In the thrilling new series The Institute, based on the 2019 novel of the same name by Stephen King, a teen genius wakes up in a strange place full of children who got there the same way he did, and who all, like him, possess unusual abilities. New episodes of The Institute are released every Sunday on MGM+.
The Knockturnal sat down with Fionn Laird for an exclusive conversation about his role and what audiences can expect.
The Knockturnal: Tell me about how this role in The Institute found you and where you were in your career at that time.
Fionn Laird: It was the middle of the summer, and I had been auditioning for a couple projects after leaving school and doing a lot of film work, and it was perfect. I’ve always loved Stephen King.
The Knockturnal: For those who may not have seen the show yet, describe your character, Nick.
Fionn Laird: Nick is the leader of the pack and very much anti-authority. He likes to go it alone, but at the same time, he likes to kind of have influence over the people around him. He’s very protective of his past and his personal feelings; he keeps it all close to his chest.
The Knockturnal: How familiar were you with the book version of The Institute or any of Stephen King’s other work?
Fionn Laird: I love Carrie; it’s one of my favorite books of all time. And The Institute is kind of similar to that, being about psychic kids with mysterious powers, so I was very excited when I began to read it, and seeing Stephen’s name attached to it was a dream come true.
The Knockturnal: You had done a lot of theater before doing this role. What skills did you bring over from theater into television?
Fionn Laird: It’s a very emotionally raw show, and I think that helps with having a theater background because you’re constantly trying to get to these heightened places in theater, and so all I really had to do is kind of scale it back a bit for the camera. So it was a lot of fun to take those things that typically have been external and expressed to a full audience and having that only be read through my eyes or subtle bodily changes or something like that.
The Knockturnal: Who did you bond with the most in the cast while filming, and do you have any favorite memories?
Fionn Laird: I’m gonna say Joe Freeman because we both had our first days on set together, so that from the get-go started us off. I think my favorite memory with him specifically was on the first day, it was a night shoot, and we were just having this very emotional scene, and it was really cool as an actor to have that experience with another person and get into a flow state.
The Knockturnal: We’re a little bit past the halfway point of the season right now. Without any spoilers, what can you tease about what people can look forward to for the rest of the season?
Fionn Laird: I think they can look forward to everything coming to a front and uncertainty until the very end. I think there’s no guarantee that everything’s going to be okay, and you’re going to be at the edge of your seat until the end.
The Knockturnal: Are there any other projects of yours coming up we can look forward to?
Fionn Laird: I’m going to be doing a feature film this September that’s also in the thriller genre, so that will be similar in vein to the institute genre-wise, not so much premise-wise. But then I’m gonna just put this out to the universe for The Institute Season 2. Fingers crossed!
The Knockturnal: I always like to ask, is there anything you’re enjoying in pop culture right now that you’re reading, watching, or listening to?
Fionn Laird: I’ve been really getting into 2010s punk emo and screamer music, which I think is funny because that’s very in line with Nick’s preference in music; it’s very emotional and kind of edgy. Bands like Pierce The Veil and Sleeping With Sirens, so not exactly pop culture, but that’s what I’ve been listening to.
The Knockturnal: Thanks so much for your time, and here’s hoping for a Season 2 announcement soon!
Fionn Laird: Thank you!
