The Big Picture

Colonel James Ackerson, played by Joseph Morgan, joins Halo Season 2 as the new director of the Spartan program, replacing Dr. Catherine Halsey.
Morgan believes viewers’ opinions of his character will change with time, as Ackerson’s goals and backstory are revealed throughout the season.
Season 2 of Halo is described as grittier and more character-driven compared to the first season, with improved aesthetics and an elevated fantasy setting.

One of the characters being introduced in Paramount+’s new and improved Halo Season 2 is Colonel James Ackerson, played by Joseph Morgan (The Vampire Diaries). The character will be stepping into the boardroom of the UNSC as the new director of the Spartan program, in place of an MIA Dr. Catherine Halsey (Natascha McElhone). Ackerson comes into Season 2 headstrong and off to a bad start with Master Chief (Pablo Schreiber) after a Covenent Elite attack on Sanctuary.

With the first two episodes available to stream now, Collider’s Steve Weintraub spoke with Morgan about his Halo debut, and how he’s feeling now being one of the in-universe’s most-hated character. Unfazed by Ackerson’s harsh take on the war, Morgan firmly believes viewers’ opinions of his character will change with time — whether of their own accord or his. They discuss Ackerson’s goals, why he feels Season 2 is better than the first, and what it was like to join a world he was so familiar with from the video games. He teases a big arc in Episode 3, his go-to karaoke songs, and the New York Times bestselling fantasy he and his wife are looking to adapt.

You can watch the full interview in the video above or read the transcript below.

Halo Aliens threaten human existence in an epic 26th-century showdown.Release Date March 24, 2022 Creator Steven Kane, Kyle Killen Main Genre Sci-Fi Seasons 2

COLLIDER: I have spoken to you now all around the world for this show and I love it. The difference is now I’ve seen the first two episodes of Season 2, so I can actually ask you specific questions, like are you ready for people to hate you by the end of Episode 2?

JOSEPH MORGAN: [Laughs] You know, I’m going to hold your article specifically responsible for any hate that I receive — just highlighting that phrase and putting it up there front and center. I’m ready for people to think that they dislike me and then realize that they love me, which I’m also going to hold you responsible for.

What Is James Ackerson’s Endgame in ‘Halo’ Season 2?

Image via Paramount+

One of the things about Episode 2 is that there is a lot more going on with your character and pulling the strings, if you will, than perhaps the audience expects in Episode 1. What can you tease about some of that? Especially having Halsey locked up, the artifact, et cetera.

MORGAN: The web just keeps getting revealed as the season goes on. Ackerson has his hand in everything, and he’s playing a big game, and he’s doing that by sort of trying to manipulate and puppeteer all of the different pieces in the game, all of the different players. We get a sense that as the season goes on, as well, of the kind of toll, the weight, the pressure that is involved there, and the effect that that has on him. We’ll also start to delve into his private life, as well. We’ll start to understand why he is like he is, his background, why he’s driven to be so adamant about his way of doing things.

I think that your character is trying to save the world. David and Kiki and I already spoke about this, but when you’re talking to Cortana about the 97%, I mean, that could be about saving the human race, or things like that. Would you say that your character is trying to do things on that scale?

MORGAN: Absolutely. His ultimate goal is the survival of humanity. He understands that there are going to be huge sacrifices to make in order to achieve that. He’s all about the greater good. He’s gonna butt heads along the way with people. There are going to be people who don’t want to initially fall in line, but what he has is this unequivocal belief that his way is the right way and it’s the only way, and so everybody needs to just get on board. He will bring them on board however he has to.

Image via Paramount

One of the things about the first two episodes is that the Covenant feels like it’s darker. It feels like the galaxy is in a more dangerous place, and the Covenant just seems scarier. What’s your assessment of Season 2 as compared to Season 1, even though you were obviously not in Season 1?

