Exclusive Interview: Deadly Class’ Benjamin Wadsworth Weighs in on the Season One Finale and What’s Ahead

There’s a new leading man in Hollywood and his name’s Benjamin Wadsworth. The talented nineteen-year-old is kicking some major butt and taking names in his starring role as Marcus Lopez on SYFY’s Deadly Class. Based on the popular graphic novels by Rick Remender and executively produced by The Russo Brothers, Deadly Class is a coming-of-age tale about a disillusioned teen, Marcus Lopez, who’s recruited into a high school for assassins.

This season, we’ve seen it all. From Marcus’ struggles with his mental health to training in the deadly arts at Kings Dominion to finding a new family there. But sometimes in life, our past comes back to haunt us.

In our two-part interview with Ben, the actor chats about the aftermath of last night’s season finale.

PC: Let’s chat about last night’s season finale. It’s one of the best I’ve ever seen on television. There was plenty of action, shocking moments, and it was presented in a very cinematic way. What was it like filming that episode?
Benjamin: Oh man, it was kind of like we got to turn off the acting brain for a second and just use our athletic bodies. We got to beat up a bunch of hillbillies for a couple of days.

PC: In the episode, we see that Maria discovers that Marcus has cheated on her, which causes a rift between the group. What impact will that have on them moving forward?
Benjamin: I think it’s going to have a huge impact. I don’t think Marcus will have a lot of friends after this, and that’s what he yearns for the most: friendship. It’ll take a big toll on him, emotionally, and we’ll probably see him become even darker and even more melancholy, if you can believe it.

PC: With Chester’s demise, do you think we’ll see Marcus’ secret die with him?
Benjamin: Yeah, I think his reputation will probably die. I’m not sure if he’ll go back to the school, though. Even if his secret is public now, he still has this new reputation of killing a psychopath.

PC: As a fan of the comic books, if you could pick a storyline that you’d like to see introduced in season two, what would it be and why?
Benjamin: Oh man! I want to see Marcus’ spiral into drugs when Maria disappears. As an actor, it would be juicy to get into something like that. It’d be very Basketball Diaries.

PC: Now that the whole season is out, which was your favorite scene or episode to shoot this season and what was the most challenging?
Benjamin: My favorite episode to shoot was the Vegas episode because what actor doesn’t want to play high on seven hits of acid?! My favorite scene was probably in episode nine whenever Marcus was slam dancing for the first time to the Adolescents. The hardest scene was probably the interrogation scene with Lin. It was my birthday, it was really late, and I was very sick—I had a sinus infection. We pulled through, though, and it came out really well.

Photo Credit: Katie Yu/SYFY

PC: Have there been any early conversations about season two?
Benjamin: Not that I know of! They’re pretty secretive about it, plus they’ve been really focused on season one. We’re not sure if we’ll get a season two yet, so we’re waiting with our fingers crossed. If there is one, I’m sure they’ll stay true to the comics.

PC: What has Marcus taught you?
Benjamin: To stand up for the little guy! Growing up, I always avoided confrontation, but after playing Marcus, I learned that it’s better to stand up for what is right. In Vancouver, I actually almost got beat up by a dude who was yelling at his kid. I politely asked him to stop cursing at his kid, and he almost punched me. I sort of got my a** kicked, but I felt better after doing it.

PC: What would you say is the biggest takeaway from season one?
Benjamin: I got to learn more about the business. I’ve never been on a television series, especially as the lead, so I’ve learned so much about time management and how important it is to keep yourself healthy when you’re working this number of hours. We’re working every day, anywhere from fourteen to eighteen hour days, and having to have scenes and lines memorized every day, but you get used to it after a while.

PC: If the series gets picked up for a second season, fingers crossed, is there a character that you would love to see Marcus interact with more? Or an actor that you want to have more scenes with?
Benjamin: I’d love to have more scenes with Luke, who plays Willie. He’s altogether just a phenomenal actor and he’s such a great guy. I always have a good time working with him.

To keep up with Benjamin, follow him on Twitter and Instagram, and binge-watch season one of Deadly Class on SYFY today.

Photo Credit: Katie Yu/SYFY