In A Discovery of Witches, Matthew Goode plays Matthew Clairmont, a cunning, mysterious vampire who finds love with a witch. Season 2 finds Matthew and witch-in-training Diana, in 1590 London, as they continue their search for The Book of Life. In this interview with amc.com, Goode talks about becoming a more ruthless version of Matthew, how Matthew really feels about Kit, and the magic of working with Teresa Palmer.

Q: It’s clear that the Matthew we meet circa 1590 is a different man. Not only in style and costume, but also in demeanor, and the way he carries himself. Can you talk a bit about transforming into this earlier version of Matthew? 

A: It’s 1590, so they were quite literally darker times. It’s medieval. I looked at paintings; they held themselves in a different way, just due to the nature of the clothing. Matthew has evolved up into the 21st century, so he knows that the man in the 16th century is a completely different Matthew. He was much more dangerous as an individual. He hated witches. There was much more warfare going on during those times. They were just much more dangerous times.

So, it’s a part within a part. He has to play himself and it’s not a very easy thing for him to do. I mean, he’s always got pretty good posture, but I wanted him to feel a little more awkward and be a bit more rigid. We were able to give him a beard, and we played with the idea of just making him look like men that we’d seen in paintings.