Like his role in ‘Away,’ Josh Charles chooses to roll with the punches

Talitha Bateman (left) and Josh Charles

Josh Charles was only 22 years old when he made moviegoers sit and notice that the handsome teenage Turk he was in Peter Weir’s “Dead Poets Society” was more than ready to get cast against type—particularly, for Andrew Fleming’s “Threesome,” the thematically provocative film costarring Lara Flynn Boyle and Stephen Baldwin.

While extolling the joys of working with Weir, Josh told the LA Times at the time that one of his realizations from working with the auteur behind such films as “The Truman Show” and “Witness” was that one can’t really plan too far ahead. “One thing I’ve learned about his business is this whole ‘plan thing’—it does not work.”

Twenty-six years later, about a week before Josh turns 49 years old, the aforementioned quote still rings true even for Nasa (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) chief engineer Matt Logan, the character he portrays in “Away,” the sci-fi drama he costars with two-time Oscar winner Hilary Swank.

In the 10-episode series, which began streaming on Netflix last Friday, Hilary is cast as Matt’s wife Emma Green, commander of a quintet of space explorers who hurtles off into the cosmos for a three-year exploratory mission to Mars.

Matt was also good enough for Emma’s top post, but had to quit the training program for astronauts after he was diagnosed with a debilitating genetic condition that has since run roughshod over his dream of “conquering the stars.”

Matt doesn’t just blow his chance to go to Mars, he’s also left with the responsibility to take care of his and Emma’s 15-year-old daughter Lexi, who’s beginning to assert her independence as she comes of age. Just the same, he chooses to roll with the punches.

“This was gut-wrenching for him,” Josh said, reacting to Matt’s sudden disqualification for the trip to Mars. “He could have gotten that shot, right? But as you saw in the flashback, as they were training to become astronauts, and Emma had just given birth to Lexi, that was when he heard the news about this genetic condition that his father had passed on to him.

Charles (left) and Hilary Swank in “Away”

“This took him by surprise, but he understood [sending him to space] was something Nasa wouldn’t risk taking—the risk was substantial enough to put an astronaut in space, where his illness could manifest.

“He was dealt a low blow but has chosen to move on, because he isn’t someone who lives with regret. He’s still with Nasa, anyway. He is very much involved with the mission as chief engineer because he knows the ins and outs of the spacecraft. He feels that he and Emma are sharing the same dream. So, for him, it’s become even more important for the mission to pull though. Emma can continue the mission for him.”

Our Q&A with Josh:

What did you find most appealing about this fusion of science-fiction and family drama?

What drew me to it is inherent in your question, which is the combination of those two elements. We’ve seen a lot of these outer space-themed stories, but this one focuses on the interpersonal relationships among the main characters. That’s the stuff that interests me as an actor, and I felt like that could potentially be very rich and satisfying to play.

What was your initial impression of your Nasa engineer character?

Matt is very selfless. His dreams are Emma’s dreams. He continues to get involved with the mission, even though he was left on Earth. So, I hope they like the show enough to get invested in it and care about Matt, Emma and the other characters.

Charles (left) and Hilary Swank in “Away”

What aspect of the role really put you through your “thespic” paces?

In creating the character, the most challenging was the physical aspects of what Matt goes through. He struggles to do his work in a wheelchair, which is hard and challenging if you’re used to being self-reliant. It made me very much aware of people who go through a similar experience, you know—it’s something I had never experienced before.

But seeing myself in other people’s shoes and realizing what it feels like to be away from your own body … you’re used to feeling strong and used to the notion that you can do everything … and then suddenly, you can’t do anything without help—what does that do to you? That was a real challenge!

Even if Matt hits a wall early on in the show, he’s quite a strong character. He isn’t a quitter. His determination and drive will compel him to stop at nothing to get back to work, and get back to being able to walk again. That’s his immediate goal right now.

He needs to find a sense of normalcy so that he can do his job, protect the mission, ensure the safety of his wife, and be the best dad for his daughter. The journey of this guy may sound simple, but to get back to how he was physically, there’s a lot of obstacles getting in the way. That, in a nutshell, is Matt’s journey in Season 1.

What was it like working with Talitha Bateman, who plays your daughter in the show?

She’s super talented and super sweet. I absolutely adore her, and I thought we built a nice chemistry together. We really bonded. You know, I started acting around the same time—she’s 18. So, I always feel a certain kinship when I’m working on projects with young actors because they remind me of myself when I was just starting out as an actor. She may look young, but she’s a real pro. I love doing scenes with her.