MORGAN: So, especially because of that, I can say that I think it’s better, first of all. [Laughs] No, allow me to elaborate. I believe that it’s a grittier, grimier world. I’m very familiar with the world of Halo; I played a bunch of the games — 1, 2, 3, 4 and Halo: Reach, as well. I grew up playing Halo, playing co-op Halo. This is the Halo that I want to see. It sustains the action more consistently throughout the season and yet it’s more character-driven. It really delves into the backstories of the characters. It helps us to relate to these real human beings in this elevated fantasy setting. So, for me, that is what I want to see because now I’m connected to the characters. Now I care about it. There are stakes. So I think certainly the aesthetic has improved and become more to my taste, but also the politics and the back and forth, the push and pull and the play between the characters it is focused on.

I actually don’t know, does your character get involved in any of the action in Season 2?

MORGAN: Some. Later.

I know that in Episode 4 there’s a lot of oners, which is very ambitious filmmaking for a TV show. Do you get to be involved in any of that or were you watching it from afar?

MORGAN: No, I’m not involved in any of that. I know what you’re talking about. That episode is very focused on one specific scenario, so no. I’m not a part of that action.

Related ‘Halo’ Season 2 Episode 4 Is Wall-to-Wall Action According to Director Director Otto Bathurst says “we learned from Season 1, certainly from the fans’ perspective, it was the action sequences that they really loved.”

You’ve done a lot of stuff in your career already, but who was most excited when you booked Halo?

MORGAN: It’s hard to say. I mean, my wife, probably. Partly because I got her into video games, so we played a lot of games together. And her just knowing what that meant to me, it was incredibly exciting, of course, because it affects our life so dramatically. Then also my best friend who’s an actor, as well. We grew up playing games together and we played Halo together, we played co-op together. We were partners in that through a few of the games. So, I did take great pleasure in calling him and telling him I’ve got a new job and it’s a TV show and it films in Budapest, and I was just saving that moment. And he went, “What is it?” And I went, “It’s Halo.” “What?” So, yeah, that was exciting.

Don’t Count Ackerson Out Yet, Just Wait Until Episode 3

Image via Paramount

What ended up being your favorite stuff to film in Season 2? Was it a certain character moment, or what can you say?

MORGAN: I loved so much of it. I really enjoyed filming my first scene that I have, the introduction of Ackerson, because that was the first scene I filmed, as well. So that presented its own set of challenges. But I think in Episode 3 there’s a chance to glimpse Ackerson in a more personal, private setting, and to see him interact with family members and to understand a little bit more about the man behind the position. That was probably one of the scenes that was probably my favorite scene because there was an opportunity to really see the cracks in the armor and to play a little of the vulnerability, to see the pressure seeping in.

I know that you guys did karaoke when you were filming in Budapest, so what was your karaoke song?

MORGAN: Oh, I didn’t do any karaoke in Budapest, but if I was to go to a go-to karaoke song, do you know, my wife and I volunteered for karaoke when we went out a while ago and we put ourselves in to do “Bohemian Rhapsody,” which could have been the biggest mistake of our lives. Luckily it was with a band and the guitarist wasn’t there that day, and they said, “He can’t play it, our replacement guy, so you’re gonna have to do something else.” And we settled for “Creep” by Radiohead, a much safer choice in karaoke. But maybe that’ll be it. Maybe one day I’ll get to live that dream, or nightmare.

It’s a very tough song to do unless you’re really wasted and everyone else is wasted, and then it’s fine.

MORGAN: I think that’s the key. Everybody else has to be intoxicated.

Joseph Morgan Is Developing a Bestselling Fantasy Book Adaptation

Image via Paramount

So, you’ve done a lot of stuff in your career, if someone has never seen anything you’ve done before, what is the first thing you’d like them watching and why?

MORGAN: Well, I want them to watch this, to watch Halo Season 2, because I feel like just as we constantly evolve as people, we evolve as actors as well. I feel like my work is growing and hopefully getting better, and I think that I was able to implement some of that here. I’m also really, really proud of the show because I feel it’s such an adult show. It’s great. It’s nuanced and layered and there’s so much subtext.

Also, my wife and I have a production company, Morgan White Productions, and we acquired the rights to a New York Times bestselling fantasy book, which we’re developing. So when I shoot that, I really am excited for people to see that because I’m just such a fan of the genre — horror, fantasy, and sci fi.

The first two episodes of Halo Season 2 are available to stream on Paramount+. Subsequent episodes will premiere every Thursday.

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