ET spoke with the actor about his return to 'The Vampire Diaries' franchise and his character's evil intentions.
Warning: If you have not watched Thursday's episode of Legacies do not proceed. Spoilers ahead!
Kai Parker has found a way to escape prison world.
Thursday's episode of Legacies saw Chris Wood reprise his role as the evil Gemini Coven leader, who, after years, comes face-to-face with his niece, Josie (Kaylee Bryant), and his late sister's husband, Alaric Saltzman (Matthew Davis). After a riveting episode filled with Alaric being tormented by his former students whom he may or may have not falsely imprisoned in the other world, Josie and Kai teamed up to find a way out. However, it was a game of cat and mouse for those two, as one continued to outtrick the other. Kai ultimately outwitted Josie and found his way toward the dark pit of Malivore.
"Thanks for your help," Kai tells Josie after he conned her once more. "Your instincts were right. There is no trusting me. So while you have been playing checkers. I've been playing chess. Checkmate."
In ET's second-part interview with Wood, he shares his thoughts on Kai's relationships with his twin nieces, Josie and Lizzie (Jenny Boyd), and why viewers should be worried that he's teaming up with the Necromancer.
ET: Kai said he now wants to "punish" Josie and gives her instructions on how to get out of the prison world. However, that means breaking the sand clock, be blasted with black magic and "become a monster like me." What's Kai's biggest mission after escaping the prison world?
Chris Wood: He's ready to be back in the real world and he's got payback that he wants to serve and ultimately is always his goal. I think what's scariest about Kai is that he's really not afraid of death anymore because he's died so many times and always found a way back. I think, at this point, he doesn't think he's actually capable of dying. So if he escapes, that's a dangerous person to be because their awareness of the stakes and choices are not normal, but then again, nothing about Kai Parker is normal.
In the episode, Kai tells Josie, "You're new at cunning people. You'll get better at it," and that she resembles her mom, Josette, in thinking she's smarter than him. What qualities of Kai does Josie have?
It seems like she has quite a few of them. For all his awfulness, he's also pretty smart and very rarely has been outwitted and when he is, we always seem to find out after the fact that somehow that was part of his grand plan or that he found a way to then use that to his benefit. He's been in the prison world a couple of times, so it hasn't always worked out for him, [but] he always comes out on top in some way, shape or form. He's always taking down someone with him, killing the lead of the show, he's always got [away with things]. He brings the house down whenever he's in it and I think Josie has elements of that in her.
She's very quick, she also has a darkness that comes from, obviously, they had a pretty rough start to life and they got some baggage. I think also meeting him brings that out for her because she's feeling this anger and that's similar to Kai. Kai has an anger and Josie's comes from what he did to her family and to her, but anger can be dangerous too and she has the same bloodline.
Everyone's so quick to say Josie is the more powerful witch, but what do you think Kai and Lizzie's relationship would be like?
That is an interesting thing to explore. She has the same sort of hang-ups as Josie and hesitations and also burning hatred for Kai, but they are different. Their personalities are different. She reminded me more of [Olivia "Live" Parker], Kai's sister. Lizzie has some traits like some of his siblings and [I think] that would bring out some weird fondness in Kai, but also he still wants to kill her. Again, that's an interesting dynamic.
How much more of Kai are we going to see? Will he be in more episodes?
What has been announced is the two [episodes], this one and next week's. But, anything is possible. You saw the pit and him meeting the Necromancer. That's a really dangerous connection to be made because that's someone that can summon evil creatures at will and Kai is that. Now Kai seemingly and endlessly could be unleashed on this world. That's a scary thought.
Does Kai have any good left in him? Does he have any remorse for what he's done?
I think in playing him, I have to trust him a little more than the outside viewer because I would just be judging him as I'm doing all these things -- and he has a reason for everything that he's doing. So I'm a bit biased and confused. But I do think that the hardest thing with that is, the only way that Kai would be redeemed just for a moment -- because I think ultimately he's always going to choose the bad things -- the only way that he would be redeemed is if someone showed him that they felt bad for him and let him be the victim that he always wanted to be. And every character that he would encounter now in this world hates him, knows how awful he has been and would not forgive him for anything that he's done. So I don't think it's possible for anyone to show him mercy and so he would not feel any remorse. So, no, I don't really think it's possible and it's too late for him. There's always next year.
Legacies airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. on The CW.
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