Connor Jessup Previews Ben's Growing Alienation on Falling Skies

Like Ben Mason, the human/alien hybrid he plays on TNT's sci-fi hit Falling Skies, Connor Jessup has a dual personality. The Canadian actor, who turns 18 on Saturday, has been on TV since he was a tween, but he's also been an exec producer on the indie teen flick Amy George and a writer and director of several short films. "Right now I want to do it all," the confident Jessup says with a laugh.
Laughs aren't in the picture anytime soon for Ben, the angsty adolescent whose time with the Skitters, the show's alien invaders, has left him with superhuman strength and mysterious glowing spikes in his back. His ordeal has fueled a "consuming rage" to kill Skitters, which leads to life-changing consequences in Sunday's emotional episode (9/8c). Ben and his only friend, Jimmy (Dylan Authors), defy orders and go out gunning for the creatures. "It's probably not the smartest thing to do," Jessup says.
As the hunters become the hunted, Ben has his first face-to-mandible encounter with a Skitter later known as Red Eye. "What will complicate Ben's feelings," the actor teases, "is it seems not all Skitters are the same. The situation is not as black-and-white as we thought."
Which could provide a small glimmer of hope for Ben. "He's looking for any positive spin he can find that will show that what's happening to him isn't all bad." There's another hopeful moment for the entire 2nd Mass when a self-proclaimed emissary from a new government in Charleston, South Carolina, arrives and encourages the group to join them. "That becomes the goal for the rest of the season," Jessup reveals.
Meanwhile, Ben faces yet another tragedy. "At this point, we don't know if this will help him reconsider his violence or push him further down," the actor muses. "There are a lot of complex issues ahead."
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