In past seasons of “Merlin,” series lead Colin Morgan has been transformed from his normal, young Merlin, into an elderly version called Emrys through the use of prosthetics.
In “Another’s Sorrow,” debuting Friday on Syfy, Katie McGrath follows in his footsteps when her character, the evil sorceress Morgana, disguises herself as a crone so she can move freely about Camelot. It’s part of her plan with King Odin to finally kill King Arthur (Bradley James).
“I actually resembled my grandmother,” McGrath said, “which was really weird.”
Morgana and Odin use Arthur’s former fiance, Princess Mithian, as bait in their nefarious plot. As you can see in the preview clip above, the princess goes to Camelot seeking Arthur’s help after an attack has killed her father. Janet Montgomery, who most recently starred in the now-canceled CBS series “Made in Jersey,” reprises her Season 4 role as Mithian.
The other part of Morgana’s plan involves the disguise, which required McGrath to wear heavy prostethics.
“Everybody says, ‘You got to do prosthetics’ like it’s the most amazing thing–but I have to admit that I was massively allergic, and it was very painful,” McGrath said. “Colin is so good at it, and they’ve done it for so many years with Colin, that I think they just expected they’d put it on me and it would all be fine.
“Instead, I got very sick and it really was not pleasant. Then, everybody was wonderful about it, making sure I wasn’t in the prosthetic for too long and that I got resting periods.”
After the difficult experience, McGrath said she developed even greater respect for Morgan’s acting ability.
“What you don’t realize is that acting in a prosthetic really does sap your energy,” she said. “You’re exhausted by it. You’re constantly aware of something on your face. Colin was really good about telling me how it works and how the subtle movements on your face don’t translate, so you almost have to over-do everything because you’re moving your face and then that’s moving something on top. Small movements don’t work, so it’s a completely different way of acting.”
Will Merlin see through Morgana’s latest trickery to save the day. You’ll have to watch “Another’s Sorrow” at 9 p.m. CT Jan. 25 on Syfy.
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