On the CW’s THE 100, Adina Porter plays Indra, one of Lexa’s most trusted warriors. She was integral in Octavia’s development from troubled girl into a fierce fighter who finds herself identifying more as a Grounder every day.
It’s been interesting to see Indra’s antagonistic relationship with the Sky People give way to acceptance. In Season 3, she’s interacting with them more than ever before. And Major Spoiler Alert: She even — gasp — smiles in their presence as you’ll see in tonight’s episode.
The TV Addict talked to the actress — who is fierce in her own right — at the recent Television Critics Association’s Winter Press Tour. She’s excited for fans to see the twists and turns that are headed their way this season.
In this exclusive interview, she teases what’s ahead in terms of the Grounders as well as Indra’s relationship with Lexa and Octavia. She reveals who among the Sky Crew her character has come to trust most. And she discusses working on the upcoming WGN America series, UNDERGROUND.
Discovering More About the Grounders. You’re going to see more of the worlds of this irradiated planet. You’re going to see more of the Grounder culture and understand why the Grounders are the survivors that they are. And you’re going to understand why being a fierce female warrior in the Grounder culture is understandable.
Playing One of THE 100’s Fierce Female Characters. “It’s magnificent. I mean, I had an opportunity to do two shows at the same time. Its timing was at the same time as The 100. And as an actor I want to do both but because THE 100 is filmed in Vancouver and the other is filmed in Los Angeles, we couldn’t work it out.”
Making the Choice to Play Indra. “We had to make a choice. And I chose to play Indra. Because there are not too many opportunities where I can play a fierce warrior. And I appreciate that fierceness kind of bleeding into my own life. Indra has a stride that Adina has adopted and I don’t apologize for it anymore. With lots of things that kind of happened in my life the last couple of years, I very much appreciate either being perceived to be a badass or being educated to become a badass or discover my inner badassness but I’m not always going to have this kind of opportunity so I’m very grateful for it and I’m running with it. I’m very glad I made that choice.”
More Indra Character Development. “You’re going to see lots of different sides of Indra. You’re going to see lots of different sides of quite a few people. We’re going to continue what you’ve learned in Season 1 and Season 2 about the Grounders and the Sky People. But you used to be able to know your friends and your enemies by where they came from, the clothes they wear. You can’t always have that luxury anymore. And you’re going to begin to see more of the human. So you know Indra the warrior. You’re going to see more and more of Indra the human. And so you’re going to see all the different emotions that come along with more human.”
Interaction with More Characters in Season 3. “You see all these fantastic people in the makeup trailer and at lunch and I absolutely love becoming more and more and more part of THE 100’s world and getting to work with the different actors. And so because of circumstances I have to choose who I can trust at the moment. And the character of Kane is someone Indra chooses to trust. And so they have a relationship that develops.”
Trusting Kane. “There are the divisions between Grounders and Sky Crew on THE 100, the women and the men on THE 100, but there are also the adults and the kids. And I see it or as I think Indra sees it, there’s the experienced warriors and the new warriors. And sometimes when you have to make an alliance, there’s a kindred spirit you can see. You are a warrior also that has had to adapt a long, long time and many different ways. And you’re not as green as that warrior is. And so I think that’s why Indra and Kane can trust each other.”
More Indra and Octavia Scenes Coming. We will connect again and we will connect again with a lot more baggage so then you’ll see how we interact with each other.
Indra’s Thoughts on Octavia. “I think Indra respects the fierce warrior that Octavia has chosen to become. I think she respects — and is maybe even a little bit jealous — of the intimate love need human connection with Lincoln. There’s a bit of a respect but love-hate with Lincoln as well because he is of my people but he chooses to love outside and will risk everything for that love. I think Indra is like a lifer army person, a lifer warrior so choose to love over — I’ve never even chosen that option but I see others doing it and I can see the enticement of it and maybe be a little bit jealous I didn’t have that. So I respect all of these people and I guess Indra’s also beginning to learn from all these people. Because just Grounder Indra way alone doesn’t cut it anymore. Because of the Sky Crew and their…they have come into our world. They have totally disrupted the alliances between the 12 clans and therefore I’m forced to adapt.”
Indra and Lexa. “Lexa is my leader. She is my commander. Has been chosen by our leaders. And I’m a lifer. I respect the choices that have been made for me. But you can only take so much. Lexa, Indra — I respect my commander but you will see that there are now chinks in the armor. Choices have to be made. You’ll see.”
Starring on WGN America’s UNDERGROUND. “So you have the world of THE 100 where it’s fantasy. And it’s after the apocalypse. And you can make parallels to what happened in the real world but it’s all fantasy. And then I got to do UNDERGROUND. And we filmed in what were real slave quarters.”
The Powerful Significance of Working on UNDERGROUND. “If the walls could talk. And you’re in this very small environment. And you’re looking at the marks on the wall. And you don’t know what those marks mean. You don’t know if it’s someone secretly trying to learn how to write. You don’t know if it was a calendar from the last time they saw their husband or wife before being sold away. You don’t know if it’s how many bales of cotton or whatever. People didn’t complain about the heat. People didn’t complain about mosquitoes. Because it was like, how dare you, after what you have endured here. It’s not like every other slave narrative that you have seen. It reminds you how fierce you had to be to make the choice to run. I’m still very close to all the actors from that show. I’ve gotten to work with the amazing director, Anthony Hemingway, in I think three different — he was TRUE BLOOD, NEWSROOM and now UNDERGROUND That was just an out and out privilege. And it’s going to be a fierce show to watch.”
THE 100 airs Thursday nights at 9/8c on The CW. UNDERGROUND is set to premiere on WGN America on March 9.