Fringe - AV Club: John Noble Interview

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FRINGE - AV CLUB: John Noble Interview

by Todd VanDerWerff
May 6, 2011

Since his first role in 1988’s The Dreaming, John Noble has often played characters confronting the astounding and impossible. He’s perhaps most famous for his performance in the final two Lord Of The Rings films as Denethor, a ruler crippled by madness, doubt, and the influence of evil elements. Noble’s work there led to plenty of other parts, and he soon found a niche starring in TV series popular with genre fans, including guest-star performances in Stargate SG-1 [Camelot] and 24. He then landed his current role on Fringe, for which he’s received widespread acclaim, even from some who don’t usually enjoy science-fiction series. He plays Dr. Walter Bishop, a man driven mad by guilt and grief who may be the only thing standing between our universe and the dissolution planned by a version of Walter from an alternate universe (known as the Walternate on the show). Noble recently talked with The A.V. Club about whether Walter and Walternate are two different people, how he got the role, and his part in the highly anticipated upcoming videogame L.A. Noire...



... AVC: If this show ran for six, seven years, where would you want to see the character go?

JN: The writers would make that decision, but I think what we have at present with Walter is two distinct versions, two distinct young versions, and there will be two other versions that will be revealed by the end of the year. So we’ve got these different images of Walter, and that’s only dealing with two universes, and really dealing with one set of choices within those universes. So what we can do at any stage is make different choices.

I don’t think we’ll let go of Walter. He’s sort of central, as indeed the lab is, that’s central to Fringe. I think Walter in his way will continue on. Walternate, I think will be there, but he will be in a more passive and positive view. This is me guessing, but I think there are so many other possibilities available. And I spoke to [showrunner] Jeff Pinkner last night, and he said, “I don’t know yet, John, where we’re going.” That doesn’t worry me that he doesn’t know yet. There are so many places to go. The three principal characters have so many potentials to play out in this world.

You know, Stargate always had the thing, “Let’s go through a gate and go somewhere.” It’s much more cerebral for us; we actually go somewhere in the mind, or we take options. I don’t know where it will go. J.J. Abrams originally said, “I want six seasons,” but that was back before we even had the pilot. I think they’ll put an end date on it like they did with Lost, and that way we can go out really strongly and finish up as one of the great science-fiction series of all time. That would be my wish, rather than going on for 10 years then going [Snores]...