Jessica Green shares how she prepared to play Charlie in The Librarians: The Next Chapter, why she loves stunt work, and what drew her to the role.
“Give me some magic, adventure, and action and I’m there,” Green says of what drew her to the role of Charlie Cornwall.
Jessica Green dives into her role as Charlie in ‘The Librarians: The Next Chapter,’ explaining to Awards Focus what attracted her to the fantasy series and how her martial arts background helped her tackle the physically demanding role. She opens up about working with producer Dean Devlin, doing as many of her own stunts as she’s allowed, and discovering the franchise through the original films and series. As ‘The Librarians: The Next Chapter’ continues airing its first season, Green reflects on the joy of bringing magic, mystery, and adventure to a whole new generation of fans.
After starting out as a series of films, TNT aired four seasons of ‘The Librarians’ during 2014-2018. This time around, it’s a completely different team dealing with the magic and the chaos that ensues when Vikram Chamberlain (Callum McGowan), a Librarian from 1847, travels in time to present-day Belgrade, Serbia. When Vikram releases magic all across the continent, The Library has to go into cleanup mode, sending Guardian Charlie Cornwall (Jessica Green). In addition to Vikram and Charlie, the team–including Lysa Pascal (Olivia Morris) and Connor Green (Bluey Robinson)–has six months to clean it up.
Developed for TV by Dean Devlin and John Rogers, the series had initially been ordered a few years ago by the CW before switching networks to TNT. Upon going back to its rightful home, TNT subsequently ordered a second season. As of June 27, the series had two weeks to go in filming the second season.
TNT premiered ‘The Librarians: The Next Chapter’ during Memorial Day weekend. Episodes will air at 9 PM ET/PT on Monday nights through August 4.
Awards Focus: It’s so nice to meet you today. How are you doing?
Jessica Green: I’m very well, thank you. How are you?
AF: I’m doing well now that it’s no longer an inferno in my apartment.
Green: Wonderful! How hot is it there? Where are you?
AF: I’m in Chicago. It was an excessive heat warning over the weekend. It took a few days to get the apartment to cool down and that’s with AC.
Green: Oh G-d. We literally just had the hottest day of the year in Serbia as well. It was 38 degrees and we were filming outside. It was horrific!
AF: When I hear 38 degrees, I think I need the radiator on!
Green: No, 38 degrees is—I think it was 100 and something. It was hot!
AF: I’ve watched eight of the first 12 episodes so far. I love how The Librarians: The Next Chapter still has the same magic even though it’s an entirely different cast. What was it about the script that drew you to the role?
Green: Give me some magic, adventure, and action and I’m there. Yeah, when I first got the audition to play Charlie—number one, having Dean attached. I’ve worked with him before, and he’s an incredible producer, showrunner, and a wonderful person. And so, anything he’s attached to, I’m up for it already. I would love to get the chance to work with him again.
But then seeing that she’s a kick-ass guardian who everyone sees as this really tough person with their wall up and then she has this other side where she’s really soft and vulnerable. Sign me up!
AF: How familiar were you with The Librarians franchise when you first heard about the new series?
Green: I wasn’t very familiar with the series. I’d seen the films when I was younger and loved them. But obviously, once I got the audition through, I started watching them and they’re so much fun. I can really see why this franchise did so well and why people love it.
AF: Yeah. I watched the movies back in 2014 after watching the series premiere of The Librarians. When the series premiere gets me hooked, I’m like, I’ve got to watch the films.
Green: Yep. Yep. What do you like better, the films or the series?
AF: It’s a nice mix. This was over 10 years ago.
Green: Yeah. I think 10 for the series, but even longer for the films. The films were done, I think, around the 90s.
AF: Well, I missed the films when they first aired. Did you do anything in particular to prepare for the role?
Green: Obviously, yeah. Definitely watched the series and the films. I had to train. Obviously, the role of Charlie being the Guardian is very physically demanding. I had to keep up my fitness, do some martial arts training, and I was ready to go.
AF: It’s my understanding you had martial arts training while growing up before falling into acting?
Green: Not before falling into acting. I started acting when I was about—I think it was 16 or 17, when I filmed Lightning Point, which is my first show. I think I started boxing maybe around the age of 19. I just got bored in the gym. Bored doing weights. I was like, I need to do something different, something challenging that I find fun. And yeah, I found this MMA gym. I went there, loved the boxing, and then tried out their other classes.
The next minute, I’m doing Muay Thai and jujitsu, and yeah, and fell in love. It’s so much fun and I really recommend anyone who’s bored in the gym, you should go try that because it’s a lot of fun, it’s challenging, and it kind of gets you out of your comfort zone.
AF: Yeah. And when you have that kind of background, do you prefer to perform your own stunts whenever possible?
Green: Yeah. I do everything they let me. The only time I don’t is when they’re literally like—for instance, the motorbike entrance of season one, they won’t let me anywhere near a motorbike, especially on the first episode. They will not let me touch it. But I would love, love the chance to do that.
My lovely stunt double Sonya was the one who was riding that. But yeah, any stunts that I’m allowed to do, I’m doing them.
AF: I’m trying to imagine someone turning down Tom Cruise from wanting to ride a motorbike.
Green: Apparently people do. Apparently, his safety supervisors do and he just fires them until he gets one that lets him do it. I’ve seen that on an interview, actually. They say he just goes through people until they go, Yeah, okay, yeah, we’ll let you do it. And he keeps them on.
AF: What do you typically look for in a character when you’re reading a script or offered a role?
Green: I feel like everyone just looks for something that’s a little bit challenging, a little bit different to what they’ve played in the past. You look at who’s producing, who’s directing, where are we filmed, because, obviously, all those things contribute into choosing a role and deciding if you want to do it or not.
AF: At a time when a lot of series are lucky to get at least one season, let alone finish the first season, how does it feel to know you have job security for at least two seasons of work?
Green: Oh, wonderful. No, very blessed. We’re so lucky. Yeah, when we got the call after two or three weeks that we were getting picked up for season two, all of us—we thought we were in trouble when Dean called us. Or we thought we had to come back for reshoots or something wasn’t good enough.
To get the news that we were getting picked up without it even being aired was, we were cheering. We’re very lucky, especially with how volatile the industry is at the moment. I feel like it’s just getting knock after knock. And yeah, so to have the security of another season is, it’s wonderful. Very lucky.
AF: I’m looking forward to the remaining episodes of this season but can’t wait to see what magic awaits us in season 2.
Green: Yeah. If you like season one, season two is amazing. It blows it out of the park.
AF: Yeah. Where are you all so far in season two, if you’re allowed to say?
Green: We’re about to start filming episode 12 on Wednesday. So we’re on the home stretch. We’ve got about two weeks left of filming, and it’s a wrap on season two.
AF: Enjoy. It’s been a pleasure getting to chat with you.
Green: You, too. Have a wonderful day.