Apple TV+'s Time Bandits cast talk S1 finale, becoming a family on-set, and what they want to see next

The time is now! The last two episodes of the first season of Apple TV+'s Time Bandits are out now and you have our promise that they are definitely worth watching!

Time Bandits is based on the 1981 film of the same name directed by Terry Gilliam and created by Jemaine Clement (What We Do In The Shadows), Iain Morris, and Taika Waititi (Our Flag Means Death). The season premiered on Jul. 24 with the last two episodes being released on Aug. 21.

If you aren't caught up, the series is centered on Kevin, an 11-year-old who is a history nerd and explorer who joins the Bandits on a journey through space and time. With his sister, Saffron, Kevin explores the world while discovering that life is all about being fearless and finding the fun as he goes on many adventures during the course of the episodes.

The series stars Lisa Kudrow as Penelope, Kal-El Tuck as Kevin, Kiera Thompson as Saffron, Tadhg Murphy as Alto, Roger Jean Nsengiyumva as Widgit, Rune Temte as Bittelig, Charlyne Yi as Judy, and Rachel House as Fianna.

The Parent Watch spoke to four of the Bandits, Tadgh Murphy (Alto), Roger Jean Nsengiyumva (Widget), Rune Temte (Bitteleg), and Kal-El Tuck (Kevin), how they breathed life into their characters through their own personalities and their feelings about shooting the finale episode. Digging for more, read on to find out more about the last two episodes of the first season of Time Bandits. Don't waste any more time, and read on to get the insight you need before watching the finale.

Alto, who is an actor, a thespian, feels like it probably isn't too far off from you. I wanted to ask you first about what is the intersection between you and your character?

Tadhg Murphy: He's an exaggerated version of me. It's sad to say that, but that is the truth. He has all the same dreams and aspirations that I have. The only thing I can't do that he can do is obviously travel through time, even though I can do it inside my mind. I just think of myself and exploded open. That's it. It's amazing how accurate you were straight away: 'Where I would imagine Alto was just like you." How did you know? You're absolutely right!

We see different sides of both of these characters; For Widget, I'd love to know where you start [and end] and Widget begins.

Roger Jean Nsengiyumva: I would like to say that Widget has absolutely nothing to do with me. [Laughs] Unfortunately, we're more alike than I would like. I recently had a child. I had a beautiful daughter, and we registered her birth last week, and I drove us to the wrong building. I'm trying my hardest to try and think of ways that, in this interview and others alike, I can distance myself from Widget, but unfortunately, Unfortunately, we're very similar. I think one trait that I did actually find difficult was being mean to Kal-El, Kevin, because that's so foreign to me. In fact, I even remember on set, we were specifically on the medieval. Maybe it was episode 8, and Kal-El and Kiera [Thompson]; they're just incredible actors [and] artists. I can't remember what they were doing, but they were playing something, and I was like, 'Guys, guys, come on.' They were so in the scene. They had a million lines, and they were just in there. I say something like, 'You're about to cry there, weren't you, Kevin?' That's the only area that I'm not similar to Widget, [which] is how mean he is to children. That's a really sad trait for Widget to have. I'm awfully similar to him, unfortunately.

It's a lot easier when you can find things from whether it's your real life, (i.e your real personality) to put into the character. It's a positive thing. When it came to shooting the last two episodes, episode 9 [and] episode 10, I am very interested to hear about your experiences on set. When it came to the finale, what your mindset like knowing that you were shooting the final episode of the season.

TM: That's such a great question to bring up because you're reaching the end, you're in a new family, you've grown very, very close, and you don't want to say goodbye. That bleeds into the actual show. All those last scenes together, there's an underlying emotion going through of not wanting to let go. Some jobs, that's not the case. These people are my family, and they will be in my life forever and ever. It was the knowing of that, doing whatever happens with the show for the rest of its life. We have all these moments that we collected together. It's such a great question because I haven't actually thought of that now. I haven't watched the last two episodes yet. I can't wait to watch them. I have that in my mind now going, 'Oh, my God, I remember how I felt then.' I want to say goodbye to Roger. As it turns out, I haven't said goodbye to Roger. I call him regularly. Our kids were born basically a week apart, which is absolutely mad and absolutely glorious and gorgeous. That's what I'm talking about. That's the answer to your question: It felt like family at the end.

RJN: I cried. I think my last scene, I wasn't filming with any of We were filming. I cried. That's what I'll say I cried. One thing that I love to say with really great experiences, which has been true for us, is that it's not goodbye, it's hello. I didn't want to leave. I was having so much fun there. I've wanted to go to New Zealand since I was eight. I had a really close friend move out there and then I got really into film, and Whale Rider was one of the first films where I was like, 'This is in New Zealand. What is this magical place?' We spent half a year there and I didn't want to leave. I cried. That's how it was for me.

