Shazad Latif honored to tell Capt. Nemo's origin story in 'Nautilus'

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1 of 3 | Shazad Latif and Georgia Flood star in "Nautilus." New episodes air on Sunday nights. Photo courtesy of AMC
NEW YORK, July 6 (UPI) -- Star Trek: Discovery and Penny Dreadful alum Shazad Latif says he was excited to star in Nautilus and find ways to make Jules Verne's classic adventure story, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, his own.
"That's the beauty of what we were able to do. It was a privilege, it was an honor, but it was very fun to get a chance to do that which you don't really get to do -- the origin story," Latif, 36, told UPI in a recent phone interview. "We sort of had free rein, so it was a very freeing experience, really."
Set in the late 19th century, the series follows Captain Nemo as he escapes a British penal colony, steals back the show's titular submarine, which he designed for the East India Mercantile Company, and sets out with a ragtag crew to find a fabled Viking treasure.
New episodes air Sundays on AMC and AMC+ The ensemble includes Georgia Flood, Céline Menville, Thierry Fremont, Richard E. Grant, Anna Torv and Noah Taylor.
Like the Nemo in the book, Latif's hero is a bit of a mystery when viewers first meet him.
"He still is a brilliant man, but we're seeing the man before the myth," the actor said.
"You don't really get to know him in 20,000 Leagues. You don't really get to know his origin story properly, until Mysterious Island, the other book, so we're watching this genius, radical dude, but you're watching the young version, how he was shaped by the colonial forces around him, the trauma of that," Latif added.
"He's a deeply emotional person. He's idealistic and and we watch him grow. We watch him learn that you can't do everything on your own."
Along for the ride are several other former inmates -- who have no idea how to crew a type of underwater vessel they've never seen before -- along with several British captives and one very hungry dog.
"It's almost a dictatorship at the start. He gives a lot of commands and expects a lot of action and no one to question him," Latif said of Nemo.
"I suppose that's where the trouble starts -- when he realizes he has to open up and tell them his story and what happened to him, the horrible things that happened to him at the hands the East India Company, and show some vulnerability to get them on his side," Latif added. "It wouldn't just work if he's just giving orders."
Nemo feels ownership of the Nautilus because he helped build the ship and named it for the type of seashell his beloved dead daughter once gave him.
"It's his home. It's also his chance for revenge," Latif said of the Nautilus. "This is a ship that can give him what he wants and he needs the treasure to get back to London."
Throughout the season, Nemo discovers there is more to life than his vendetta against the East India Company.
"It becomes a safe haven," Latif said of the ship.
"It becomes a home and then it becomes a thing of exploration and he opens up a bit to the beauty of the world by the end of it and realizes he's not just going to be hell-bent for the rest of his life against the East India Company. He is going to explore."
Latif thinks audiences will relate to the show's themes of wealth, power and exploitation because there are still institutions crushing people in real life in 2025.
"We keep saying we're more evolved and more civilized, but, I suppose, every day, there's still things going on which are still as bad as what the East India Company used to be," Latif said.
"The reality is, they did some horrific, horrific things. Obviously, our show's a bit lighter than that and we touch on it, but it's, obviously, an adventure, a family show with elements of Pirates of the Caribbean," he added.
"So, we don't delve deep into the horrific elements as such, even though it's obviously there as the backdrop. But it definitely resonates today. Just go look at the news and there's some horrific things going on, so it's just a timely reminder, I guess."
Helping the cast immerse itself in the show's specific time and place were elaborate sets, including a magnificent practical representation of the Nautilus.
"There was loads of CGI, but our ship was a working, walk-able thing, which was its own alive being. It was so well-designed and just puts you into the world and you're stuck in the studio all day and you don't really get much sunlight, so it just sort of felt like you were on the ship," Latif said. "It just made our job more fun and easier."
Working in such close quarters for long amounts of time also helped the cast get to know each other really well.
"You're all sitting together in the tent. Someone's napping. Someone's doing some work. Someone's drinking coffee," Latif said. "You just naturally form that bond that would naturally form on a ship."
Secrets don't stay secrets for long...
Don't miss a new episode of #Nautilus tonight at 9PM on AMC or stream it early on AMC+. pic.twitter.com/u76FX20lRK— AMC TV (@AMC_TV) July 6, 2025