‘Westworld’ Postmortem: Jimmi Simpson Talks Fan Theories and William’s Future

Jimmi Simpson on 'Westworld' (Credit: HBO)
Jimmi Simpson on Westworld (Photo: HBO)

HBO’s hit sci-fi Western, Westworld, has become the fall’s go-to series for those viewers who love the wild theorizing encouraged by trippy shows like Lost, Mr. Robot, and, the granddaddy of them all, Twin Peaks. But it’s not just the audience who enjoys speculating wildly about such possibly out-there, possibly on-target hypotheses like “Westworld is located in outer space” and “Bernard is Arnold’s clone.” Westworld star Jimmi Simpson, who plays William — the park visitor at the center of one of the most popular fan theories, “William is really the Man in Black” — tells Yahoo TV that the show’s cast was constantly swapping theories throughout production, as series creators Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy were very careful about doling out spoilers.

“We only got each script per episode, and sometimes per scene,” the actor says. “So all these theories going on right now reminds me of when we’d get the scripts and sit around going, ‘Oh, my God, what does this mean?!’ More often than not, we were wrong, but sometimes we were half-right. And I’m seeing a couple of fan theories now where I’m like, ‘I remember thinking it was that, and then it turned out to be this. But that’s the right direction!'”

Related: Catch Up on Westworld With Our Recaps

Sunday’s fourth episode, “Dissonance Theory,” gave fans fresh fodder for their speculations and conjectures. After wandering into William’s camp, Dolores (Evan Rachel Wood) joins him and his potential brother-in-law Logan (Ben Barnes) on their bounty hunt. But the episode’s opening sequence reveals that, at some point in time, Bernard filled her in about “The Maze” that the Man in Black is also hunting for. If William is indeed the Man in Black, Dolores is the one who could have informed him about this game-within-a-game when they met 30 years ago. Or we’ll finally see William and the Man in Black come face-to-face as Dolores embarks on her own hunt for the Maze entrance. For obvious reasons, Simpson declined to give the whole game away, but he did entertain our questions about the Logan/William relationship and why Will is a protector, not a fighter.

(Credit: HBO)
(Credit: HBO)

Ethan Alter: Something clicked into place for me while watching “Dissonance Theory”: Logan is basically a Trump kid, and William is the guy marrying into the Trump family.
Jimmi Simpson:
[Laughs.] Well, the Trump kids weren’t in our vision when we were shooting this. But yes, Ben drew specifically from that type of person. In real life, he’s about the sweetest guy you’d ever meet, and has been a heartthrob who plays princes and things. So this was a new character for him, just as it was for me. We were two guys playing out of our wheelhouses together. It was very interesting.

After letting himself be bossed around by Logan when they first arrived at the park, William is ready to challenge him a bit. What finally prompted him to stand up for himself?
William operates on a relatively high emotional IQ; he’s at this place to exercise free will, and he’s witnessing a lot of greed. And he’s clearly dragging his feet, because he doesn’t get off on any of that. That sort of fantasy doesn’t sit well with him. So he’s been watching this guy, Logan, wasting his time, and when the host he’s had a couple of interactions with invites him on this adventure, it clicks and resonates with him, so he acts upon it. He gets a little high off of it. It’s new for him, being high on the adrenaline of being liked.

Were you aware of William’s specific relationship to Logan — potential brother-in-law — when you started shooting? It was a surprise when it was revealed in the third episode.
We weren’t given our full character arcs when we got the role, but we were told base things like, “Why am I here if all of my dialogue implies that I don’t want to be here?” It wouldn’t have behooved the writers for me to not know why William was under Logan’s thumb, that he’s vetting me not just for the company, but also as a member of the family. But I had no idea, for example, that at the end of the third episode, I’d be bumping into Dolores.

Is William’s eagerness to protect Dolores in part motivated by his upcoming wedding? He wants to prove himself a protector, not only to himself, but also to Logan?
I’m sure William is definitely thinking a lot about being a protector in general. That just seems to be his nature — to take care of the wounded, as he’s probably been one most of his life. Some of it is probably projection on his fiancée, but it’s also something he feels comfortable doing. Shooting things, he’s not comfortable with; but helping things, that’s a game he can play.

To put it in cowboy terms, he can be the protector side of Shane, but not the killer side of Shane.
Exactly. That’s a lovely reference. I’ll take a Shane reference any day. “Come back, Shaaane!” [Laughs.]

At this point in the series, you’re mainly acting opposite Evan Rachel Wood when she’s in her “Dolores” persona. What’s it like to watch the scenes where she’s in her more robotic mode? Do you almost feel like you met a different person on set?
Evan and I spent a whole lot of time together, and I got to watch her do a lot of work. Hands down, she’s the most gifted film actor I’ve ever spent this much time with. Witnessing her insane level of craft made me 200 percent the actor I was before. The way she switches between these modes is truly other level. And to know this person — who has such a huge heart and can be such a clown — pull off these nuances … I just can’t believe how good she is.

(Credit: HBO)
Photo: HBO

How would you characterize William’s arc for the rest of the season?
Everyone changes in the park, even the hosts, whether or not they’re aware of it. William has described his previous life as difficult and hardworking; his job is great, he’s worked hard and his fiancée is nice. Still, you get this sense that he’s not spiking anywhere in life; so for him, the biggest thing is discovering the good he can do. His journey is less about indulging in the darkness and violence that other people try, and finding his true potential. The relationship between Logan and William also gets very tumultuous, and there’s a little more clarification about Logan’s company. It’s not a major story point, but there’s more clarification.

Westworld obviously has a lot to say about humanity — what it means and who has it. How has being part of the show affected your own thoughts about the potential future of A.I. and robotics?
From a very young age, I know that I’ve taken to other beings in a much more passionate way than most folks around me. It never really made that much sense, but it’s my truth. I lived in the woods growing up, and occasionally our cats would get ticks. Several times, I’d see my mother taking off the tick and putting it in the toilet. If it didn’t flush down, I’d see this little thing appearing to be drowning or struggling and I’d fish it out and take it into the woods. I know that sounds insane. It’s a bloodsucking parasite! But the child me wasn’t aware of that — what he saw was the struggle. The sentience we’re giving these artificial beings we create means something. Just imagine the feelings that a completely believable robot could elicit. We need to understand how they work and how they feel. Let’s really understand the mechanics of what we’re creating.

Westworld airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO.