodges (My Week with Marilyn, Primeval) has decided to resurrect the tale for BBC Entertainment.

The Magic Mike-esque cast (Tom Burke as Athos, Santiago Cabrera as Aramis, Howard Charles as Porthos and Luke Pasqualino as D’Artagnan) certainly bring the swashbuckling exploits of their legendary characters to magnificent life.

Pasqualino (Skins, The Borgias) is a sight to drink in. Tall, well built, with a mane on the slightly longer and model-like side, he is devastatingly good-looking; as is his co-star Cabrera (Merlin, Heroes) with those wavy locks and rugged beard. In fact, his flawless appearance makes Photoshopping superfluous.

Having arrived the night before, both were in need of some java before we got to chatting about their respective characters.

After reading through the story, Pasqualino went in to audition.

He recalls: “I went in and had my first audition and then I met (director) Toby Haynes at Paddington Railway Station. We had a quick coffee before he came out to Prague for a technical recce. And he gave me some notes on what I should do for my second audition. So I went for it about four or five days later and I got the role of D’Artagnan.”

Cabrera shares: “I was in LA at the time. When I got the script, I was told by my agent that the casting director liked me for the role of Aramis. Then I did a little audition tape in my house and sent it over to London. And that was that. I then met these guys at boot camp in Prague.”

Now while they lived in Prague during the shooting of the series, the actually filming took place at various locations (including castles) in the Czech Republic.

With Pasqualino unfamiliar with the book, he deferred to Cabrera, who offers: “I think it captures the spirit of the book very much. It’s more a reinterpretation.

“It has that sense of adventure, tongue-in-cheek humour and high drama, but it’s completely new stories. The book doesn’t lend itself to 10 – now 20 (referring to season two) – hours of television because you would be trapped within the confines of that story. The series develops the characters more.”

Naturally, sword-fighting and things that are exclusive to the way of life in 17th-century Paris weren’t second nature to the cast.

So they had a week of boot camp to make the transition on camera.

Pasqualino admits: “It was horse riding, sword fighting all day. It was physically demanding, which is really challenging. But it was brilliant. For me, it was one of the most important weeks for the entire show.”

No stranger to period genres, Cabrera says: “I have done a lot of period. This show is similar (to Merlin) in the sense that it is a BBC show and there are swords. But its very different in terms of the approach, the way it came together and the way we shot it. It’s not fantasy/magic – ours is a bit more adult.”

On D’Artagnan’s journey, the actor offers: “You see him slowly becoming one of these boys. He is a little bit of all three. That’s why people can relate to him. That’s why the other Musketeers like him and bring him on board.”

Despite this being a star-studded effort, Cabrera adds: “As an actor, you want more people to get to know your characters. It (screen time) is all equally distributed. There are four leads and 10 regular characters. Sometimes a little scene becomes a golden moment.”

While Pasqualino hasn’t anything in the kitty at the moment as they, literally, wrapped up shooting, Cabrera says he has a few key factors that influence his decisions when it comes to roles.

“It starts with the script and being told a good story. And then finding a way into the character. I look forward to revealing a new colour each time.”

The Musketeers salutes passion, allegiance, valour and brotherhood while, at the same time, foiling the efforts of Cardinal Richelieu and the mysterious Milady de Winter.

Think adventure, mayhem and romance on steroids!

 

• The Musketeers airs on BBC Entertainment (DStv channel 120) on Sundays at 9pm.

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