Ser’Darius Blain, who plays a love interest for one of the main sisters, talks to ET about the upcoming supernatural series, which has been plagued by drama since it was first announced.
Charmed actor Ser’Darius Blain, who stars on The CW’s upcoming fall reboot, is speaking out about the outcry from fans and stars of the original series.
Blain weighed in on the drama while talking to ET at the Celebrity Connected Honoring the MTV Movie & TV Awards Luxury Gifting Suite at the W Hollywood hotel in Los Angeles, California, on Friday.
“Honestly, it’s sad for me,” said the 31-year-old actor, who plays a potential love interest for one of the three sisters, Macy (Madeleine Mantock), on the new series. “I don’t like that there’s so much discord between the old and the new. I wish we could just come together, find a happy medium and all be happy.”
Blain added that he believes the fact that so many old shows are returning with their original cast members, while Charmed is not, may have contributed to disapproval of the revival. While he’d love to have the original stars make guest appearances, he’s confident that the reboot will not disgrace the show’s legacy.
“I think old fans are afraid we’re going to completely forget what was built before us or not going to pay homage to it and it’s very much the opposite,” he said.
“We’re not trying to replace them at all,” Blain reassured fans. “I wish them all nothing but the best and hope we get to see each other at Comic-Con or something -- hang out, grab some drinks! I hope they don’t think we’re trying to take their legacy or anything because it’s not the case. If we could have them cameo, we would not say no. We’re actors -- we just want to play!”
In May, The CW officially ordered the new Charmed to series, centered on a new, younger crop of sisters -- Macy (Mantock), Mel (Melonie Diaz) and Maggie (Sarah Jeffery) -- who, after the death of their mother, discover they are The Charmed Ones. Not everyone was thrilled with the news; original star Holly Marie Combs, who played Piper Halliwell on the 1998-2006 WB show, made headlines when she slammed the project.
“I appreciate the jobs and opportunities the Charmed reboot has created. But I will never understand what is fierce, funny, or feminist in creating a show that basically says the original actresses are too old to do a job they did 12 years ago," Combs wrote in May, adding that she hoped the revival would be “better than the marketing so far.”
One of the reboot’s lead actresses, Jeffery, tweeted soon after that she respected the “foundation” that was laid by the original series, but wouldn’t stand by and take criticism. “When my character is challenged, when there is futile yet harmful noise about how we are either incapable or doomed, I will vociferously defend myself and my sisters," Jeffery wrote in a tweet seemingly aimed at Combs.
Blain, who starred alongside Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart in Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle last year, got involved in the reboot through his connection with the writers, Amy Rardin and Jessica O’Toole, who penned his first series, Jane by Design. Blain got a call the same day he auditioned with news he’d landed the role.
“I was 12 when the original came out, so I started watching way back then,” Blain said. “My cousin was addicted to it too -- we had to watch Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Charmed every week -- and I really got to love Piper, Prue and Phoebe. They were always getting into something crazy and saving the world, so we’re going to do a lot of the same in this one, but give it our own mark as well.”
“My character has a crush on one of the sisters and we go from there,” he teased. “I’m excited to bring in a new fan base for Charmed and to surprise and shock the old ones as well -- bridge the gap between both. Maybe I’ll get some superpowers!”
Charmed premieres Sunday, Oct. 14 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on The CW.
See more on the show below.
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