The CW doesn't strike many veteran viewers as the most obvious TV home for a medieval historical drama, but its hit series Reign, a fictionalized account of the life in the very real royal court of Mary, Queen of Scots in the 16th century, has found a definite place on the network. The series, which will air its season finale this Thursday, regularly mixes up medieval political intrigue, romance, and drama; all while delivering loads of graphic and mature content, which includes abuse, adultery, slitting throats, fatal attacks, rape, disease, and lots and lots of gettin' it on.

One of the those players in the on-screen intensity is Jonathan Keltz, whose role of Leith started out as a series regular in season one and was eventually bumped up to the main cast in season two. Enstars recently got the chance to catch up with Keltz and talk about the show's mature content, the surprising diversity of Reign's fan base, and what he can tell us about next season.

Enstars: I'm surprised at how much graphic content is shown on Reign. Do you ever feel surprised at how much adult content can be shown on a network that's typically meant for younger viewers?

Jonathan Keltz: There is a lot of mature graphic content and although we do have a lot of younger viewers, we have a wide base of viewers. I think that a lot of people just sort of assume that The CW's audience is girls that are 12-16. And I found that particularly for our show, our viewership is definitely in that range and they support us, which is wonderful, but we have a lot of older viewers as well. I know a lot of couples who actually watch the show together, which is interesting. And there are couples in their 20's and 30's, and then there are women in their 40's and 50's who are watching it together as well. I've also found that a lot of mother- daughter groups watch it together as well and [they] watch these strong powerful women.

I think that there's a lot of admirable things about the show. Obviously, we are pushing the boundaries in terms of what we can show and the content matter that we're sort of tackling with the show. And just the way that we go about telling all of these stories...I know the last time I saw a show that moved quite up to speed, a lot of shows something will happen- the two episodes talking about what's gonna happen, then the two episodes where it actually happens. And there'll be two episodes after that where we're talking about what happened. And I think we move at such a break-neck speed.

I think the way these issues have been handled and the way that the writers and the actors have tried to respect these situations in terms of what trauma is, the deeds were of a woman and a queen of this time and having to endure that and to fight and to push through and to represent the nation and not just herself. It's not about her pushing it under the rug.

ES: Have there ever been scenes that were too graphic that they couldn't air them?

JK: There was this scene where there was a house full of people infected by the plague and there was somebody who broke their arm through a window like it was trying to be boarded up and put together, and this young boy- with an ax- chops off the arm that's reaching out of the window. And he's infected so somebody shoots him with an arrow so that he doesn't come any closer. Something like that is something that shows the plague absolutely in graphic violence, but we just didn't end up having time to make it happen versus it being anything that we were trying to censor ourselves from doing.

ES: How do fans react when this stuff gets displayed? Are they mostly supportive?

JK:If [the fans] are swept up and they're caught up in the roller coaster ride of the show, that's the support we want. Obviously, there are a lot of frustrations especially with some of the younger fans, and the thing that they want to see is the relationship they love. They really want to see these people be happy and be happy together and be those happy couples.

But it's hard. These are people who historically did not lead very happy lives and it was about what they had to endure and what they had to conquer and push through and sacrifice and that made them so interesting to have such fascinating people to get a chance to look at.

ES: Do you think the show is going to continue to push the boundaries as it approaches the third season?

JK:I think so. In speaking with the writers and the producers and obviously with our point of view, we're not trying to push the boundaries and push ourselves further and show more and do that. What we're hoping to do is show as accurate a fantastical vision is of these people in these times.

We're trying to tell a story...a story about historical figures showing these relationships and what these politics and what these times were like.

I think people should be prepared. Season two is definitely very different from Season one, and Season three will be pretty different from Season two. This is a show that will continue to evolve. There will be new people arriving, there will be old people departing- and I don't mean old as in old age.

Season three is going to bring a lot. It's already been written about and we have a [Queen] Elizabeth joining the show and that alone is going to change what it is that we see in the world that we [already] see...I think there are definitely some really exciting times ahead for the gang.

ES: Speaking of Queen Elizabeth, were you excited when you found out she would be coming aboard the series?

JK:Queen Elizabeth is such an unbelievable woman character and just bringing something like that into the mix, it's a game-changer and it provides so much story. I was then excited that Rachel Skarsten was cast to play her because she's an old friend of mine and a fantastic actress so I was just thrilled that it was somebody that I knew and somebody so great and perfect to play the role.

ES: Anything else you can tell us about the third season?

JK: [Laughs] Trust me, I know barely more than you guys do. We don't know anything that's gonna happen in Season three. I know how we lead things in Season two, but what happens moving forward, your guess is as good as mine.

ES: What is your favorite thing about Leith?

JK: There is a determined self-sacrifice for love. This guy is doing everything he can to be with the woman that he loves and to make it happen in what he thinks is her dream and his dream from the beginning...he's lost sight of where they are now versus where they were when they first started and I think that they're different people so there will be reconciling that has to happen. But I think that there's a calm determination to him that I really try to connect with and admire about him.

ES: You have a wide range of film credits, including 21 & Over, Breach and Prom. What is it like to be in movies versus being on television?

JK: Movies are fun, you get to dive into a character and you get to really explore him with this group and six-ten weeks later, you say goodbye and that's that. And with TV shows, the thing about it is that you and the other actors, the crew and everything, you build this family, you build this unit that's just slugging it out together and I'm so fortunate that I have the cast that I get to work with and the crew I get to work with.

I'm really grateful for the family that I have and I think that's something that really, really is built in a TV show. It's nine-and-a-half months a year, I'm spending more time with some of these people than they are with their families. So I think that it's great to be surrounded by such talented wonderful people and I feel very fortunate.

Tags: Reign television the cw Jonathan Keltz