Thomas Elms talks The Order Season 2, developing Hamish, and Star Wars

By Alexandria Ingham | Mar 29, 2019

Thomas Elms -- Photo credit Karolina Turek -- Acquired via M Public Relations /

The Order Season 2 is officially a go and that means we get more from the Hermetic Order of the Blue Rose and the Knights of St. Christopher. One of the werewolf knights, Thomas Elms, took time out to chat with Hidden Remote about developing the character, hopes for the second season, and Star Wars.

With The Order Season 2 now officially happening, we have all sorts of questions. While Thomas Elms is in the dark for the future of his character, Hamish, he did sit down with Hidden Remote to talk exclusively about hopes for the future.

He shared a little about what he’d like to see and the inspiration he used to develop the reluctant leader of the Knights of St. Christopher. There may even be talk of Star Wars 26.

Just as a word of warning, there are spoilers from the ending of the first season of the Netflix Original.

Hidden Remote: So, I saw you’re quite fresh to the TV world.

Thomas Elms: Yeah, you could say that. The Order is the biggest thing in my TV career.

HR: How was it going into one of the key roles in a new TV show?

Elms: For me, in most regards, this felt like on the level of winning the lottery. It wasn’t just the role. I’m fairly comfortable on a TV set, it was a comfortable environment. Getting the role was amazing. To do eight episodes on a series I cared a lot about was a dream come true.

Besides the role, everything about this project, the quality of the writing, it’s so funny, it’s got a beating heart to it, the characters are so loveable, the crew was so inviting and set a great environment for us to play around in, and I couldn’t have asked for a better cast. It really was a dream come true.

More from Netflix

HR: Going onto the writing, there wasn’t a character I didn’t like. It was a crazy world to be thrown into. It was full of twists and turns. You didn’t know what to expect.

Elms: Yes, I didn’t know if I’d turn up to set one day and find out good ol’ Hamish had finally bitten the bullet.

HR: There have been so many book adaptations out there. What was it like to have something completely new and have no source material to fall back on?

Elms: Oh, it was so much fun. I had so much fun diving into this world. I, myself, am a huge ancient history geek. I love finding out what happened in the past and that’s what really resonated with the world of The Order.

It felt like we were just scratching this world of the power and responsibility and the people keeping other people in check. It felt like we were dropped into a millennia-old saga. I loved looking at the Eye of Apollo and cool ancient relics sprinkled and we weren’t given too much background.

That’s part of the allure. There’s a whole world that could be potentially dived into and we’ve just begun.

HR: Is there anything you’d like to see developed in The Order Season 2?

Elms: For me, again, it goes back to the history. I’d like to learn more about these societies. Who were the previous werewolves and the other champions? The little kid is just doing somersaults.

I’d love to look at the magical artifacts. I’d like to delve more into that world for all these crazy old relics with untold power.

Related Story. The Order Season 1 ending explained. light

HR: There were the writing and showrunners to help with the development for the character of Hamish, but did you take inspiration from anywhere else to create this character fans could love?

Elms: I had enough of a blueprint on Hamish to give me an idea he was the reluctant leader. He’s tired and war-weary. He’s seen a lot of his friends and lovers die in the field, but he’s still there. That was cool to get this rough draft of the character.

As far as my own personal research went, there was something about the character. He’s the guy who says the least in the room but he has this power and status. He might only say 10% of the lines but he generally carries the most authority out of everyone in the situation.

For me, that reminded me so much of the Spartans of Ancient Greece. We remember them because of the way they talked. They were Laconians and to speak laconically is something we talk about today and it’s a way of speaking with power and authority without using too many words.

I got the sense that Hamish was this tough, laugh-in-the-face-of-death kind of guy. He didn’t need to talk a lot to get his point across. That was the in for me, I was hooked. It makes me think of Clint Eastwood in Dirty Harry.

HR: He was definitely this reluctant leader, there for eight years, but he still wanted to be a college kid. What was it like to balance those two sides of this character?

Elms: That’s an interesting point. I would like to learn more about Hamish and his personal history and what brought him to The Point. He’s constantly divided between surviving and living a normal life.

We don’t get to see the real-world Hamish. We get a glimpse of him teaching a class and I would love to expand on the family life of Hamish. What’s his relationship like with his parents, does he have siblings? How is he getting through life now when he could be in the Supreme Court?

HR: He’s an honorable character. We’ve seen that there’s an option to take a werewolf out of someone without killing them. If that option is there for Hamish, do you think he’d take it?

Elms: Oh, that’s interesting. I think you’ve touched on something that may play a bigger role. There’s that temptation. Jack asks Hamish about a normal life and whether Hamish would take it. What I love about Hamish is he keeps his cards close to his chest. He’s a guy with a lot of armor and that armor protects what I suspect is a soft, mushy interior.

Hamish turns the question back on Jack. It’s fun to have superpowers but it’s not fun to watch friends pass away before their time.

HR: There are a lot of questions and some speculation for The Order Season 2. The renewal has only just happened, so it’s all speculation from you, but what would you like to see happen? What do you think Hamish could do next?

Elms: I need to be careful not to run away with my own personal fantasy. I’ve got a shopping list of cool alternate lives that Hamish could have. At the top of the list is cage fighter. I’d like to start with a nod to The O.C.

I think, as much as it tore my heart out to see them betrayed at the end, my credit goes out to the writers to have an ending like that. There’s so much possibility for avenues the story could take. There’s probably going to be a kind of insurance being wolf spirits. I think they’ll probably be okay but I wouldn’t be surprised if Hamish and the gang wake up in a jail cell and they go from there.

Who knows? We could be puppets of The Order.

The first order of business is getting back the Monkey’s Paw and the Eye of Apollo.

HR: TV and theater are similar but have a lot of differences. What have you taken away from your TV roles in the last few years to move forward in your acting career?

Elms: The biggest thing for me probably is the sense of responsibility you have. It’s interesting compared to being in a theater environment, where you grow together. You can ask each other questions and try different things. Maybe it doesn’t work but we’re all stumbling in the dark.

Being in the film and TV business is different. You’re given a blueprint and then go away to work on your bit. You need to bring enough to the table to say, “this is my idea,” and everyone shows up on the day and collaborates. It’s brilliant.

The biggest lesson for me was to honor the responsibility to create a real person. And being able to let go of something in your original vision that doesn’t quite vibe that goes on during the day, not to be too precious about your day.

HR: My last question. If you could do absolutely anything, what would your dream role be?

Elms: Oh man, you really want to know? I would love to be in a Star Wars movie. I don’t care if it’s Star Wars 26.

I’m a huge science fiction/fantasy geek. I love books and video games. A little like The Order, if it’s got a beating heart, I’m hooked. So something like Star Wars or riding a horse in a fantasy movie. I know Netflix is producing The Witcher, something dark and gritty with magic and monsters. You can see why The Order was totally up my alley.

Next. 5 reasons The Order is your next perfect binge. dark

What did you think of The Order? What do you want to see from Hamish in Season 2? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

The Order Season 1 is now available to stream on Netflix.