'Tomorrow People' Interview: Luke Mitchell on John & Cara's 'Tumultuous Journey'

Check out this brand new interview with The Tomorrow People star Luke Mitchell!

The 28-year-old Aussie actor plays John, the leader of the group who helps guide newbie Stephen (Robbie Amell) through his growing abilities.

We caught up with Luke to get the scoop on John’s relationship with Cara (Peyton List), his alleged history with Jedikiah (Mark Pellegrino), and more!

The Tomorrow People airs every Wednesday night @ 9PM on The CW!

Click inside to read our interview with Luke Mitchell…

JustJaredJr.com Interview – Luke Mitchell

JustJaredJr: Hi Luke! So tell us about your audition process and how you got involved with the show.

Luke Mitchell: I moved to L.A. at the start of this year and this was my first pilot season. I just started auditioning, got an accent coach, an acting coach, worked quite hard. And then yeah, I got a callback for my first audition, which was hilarious because it was actually the worst audition I had done up until that point. I think my brain was fried from learning lines and putting so much effort in…it just came on a very bad day for me and it just wasn’t a very good audition. But clearly they saw something in me and I got the email later that night that I got a callback. I opened the email and saw The Tomorrow People and I just burst out laughing. I was like, “Are you kidding me? Of course. This is like Murphy’s Law.” I was thrilled because it was the best pilot script I read to-date. I was like, “Awesome, I get a second chance for nothing.” I wasn’t sure I deserved it after my performance in the original audition (laughs).

JJJ: We don’t believe that!

LM: But they liked me so I was like, “I’m going to work on this all day.” I went back the next day and did a much better audition. I walked out with a really good feeling. I called my manager and was like, “Just so you know, I hit this out of the park. Regardless if I get this role or not, I just wanted to let you know that I feel good and I think I did it good.” He called me back an hour later and said, “You’re right. They want you for a studio test.” That was the following week and I went in for the execs, and I was the only one there for John. I was nervous about that and I was trying not to let that play with my mind. Obviously, you start thinking, “Oh maybe I already got it” or this or that. I was convincing myself that there were multiple days and I just happened to be the only John on that day. And then I went in there and it was so daunting. Everyone prepared me for it, but once you get in there, there’s just a completely dark room with executives staring at you. It was a very interesting process, but I got through it. I figured getting through that process still standing is a win (laughs). I got a call that night that they wanted me. It was very surreal. It didn’t hit me straight away and I was very, very excited.

JJJ: Wow, awesome. And we loved the pilot too! But it looks like we haven’t even scratched the surface on what’s to come…

LM: Oh yeah, absolutely. The pilot is great and we’re all very proud it, but the bottom line is that it’s the entry into that world, the introduction to the characters, and probably the least exciting of all the stuff we’ve done. And I don’t mean that in any disrespect to the pilot episode, but it just means that it keeps getting better and better. I just know script-wise and the stuff we’ve shot, we’ve shot some really big storylines and really epic things that have happened already. And we’re not even up to episode 13 yet. It feels like it’s just getting bigger and more grounded, which allows us to go in any direction we want. It’s really cool. I’m really enjoying the way the story is growing and developing. As soon as a new script is released, we’re all like, “Where is it? We have to get it. We have to find out what’s going on.” So that’s like our weekly cast battle, who gets to read the episode first.

JJJ: We got a small glimpse into Cara and John’s relationship. How would you describe it?

LM: It’s strange because it has the weight of responsibility on it, the responsibility of looking out for their species and having this agenda. They’re not just a regular couple with a regular life going, “Yeah, let’s go out to the movies” or “Let’s go have some us time.” There’s never really us time. It’s fighting bad guys. It’s strange and weighted, but full of love. They care about each other deeply and it’s kind of a tumultuous journey for them. You start to see different colors in each of those characters that are infused into their relationship. And then obviously, the complexity of adding Stephen in the mix, who not only has a link to Cara, but who’s also a good-looking young man (laughs).

JJJ: We can’t disagree there! Stephen and John aren’t exactly friends, but they have to work together for a common cause, right?

LM: They are forced together, which makes for a very interesting dynamic. They kind of have to work together. Which is great because everyone loves a competition (laughs).

JJJ: Do you think at some point they will be able to trust each other completely?

LM: That’s a good question. I like to think any two people, at some point in time, can come to a place where they can absolutely trust each other, but these two in particular, they are going to be a long way away just because they are different sorts of people. And also the age thing. Stephen is quite a few years younger than John. It’s kind of a little bit of maturity versus immaturity thing. John’s been through a hell of lot and Stephen thinks he’s been through a hell of a lot, which he has compared to a normal teenager, but not by comparison to John. He’s had more experience in life and perhaps a more complicated past.

JJJ: In the promo, we see that John has this mysterious past with Jedikiah. When and how will that start to play out?

LM: Well, you start getting more of a taste for that in episode four, which is the first episode that deals with my character’s back story. That will wet your appetite for that (laughs), but you won’t find out everything. And then we delve into it quite deeply in episodes eight and nine. It’s pretty epic.

JJJ: It was recently announced that Nicholas Young, who starred as John in the original British series during the 70s, scored a recurring role on the show. Have you worked with him yet?

LM: Yes. I think we still have some stuff to do together, but we’ve had worked together and he’s great. He’s charming and a really good actor.

JJJ: According to one of the promos, it looks like John may be sniffing out a mole in the group soon. Will we see him take on that leadership role a lot?

LM: I think so. John is a leader and he does have leadership qualities above anyone else, so you will see him carry that through, but that doesn’t mean he always makes the best decisions. You’ll see what I mean. Russell always has opinion and Cara always has her opinion, and a lot of times they conflict. Conflict arises from that. What’s a leader if the people he’s leading aren’t behind him?