'Black Sails' Season 3: 'It doesn’t get better than this' says cast member Ray Stevenson

Cast member Ray Stevenson talked about what it was like to play the pirate Blackbeard in “Black Sails” Season 3 in a recent interview. The actor talked about the actual historical figure, on which his character was based on, and spoke about how the screenwriters were portraying him on the show.

In an interview with Sinful Celluloid, Stevenson described the historical figure as a 6 feet four inches tall man who was “larger than life.” Blackbeard also used the name Edward Teach and the actor described him as a “colossus of strength.”

The physical strength is not the only attribute of the man that Stevenson is interested in. “Edward Teach was a very sophisticated man and was a contemporary in one of the most technically advanced nations,” the actor said.

Stevenson pointed out that even though his character was based on Blackbeard, he is not playing a “historic character.” He also explained that most of the accounts of the infamous pirate were written by “victors and sensationalist journalists” and so he only considers these accounts to give the readers an idea about past events.

The character in “Black Sails” Season 3 is a well read man, but is also arrogant. Stevenson credited the writers of the show for creating his character. “ It’s also a credit to the writing. There is an emotional intelligence there. I was able to bring out so many other layers within this human being,” the actor said.

The actor hopes to engage the audience on “many levels.” Perhaps the most distinct feature of Blackbeard is his ruthlessness. Stevenson said that this trait comes from “a different place” and the pirate is not trying to intentionally portray himself to be ruthless.

Talking about the cast and crew of “Black Sails” Season 3, he felt that they have “raised the bar” this time around. Stevenson said that working with the incredibly talented people around him made him feel that “it doesn’t get better than this.”