Luke Hemsworth, who portrayed Ashley Stubbs in Westworld, has responded to the series’ cancelation. Westworld was a sci-fi western series based on the 1973 Michael Crichton film of the same name revolving around the titular amusement park and its android hosts fighting for autonomy in the world. Developed by Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy, Westworld was expected to conclude with season 5, with the two being in talks for one final season, only for HBO to cancel it due to lower ratings and reviews, leaving many longtime fans massively disappointed.
In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Hemsworth reacted to Westworld‘s cancelation, and he’s just as disappointed as fans. Hemsworth says that he’s very grateful for having been able to be a part of the show, but that the real pain was learning of Westworld‘s cancelation on his 42nd birthday. Read Hemsworth’s full comment below:
“You hope these things go forever, but everyone’s got their own reasons. I’m very thankful for my part in that series and that journey was a big part of my life, but yeah it was disappointing… I think the idea right from the start was to go full circle and come back to be about loops, to be about human beings and robots being stuck in that trajectory. Unfortunately, we get cut off, but it’s the nature of the world. You can’t get depressed about it. You move on, and it opens up new doors.”
Why Westworld’s Cancelation Has Garnered Mixed Responses
Like the Westworld showrunners themselves, Hemsworth says he expected season 5 to bring the series full-circle, and that it would’ve been appropriate for the tone of the show. Despite this, however, the main Westworld cast (Evan Rachel Wood, Thandiwe Newton, Jeffrey Wright, Ed Harris, and Aaron Paul) will still be getting paid for season 5, as a clause in their contracts stipulated they would be getting their full pay in the event of the final season not being greenlit. Though not confirmed, the salaries owed to these cast members are expected to be between $10 to $15 million. There was no mention of Hemsworth being a part of this group.
The immediate audience reaction in the wake of Westworld‘s cancelation was disappointment and outrage, leading fans to start signing a petition to save season 5. To date, the change.org petition currently has nearly 11k signatures, with many petitioners saying that they’re still waiting for “one last loop around the bend.” Though many people insist that Westworld needs one more season to end the series properly, others think that the show should’ve ended a long time ago. Some fans think that Westworld could have ended perfectly after season 1 or season 2, and that later seasons skewed the show’s true messages in favor of making more money.
Though there has not been one set reason for Westworld‘s untimely cancelation, many attribute it to season 4’s sharp decline in viewership. That doesn’t mean the series wasn’t beloved by dedicated fans, however, or that the show’s story is over – there has been a long history of fans reviving canceled series, as with Lucifer and Brooklyn Nine-Nine. While HBO hasn’t commented on this possibility, longtime Westworld fans can rest assured knowing that the show’s cast is just as disappointed in the show’s cancelation as they are.
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