The Originals is gearing up for a wedding between Hayley (Phoebe Tonkin) and Jackson (Nathan Parsons) — if they can jump through all the proper hoops first.
The duo are getting married to fulfill an alpha-bonding ritual between their packs so the wolves can have control over when/how they transform between their human and animal forms. But before that can happen, they have to deal with a few things other modern couples don't have to handle. Their current hold-up is a unification ritual that makes both participants reveal all their secrets. Unfortunately for Hayley and Jackson, they're each are holding on to secrets they haven't shared with the other. On top of that, external trouble is coming as Klaus (Joseph Morgan) is on his way to make sure Hayley doesn't reveal too much to her betrothed.
Parsons spoke with The Hollywood Reporter about the couple's revelations, Jackson taking on Klaus, how Hope might play into Hayley, Jackson's future and more.
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Hayley and Jackson have to undergo a truth-telling ritual as one of their steps to get married … but she has some secrets up her sleeve. What can you preview about what happens next?
This ritual has to happen if they're going to go through with this wedding. [Jackson] knows a lot about the history of the wolves and where he comes from. Some of that stuff is not all pretty, and he'll have to be upfront with that, and confront that with Hayley. Hopefully she'll take that well.
The ritual's going to happen, and most of it's going to happen off-camera, but we do see the impact of it, and the things leading up [to it] -- what it takes. Sometimes you sit down, you let it all out, have that conversation before you go into something like that.
[And] Klaus is coming [to find them]. He's not happy, either.
Klaus is equally as vested in keeping some of Hayley's secrets quiet. Should viewers expect Klaus to come after Jackson physically, emotionally, or mentally?
[It's] physical damage. It's a pretty brutal fight. It's going to be good! I'm very excited for people to see this battle looming between Klaus and Jackson. We're going to see a truer side of both characters in that, so I'm looking forward to it.
Jackson has some of his own secrets about Hayley's family. How will that reveal play out?
Hayley's not going to be thrilled when she hears about it. There's a lot of things -- when you know so much about someone, and you care about them, it's hard to keep secrets that may hurt them. Jackson's going to be forced to come up with that, and hope it lands OK.
In Jackson's mind, is there anything Hayley could reveal to him during this ritual that could change the way he feels about her?
I don't think there is. I think he's watched her for a long time, he knows her probably as well, if not better, than anybody else on the show. Even in his wolf form, when they were still cursed, he was always there, always around her. I think he knows her in a different way. Knowing everything he knows, he's still in love with her. I think when you're in love with someone, you accept them for who they are. I don't think Jackson is too worried about what she has to hide.
Jackson brushed off the news that Hayley and Elijah (Daniel Gillies) recently hooked up, but in Jackson's mind, is that relationship any kind of threat to his upcoming marriage?
Elijah's never been able to come to terms with how he feels about Hayley; he's never been able to say it, he's never been able to talk about it. Jackson and Elijah have never been friends -- there's a respect there, but they've never seen eye-to-eye. It's difficult. Hayley's agreed to this thing, and [he thinks,] "OK, I can forgive you [being] with Elijah, I get that you care about him, you agreed to this anyway. Let's try to get through it."
So much of what Hayley is doing is to protect her secretly-alive daughter, Hope. If the time comes where it's safe enough for Hayley to play an active part in raising her child, how will Jackson react to that?
I think he will fully accept [Hope]. He loves Hayley, and he loves everything about her; Hope is a part of her. When you love somebody and they have a kid, you love their kid. That's just how it works. I think part of the great idea of having this super pack [of wolves] is there's no better way to defend [Hope], and protect her, because she is now just a part of the family, if the wedding goes through. I think Jackson would be great with that.
As Jackson and Hayley prep for this ritual, how is the mood of the rest of the pack?
There's, of course, tension. Hayley's a hybrid, she's part vampire. So that tension is going to exist. We hope it works out and the wolves can go back in the Quarter, and the vampires [are still] over there. There's definitely some tension and some hesitancy on the wolves' side. But I think all in all, the wolves realize [this marriage] is their only chance.
In the Feb. 9 episode, “The Devil is Damned,” Hayley and Jackson end up crossing paths with Finn (Yusuf Gatewood) in a major way. Given his recent devious actions, how bad will things get for the duo?
[Finn's] really dangerous, no doubt about it. They're walking into a trap in some regards. I think the idea is if they can survive long enough to get this wedding underway, get this ritual going, and if this ritual works, they'll be able to fight him off. They'll be able to defend against him. It's definitely a dangerous proposition, but they have to believe they can survive it and move past it.
You're also a part of the Amazon pilot, Point of Honor, which is currently in contention at the streaming site. Has there been a discussion yet about whether you could do both shows if Point of Honor moves forward?
A little bit. [Point of Honor] would shoot over the summer, so I could finish out this season, and then go to Virginia for a few months, and then come back to Atlanta. Atlanta and Virginia aren't that far apart. I think we can figure out a way to work it all out.
The Originals airs Mondays at 8 p.m. on The CW. Are you hoping Hayley and Jackson go through with their marriage?
Twitter: @marisaroffman
