“Motherland: Fort Salem” Exclusive: Thomas Nicholson Talks Jack Orsatti & Teases Upcoming “Wild” Episode
In the second season of Freeform’s Motherland: Fort Salem, Anacostia (Demetria McKinney) and Scylla (Amalia Holm) have formed an unlikely alliance, working together to find out what they can about the Camarilla. The young witch and her former captor attend vigils and rallies and make new “friends” in Bonnie & Shane. Through that couple, Anacostia and Scylla, under the alias Amelia and Justine, respectively, meet a mysterious man named Jack Orsatti.
In an exclusive interview with PopWire, Jack Orsatti’s portrayer, Thomas Nicholson, shares details about his character, talks what it’s like to play a bad guy, and teases what’s to come.
With Bonnie and Shane upset that the Spree kills normal people and goes after their American institutions (malls, ball fields, restaurants, etc.), they find some comfort in their friend Jack Orsatti, who has a test that can identify members of the Spree. Bonnie tells “Amelia” and “Justine” that they met Orsatti at their first vigil.
“Jack Orsatti is smart, strategic and meticulous in his work,” Nicholson says of his character. “He seems more driven by what he believes is a righteous cause than by his personal ambition. I think he prefers operating in the shadows, pulling strings behind the scenes. He tries to hide his emotions and to always go into a situation with a plan.”
Playing the man with a plan and one of Motherland: Fort Salem‘s “bad guys” is such a thrill for the Canadian/Danish actor. “I enjoy playing characters who do things I don’t do myself off camera,” he says. “It’s exciting to explore different sides of myself.”
It’s a role that was just perfect for him, that the turnaround time between his audition and officially landing the gig was a quick one. “I auditioned for three scenes from the third episode in season 2,” he says. “I sent off my tape, and about a week after, my agent called me to tell me they had offered me the part!”
Of that part, we learn that his character pays Bonnie and Shane, and likely many others, to attend vigils to stir things up. “He both recruits people and organizes rallies and attacks,” Nicholson explains, “but tries to do it in ways that doesn’t draw too much attention to his own person. I think he enjoys seeing his plans unfold, but doesn’t need to be the center of attention.”
When we last saw Jack and Anacostia, she was saving Scylla from him by stunning him with a giant taser. “We’re in this together,” she tells Scylla. In the supernatural series’ upcoming episode, titled “Brianna’s Favorite Pencil,” the two witches search for Camarilla leadership by attending a Halloween gala and make a horrifying discovery. During that search, Anacostia once again has a run in with Nicholson’s Jack.
“Episode 5 is wild!” Thomas Nicholson exclaims. “You’ll get more insight into just how the Camarilla operate and how they celebrate, and it really gets quite mortifying. As for Jack and Anacostia… let’s just say those two have some unfinished business to take care of, and they’re going to take things to the next level.”
Motherland: Fort Salem airs Tuesdays at 10pm on Freeform.