'The Originals' Interview: Nathan Parsons on Jackson's Deal with Klaus & Future with Hayley

With each faction trying to strengthen its authority under this seemingly ill-fated treaty, things are only beginning to heat up in the French Quarter on The Originals.

While the witches are tapping into their ancestry, Marcel (Charles Michael Davis) is off working with Thierry (Callard Harris) and Elijah (Daniel Gillies) attempts to restore his home to its former glory.

Meanwhile, Klaus (Joseph Morgan) has his own plan at play, temporarily teaming up with Jackson (Nathan Parsons) to find out more about his family line and give the pack more power than ever.

JJJ caught up with Nathan to talk about Jackson’s alliance with Klaus, his relationship with Hayley, and more. Check it!

The Originals airs TONIGHT @ 8PM on The CW!

JustJaredJr.com: Jackson has aligned himself with Klaus, at least for the time being, to serve both their interests. How far is Jackson willing to take this?

Nathan Parsons: Jackson will only do something if it’s right for his pact. He’s not afraid of dying, and to become a werewolf you have to kill someone, so they’ve all done that. There’s a line and a boundary, and that moves a little further in their situation because of everything they’ve been through and Marcel has done to them over the years. The line has been really pulled back there, so what Jackson is going to do is really whatever it takes. At this point, they’re out in the Bayou. It’s not healthy, it’s not safe, there are kids out there being raised in shacks and in tents in the swamp. These are kids are nephews of Jackson. This is his family and his life, so to have the opportunity to move all of that to New Orleans where he feels they belong, who knows how far he’s willing to go. I think he’ll do pretty much anything.

JJJ: Does he really trust that Klaus will hold up his side of the bargain? Jackson knows he has his own agenda, for sure.

NP: I think Klaus is only always going to have his own motive. You can never trust him. You can never trust a vampire in general. On the one hand, the pack could protect his child. But is this just another ploy for Klaus to get more power? Does he want to create a werewolf army now? I don’t think Jackson would be willing to let his people get turned into machines. But he is offering something pretty powerful and maybe we’ll play along for a little bit, but if he wants to use us that way, to become some half-crazed army, then no. I think that’s going to be a big pot of contention if that is the case.

Click inside to read the rest of our interview with Nathan Parsons…

JJJ: Hayley doesn’t know about his teaming up with Klaus yet. How will she react?

NP: I think it depends on where Hayley and Klaus are really. If Hayley starts to trust Klaus, or Elijah and Hayley start to believe that Klaus does want what’s best for his kid, if they start to develop that relationship, she will see it as a good thing. Klaus and his family, and them all to become one big happy family. But let’s face it, Klaus, you can’t trust him. I think honestly she might be a little bit upset about it. We’ll see.

JJJ: Oliver seems like a loose cannon. Will he cause problems for Jackson?

NP: Oliver’s always been a loose cannon. Oliver is going to go off and pick fights, but at the end of the day, werewolves run in packs. That’s what they do. They develop this hierarchy that they’ve established over years and they are so dependent on each other. One wolf by itself is nothing, but a pack of wolves is everything. If Oliver does go off, Jackson will be there to clean up the mess because that’s what he does. He’s going to take care of his pack.

JJJ: We learned a little bit about Hayley and Jackson’s destiny. Will we learn more about their past?

NP: I hope so. Hayley wants to reconnect with her family. Maybe when she said that, that’s not quite what she was bargaining for, being betrothed to somebody is a little much when you first meet your family. But I think there’s a genuine interest in her reconnecting to the pack and part of that is understanding her place in the hierarchy. Hayley is an Alpha. She is a leader amongst her people even if she doesn’t know it yet. Wolves always want that and need that, and that’s why Jackson is the way he is. He is also a leader. So I would love to see that relationship develop, but I don’t know.

JJJ: Do you think Jackson is a better suitor for Hayley than Elijah?

NP: Of course I do! But that’s not for me to say. Jackson is a werewolf, an Alpha, and a great guy. But I don’t know.

JJJ: Elijah is still pretty reliant on this treaty holding up. Is he a little naive in that sense?

NP: Is there a chance for werewolves and vampires to see eye-to-eye? I don’t know. Elijah and Jackson hope so. I think Klaus has his own way of thinking about it. Maybe there’s a chance, but vampires and werewolves don’t like each other. Maybe Jackson, Elijah, and Hayley can figure out a way, but I don’t know he can get over that whole grudge.

JJJ: Fans are very vocal about which couples they like, and Hayley and Elijah is a favorite. What kind of reactions have you seen from fans about Jackson?

NP: I’ve been busy going back between both shows [he's also on True Blood], so I haven’t really had a chance to gauge the reaction yet. But from everything I hear, it’s going great. I just can’t wait to continue this story and finish out the season. I think the season finale is going to be crazy. I can’t wait to see what happens. Should I survive going into season two, just keep developing this thing. I can’t wait to get more into it. It’s so much fun.

JJJ: And finally, we have to talk about the witches. Where do they come into this whole situation?

NP: The witches are the wildcard here. We know the vampires have power. We know the werewolves hate them. We know the humans are stuck in the middle. But the witches are the wildcard. There’s not many of them, they’re not very powerful, but if they want to, they can really ruin your day. You really just don’t know who’s going to get them on their side. Because they’re a powerful weapon. The real concern is if they decide to go out on their own and they get tired of all the alliances.