How Shazad Latif Brought Alan Moore’s Dark Vision to Life as Captain Nemo in Nautilus
Shazad Latif Finds Inspiration in Alan Moore’s Comics for Captain Nemo Role
Shazad Latif, known for his role in Star Trek: Discovery, is bringing a fresh take to the iconic Captain Nemo in AMC Plus’ series Nautilus. The show explores Nemo’s early days, right after he builds his famous submarine, setting the stage for the classic story from Jules Verne’s 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.
- Latif’s approach to young Captain Nemo
- Influences from Jules Verne’s novel and Alan Moore’s comics
- Challenges of filming the intense series
- Balancing dark themes with adventurous moments
Creating a New Origin Story
With Nautilus serving as an origin story, Latif had the freedom to shape Nemo’s character from scratch. “I had free rein, because we haven’t met this character at this young of an age, so this is the origin story,” he shared. The series spans 10 episodes, allowing a deep dive into Nemo’s persona.
Diving into Inspiration
Latif spent six months preparing for the role, drawing heavily from the original Jules Verne book. He was particularly struck by the description of Nemo’s “somber fire,” which influenced how he portrayed the character’s voice and posture. He also looked back at past portrayals, including James Mason’s 1954 Disney adaptation and Naseeruddin Shah’s role in the 2003 film adaptation of Alan Moore’s The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.
Latif reminisced, “I read the Alan Moore comics and stuck those pictures all over [my] room like a crazy man. You feel like you’re in True Detective or something, just shoving everything on the wall to get inspiration.”
Watch a clip of the 2005 movie Mysterious Island featuring Patrick Stewart as Nemo:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fm5xhfSUvkQ
The Grind Behind the Scenes
Filming Nautilus was no easy task. Latif described a demanding 210-day shoot with just a short break, packed with stunts and underwater training. “Every day, you’re doing something different,” he said. “You’ve got to learn the stunts, you’ve got to do underwater training. As soon as you get home you have about two hours to eat and then learn your lines and you’re completely exhausted. Then you wake up at 5 a.m. again. It was intense, but there’s something nice about getting in the zone. By the end, you’re sort of a well-honed machine.”
Balancing Darkness and Adventure
Nemo’s story is fueled by tragedy and revenge against the British East India Company, which destroyed his family and took his lands. Latif acknowledged the challenge of mixing these heavy themes with the show’s lighter, adventurous tone, including whale rescues and battles with giant squids.
“It’s hard to play this lead character in the style of Indiana Jones or Brendan Fraser in The Mummy,” he explained. “You have to buy into that, but as long as there’s an emotional truth to everything you’re doing, I think the audience buys it.”
New episodes of Nautilus premiere Sundays on AMC and AMC Plus.
