Eliza Taylor Talks Acting Challenges, Clarke Griffin, ‘The 100’ Season 6 and More at Unity Days
Clarke Griffin has had her ups and downs through the course of Book One of The 100, but at her core beats the heart of a hero whether she sees herself that way or not.
Eliza Taylor joined fans at Unity Days 2019 to tease the new season, share stories from The 100 set, and get fans excited for the next part of Clarke’s journey.
While Taylor couldn’t share a lot about the new season as seemingly everything happening 125 years in the future is a spoiler, she promises that the new season definitely stands apart from everything we’ve seen so far. The cast agrees that even the energy on the set of The 100 Season 6 is different from years past.
When asked to describe what fans can expect from Season 6 in one word Taylor chose “fun.” And while we all love The 100, fun isn’t exactly the first word that comes to mind when describing the apocalyptic survival drama. Sachin Sahel, who plays Jackson, says that he can’t wait for us to see everything, and Taylor affirms that the new season is very different.
While they never imagined they’d still be here six years later, Taylor and Sahel knew The 100 was something special from the start.
Eliza Taylor: I remember the first time I read the pilot and it read like a feature film. I wanted to keep turning the pages, I was excited to read it.
For Sahel, he felt it the first time he heard Taylor read Clarke’s opening monologue at their first table read for the pilot.
Taylor has stated that some of the work she’s done so far on The 100 Season 6 has been some of the most challenging material she’s taken on as an actress. While we cannot wait to see what she’s talking about in April, Taylor also recalled one of the most difficult and freeing scenes she’s done that we’ve got to see last year.
The 100 Season 5 opened with Clarke Griffin alone in the wasteland searching for food, water, and an answer to the devastating loneliness of being the last person alive on Earth.
Left behind to save her friends, and unable to get to her mother inside the bunker, Clarke is pushed to her absolute limits and comes to a breaking point after spending months alone with no sign of sanctuary.
Screaming into the abyss and nearly taking her own life, it’s the most intense moment we’ve seen Clarke go through. Taylor shared that to prepare for the scene she got into a friend’s car, rolled up all of the windows and just screamed.
Taylor: She’s needed this for so long. But as an actress, I’ve never had an outlet like that.
Hopefully, whatever we see Clarke taking on during The 100 Season 6 isn’t quite this traumatic.
Another contribution to the fresh atmosphere on The 100 set is thanks to Lola Flanery, who plays Madi, Taylor’s onscreen adopted daughter. Taylor shared that she was Flanery’s age when she started acting and working with her has reminded Taylor of what it’s like to be a kid again.
When asked about other projects they would like to see their characters in Taylor said she would love to see Clarke on Star Trek, to resounding cheers from classic sci-fi fans among the audience.
Taylor: I would love to see Clarke on Star Trek. Beam me up!
Flanery said she’d love to see Madi at Hogwarts in the world of Harry Potter and the panel quickly dissolved into discussing which house each actor belonged to. In case you’re wondering, Taylor is a Slytherin, much like most fans tend to sort her character, and Flanery and Sahel are both Griffyndors.
Fans also asked what the cast would do if they could hang out with their characters for a day. Taylor would give Clarke a day off and take her to a beach for cocktails and relaxation. And if she could hang out with another character she would take Murphy out to a bar and just have a fun night.
With all of the turnover of sets as the world of The 100 is frequently destroyed fans were curious if the cast has ever taken anything home with them. Though she’s never done it, Taylor believes she could probably get away with taking something.
Taylor: I really want the original drawing I that did of Alycia with the monacle.
Taylor also spoke passionately about Koh Tao Primary, the non-profit school that she co-founded in Thailand, attributing at least part of its success to the many generous hearts among The 100 fans. Taylor has nothing but love in her heart for The 100 fans when asked to describe them in one word she chose “incredible.”
It’s safe to say we feel the same about her and we can’t wait to see her latest adventures as Clarke Griffin when The 100 returns later this year!
Stay tuned for more from our coverage of Unity Days 2019 and an exciting announcement about SweetRiver Con 2019!
The 100 returns Tuesday, April 30th at 9/8c on The CW.
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Samantha Coley
Samantha (she/her) is a social media specialist by day and a sci-fi junkie by night. As a freelance writer and podcaster, she also enjoys live-tweeting, blogging, good music, and better television. Her current favorite television shows include Star Trek (yes, all of them), Riverdale, and Stranger Things and there will always be a place in her heart for Battlestar Galactica, Leverage, and The West Wing.