It wraps it up nicely, but I also see room for more. I would love to see more interactions, especially more character-driven specific episodes. I'd love to see Widget have a whole episode. I want to learn so much about these characters. If your characters could have a standalone episode, what would you want them to do?

RJN: I'd like a Widget and Fianna episode. What in the world is that all about? My fiancée was so... I was like, I've got an ex-girlfriend in the show, and she was like, 'What? Who?' I was like, Rachel House, and she was like, I love Rachel House. What are you two doing? I read her some of the scenes and she was just in stitches. Now she's seen the show, she's crying, laughing about that whole relationship. I'd like to see a Widget and Fianna present or backstory. When they first met, who popped the question? What's going on? Do you know what I mean? That's what I'd like to do.

TM: Well, I obviously want to go to Ireland.

RJN: Yeah, it's gotta happen!

TM: I want to go to Ireland and just arrive in Ireland and just like, [Alto] just knows nothing about Ireland when I get there. That would be amazing.

I want to see both. I definitely want to know more about the back story behind the relationship between you and Fianna. It is something that you can do as much imagination about it, but I would love to see that actually play out on screen. Let's go to Ireland!

TM: Widget and Alto go to Ireland.

RJN: Oh, yeah. Buddy, call me.

TM: No, Alto takes Widget and Fianna to Ireland on a date. Oh, my God. He's sorting out the date for them. He's just like, 'Oh, that would be amazing because I know what to do.'

We're at the finale, and it feels like time has flown by since the season premiere. I remember when I first started watching it: 'Oh, gosh, there's only so many episodes.' What were you feeling when you first found out that the series was so positively received?

Kal-El Tuck: Like any probably other actor would. It's great! Other people are watching it and are having a good time watching it. They're enjoying it. They're having a better time because of that show. It's bringing smiles to people's faces, and that's pretty good, in my opinion.

Rune Temte: The same as Kal-El. We were waiting a long time for it to come out, and when it first came out, I was really excited to see everything that I didn't film because even though we read all the scripts and everything, I was really pleased to see that it went down well with the audience. So pleased. After all, we are in the entertainment business, so we want to entertain. For me to do a comedy like this, it's just all my dreams come true, really. I'm happy that it put smiles on peoples' face. We were able to show that there's so much love. That's great and it's a show for the whole family. That's really amazing.

Kal-El, Kevin is very smart and quick-thinking. I'd love to hear about your experience filming episode 9 or Pell-Mell, where Kevin is encountering the Supreme Being.

K-ET: That was a great scene! When me and Taika [Watiti] filmed it, we did it way longer than it should have been, but I think that's great. There was so much improv. It was so fun. It was a great challenge to try and keep up. He'd go off and get some new costumes. He'd change the script. It was amazing.

Rune, I'd love to hear about your relationship to your character and also how your character has a relationship with Kevin as well?

RT: It's interesting, isn't it? With this character work of an actor Because as you will know, we as actors are so much to character, right? So Bittelig, I suppose, [is] 99.9% me. This is quite interesting. People say, 'Oh, yeah, but it's just you, Rune'. You try to be yourself in life. It's very hard. I'm not saying that bitter leg is me, but I'm just saying it's so great to do a character that you can actually come with what is you. And it's a big heart, obviously. I'm 6'3. I can never escape that. I look the way I do. This is also approaching the character in a very open mind; Anything that goes wrong, goes on around me. I saw Bittelig as me, but more looking at it as a child. What was it like then? Oh, everything is new. Everything is good. Oh, what is this? What is that? That also brings, as you can see, I mean, in the end, you think, 'Oh, Bittelig, is he stupid?' No, I don't think he's stupid.

Is he naive? All Bandits, we are naive, but in a sense, we are more just astonished by what's going on around us. And Tilly, of course, I'm not going talk him up. He's intelligent about them. But it's an interesting way with the character. With Kevin, obviously, it's fantastic. Maybe I see a child I can play with, [and] have fun with. That's a good relationship with Kevin. I give him a lot of attention. I try to protect him because the other bandits are a little bit harsh with him. Like I said, 'Why did you send little cabin into the woods?' We never get his name right. I have a big heart for Kevin. I love being on stage with Kal-El, and it was just a pleasure. It comes through with a relationship between Bittelig and Kevin.

With your understanding of what the finale would look like; How did that feel when you first got the script? What did you feel emotions-wise, when you found out what the story was going to be?

K-ET: I thought it'd just [be] a bit like every episode that we read and we get, it's strange. There's something weird happening. You're always astonished and laughing because of how funny and how fun the script is. Another great part, once we saw the script, is we get to see how it ends and what might happen next. That's a great thing that we get to see and hope for the next.

RT: It's brilliant. So many twists and turns. That's all I can say. People have to really watch it and they should look forward to the end because it's always surprises. There's always surprises in every episode.

You can watch all 10 episodes of Time Bandits on Apple TV+