The Netflix series ‘The Bastard Son & The Devil Himself’ has been the topic of conversation on the internet lately, and deservingly so, because it’s a got a good mixture of fantasy, good chemistry between characters, and a shippable queer couple.
In a recent interview with Gay Times, the show’s hotties Jay Lycurgo and Emilien Vekemans talked all about their characters Nathan and Gabriel, as well as their queer romance. The actors started off with explaining what each of their roles were going through and feeling before they met and felt a connection towards each other.
“At the start of this series, Nathan is very lonely and isolated. He lives with his gran in the caravan and his sister who hates him. He’s without a mother, who sadly passed away when he was young, and his dad is off who knows where – and he’s a serial killer! This leaves him very isolated and hated by a witch community. It leaves him very confused because he understands why, but he doesn’t understand why it’s thrown all on him. That’s the thing, he’s a really lovely boy; he’s cheeky and charming. Now, he goes on a journey to find out who he really is. We’ve been talking a lot about it, but what’s really nice about the Gabriel and Nathan relationship is that they’re orphans. They really relate with each other,” Lycurgo shared.
Meanwhile, Vekemans stated:
“For my character, at the beginning you see Gabriel as this really edgy, underground witch who lives a life of – as he describes it in the series – “fabulous debauchery.” My character is very cynical and sarcastic about other people and actions or emotions. When he meets Nathan, he learns about his vulnerability. Little by little, he starts to open up to let more emotions and feelings and love in his life.”
Gabriel, who is played by Vekemans, started off feeling quite irritated by Nathan (Lycurgo) and Annalise (Nadia Parkes), but he eventually grows fond of the former. When asked why Gabriel is drawn to Nathan, Vekemans responded:
“Good question.”
“I think it’s his power as well,” Lycurgo chimed in.
Vekemans then answered,
“I think at some point, he’s impressed by the way he’s [Nathan] handling things and the honesty of the character. I think my character struggled to be really honest and I think that’s why he’s attracted to him. It’s like, ‘Wow, you can carry your vulnerability?’”
Likewise, Lycurgo was asked why his character Nathan is drawn to Gabriel, and he replied:
“I guess the main point was that they get to know each other on a human level. After the quest to get his blood, there’s a huge relatability with them. I’m just trying to think when it shifts, really… Episode five is quite a big point with Gabriel and Nathan and having those little moments together, where they talk about things…”
“It’s more about flirting, I think…,” Vekemans added.
Lycurgo further stated,
“Yeah, we also get to laugh as well. I think at one point, the ship starts to shift. Scotland, episode two, is such a big difference and it really changes Nathan as a character and he comes back a different person. His relationship, maybe with Annalise, is starting to change and he starts to feel like this new person; only to find this blood witch [Gabriel] that he can actually relate to. Before then, he’s only heard myths about blood witches. They’re supposed to be these violent creatures and suddenly, he meets a person in his boxers and bathrobe and he goes, ‘Y’know what? This guy’s funny.’ It’s very natural.”
They then landed on the topic of fans going wild over queer romances, and how their characters are already being shipped hard by viewers.
“I already knew that people really liked ‘Nabriel.’ People really ‘shipped’ us,” Lycurgo expressed.
Vekemans chimed in saying,
“From the books!”
“There’s already a community really fond of Nabriel,” he further explained.
Lycurgo shared more about Nathan and Gabriel’s ship called “Nabriel,” and how him and Vekemans worked on their characters knowing that such fanbase already exists:
“They’ve got the artwork and everything, so we knew. But initially, you’re not really thinking about that until it comes. When we were on set, we just wanted to get it right. We’re very precious with it, making sure that when we’re in those scenes that we’re doing it the right way.”
We truly want to see more of Nabriel in a potential Season 2… But until then (here’s to hoping), ‘The Bastard Son & The Devil Himself’ is already available for streaming on Netflix.
Source: gaytimes.co.uk
