Titans' Joshua Orpin Teases Returning Characters, Reveals Hilarious Behind the Scenes Moment, and More

09/22/2021 07:17 pm EDT

Titans season 3 is hitting on all cylinders as we roll into episode 9 (which airs this Thursday on HBO Max), and the series has delivered some major shocks and delightful moments throughout the season. Conner, played by Joshua Orpin, has been at the center of several of those moments, and will likely continue to do so as the season plays out, especially if he and Blackfire continue to stay together. ComicBook.com had the chance to talk to Orpin all about the changes in season 3, what's to come in future episodes, and how one of the most shocking scenes in the season was one of the funniest behind the scenes, and you can check out our full conversation right here!

Season 3 really feels like a different beast when compared to the first 2 seasons, and having the team together is a big part of what makes season 3 so compelling.

"Yeah, I think you're right. I think you've pretty much hit the nail on the head there," Oprin said. "We're seeing, especially from the outset of season three, a real cohesion of the team. Dick Grayson has kind of come into his own as a leader. He's taken up the mantle of Nightwing. He's kind of, he's comfortable. He's found his own new identity, separate from that of Robin and Batman. And he's really become that strong kind of powerful leader that the Titans needed. So the kind of team that we see at the beginning of season three, they're a tight-knit group there. They have that really strong family bond and they're functioning quite well as a superhero unit, which is fun to see."

The team's more familial dynamic isn't just onscreen but extends to life behind the scenes. "It's really cool. It's a lot of fun and it is an interesting dynamic. It is kind of like that, almost like that big family dynamic, especially as you say, when we have those big group scenes. And there were some scenes later on in the season, which obviously you guys wouldn't have had a chance to see yet, where we've got other characters coming back in, which are absent at the moment from the team," Orpin said. "So we've got Rachel to come back, and Donna to come back, and some people to kind of group up with us. Those scenes, with the whole group, were quite interesting. They were quite a blast to shoot."

It's been immensely entertaining to see the group play off each other, and each of the characters contrasts well with the rest of the team. That said, there is delightful chemistry at work when Gar and Conner are going back and forth onscreen, and in a lot of ways, the dynamic between Gar and Conner is similar to the dynamic between Ryan Potter and Orpin.

"Yeah. Well, as you say, speaking from Conner's perspective, Gar is one of his oldest friends, apart from Krypto, because he was born relatively recently, and that dynamic is always fun to play on screen. It's a real joy to bring those moments of humor and levity to what's otherwise a pretty dark and high stakes tense story," Orpin said. "Then offscreen, Ryan is, Ryan Potter who plays Gar has kind of played a similar role to Gar, in terms of he's somewhat of an older brother or a mentor to Conner. Because obviously, I came in, it was my second set- my first season of the show was his second season. So he was showing me the ropes a little bit. And those early scenes between Connor and Gar, he was pretty much the first Titan that I had kind of significant scenes with as Connor and therefore Ryan was also one of the first actors from the main cast that I was consistently working with during that second season. And he's great fun to work with, and we get along really well off-screen, and always enjoy bringing those characters to life together."

If you've been keeping up with season 3, you know that one of the most shocking moments was the death of Hawk, who was killed by an explosive that Jason Todd inserted into his heart. That moment was painful and heartwrenching, but actually putting it together was anything but.

"That scene was hilarious to shoot by the way. I love how the- I know this is- sorry to cut you off, but I had to tell somebody (laughs). The way that we shot that scene, obviously all the fire is a visual effect, so there was no fire when I was shooting it. You know those Segways that are kind of like a board with two wheels, and you kind of just lean on it to steer it? "So the camera man was on one of those. He's got the camera mounted on his shoulder and he's zooming around me while there's another dude with like a leaf blower blowing it- so my hair is like, and I'm kind of trying to keep a straight face reacting to the death of my friends, which is arguably my fault. And there's a dude with a camera zooming around me on a Segway and a guy with a leaf blower. And I was like, wow, this, I hope this turns out good because it feels we're very silly," Oprin said.

Titans latest episode, titled Souls, releases on HBO Max this Thursday at 12:01 AM PST.

What's been your favorite Superboy moment of season 3 so far? Let us know in the comments and as always you can tal all things Titans with me on Twitter @MattAguilarCB!

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