Giles Panton Talks ‘The Man in the High Castle’ Season 3 [Exclusive Interview]

The Amazon original series The Man in the High Castle returns for its third season this October after a two-year hiatus.

The drama, based on the novel of the same name by Philip K. Dick, tells the story of an alternate universe in which the Axis powers won World War II, and divided America between them.

Season 3 appears as if it will bring major changes for almost every character as the Third Reich attempts to exploit the existence of a multiverse and ultimately conquer it.

I got the chance to speak with newcomer Giles Panton about The Man in the High Castle Season 3, his role on the show, and how this alternate universe period drama manages to feel so relevant to our present day.

Panton will play Billy Turner in Season 3, a new character who serves as the Minister of Propaganda for the Greater Nazi Reich (GNR) in America.

And according to Panton, Billy may not be exactly what you expect.

Panton describes Turner as someone who is “as close to a 1960s ad man as you can get in this world. Wheeling, dealing, slick-talking, all of the above.”

“He’s the kind of guy if you met him in any other environment, you’d love him,” Panton said. “In our world, he’d be selling cigarettes and Cadillacs, but in this one, he’s peddling death and destruction.”

In short: The character feels a much like a darker version of Mad Men’s Don Draper. (At least, that’s the comparison I can’t seem to shake.)

“It wasn’t until this show that I started to see the similar training that goes into propaganda and advertising. It’s the same kind of thing,” Panton explained. “The question is just: what’s your morality? What’s the morality behind your actions?”

These questions feel particularly interesting given global current events, and the rise of authoritarianism in certain parts of the world.

The Man in the High Castle may be based on a book originally published in 1962, but in many ways, it feels as relevant as it ever has in 2018.

The themes of Season 3 appear to lean heavily on ideas of political resistance.

Its teaser trailer featured a Nazi flag being ripped to pieces in order to create a new version bearing a peace sign, and its taglines include “Resistance Rises” and “Fight for the World You Want.”

Asked to describe Season 3 in a single sentence, Panton said: “Loyalties are tested; heroes will rise.”

He also promised that the show will “hit on a lot of current topics through the filter of the 60s.”

“If we look at the current world and all of the discussions going on about authoritarian governments things like that, it (the show) is very, very timely in a lot of ways,” he noted.

“How can you be uniquely yourself in a world where its so strictly policed to make sure you follow the code of how you’re supposed to be?”

“Just the idea of trying to make everyone the same, instead of recognizing our innate differences, that kind of thing…it can be very dangerous.”

Panton consistently praised the “dynamic” High Castle writing team for being so “adaptive” in putting the season together. “It’s not an accident by any means that it’s very relevant.”

Unsurprisingly, it sounds as though Panton’s Billy will spend the bulk of his time with High Castle’s other Nazi characters, such as Rufus Sewell’s Obergruppenführer John Smith.

“John Smith and I are in the same building,” Panton explained. “We’re all part of the same gang. Without giving too much away, I’m very involved in the course that the GNR takes.”

The Man in the High Castle’s dark tones seemed to have infiltrated Panton’s personal life to a certain degree, at least as far as his personal viewing choices go.

“I really liked Castle Rock,” he shared when asked what sorts of things he’s been watching lately.

“J.J. Abrams and Steven Spielberg, I mean, what a combo. One of my favorite writers, one of my favorite filmmakers. Yeah, Castle Rock is really interesting.”

“I also just finished watching The Sinner,” he continued. “It was really cool. I also watch a lot of anime. There’s one I find really fascinating, it’s called Attack on Titan. That one is just wild. Those are my three shows that I recommend right now. They’re all kind of dark, though. All three of them are a little bit dark – I love lighter shows too but those are the three that really stuck out to me these days.”

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Be sure to catch Giles Panton in The Man in the High Castle Season 3, streaming on Amazon Prime beginning Friday, October 5.

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