‘Black Sails’ Said Goodbye to Another Pirate—and Here’s Why
Spoiler alert! Don’t read further if you haven’t watched the most recent Black Sails episode.
If you watched tonight’s Black Sails, you know that pirate Charles Vane (Zach McGowan) walked the plank. Well, actually…he was hung by those rotten Brits who have taken back Nassau. But either way, we’ll miss the husky-voiced lovelorn brigand.
We caught up with the New York-born-and-raised actor who’s currently in Sofia, Bulgaria making a movie. “I’m playing a character not unlike Charles Vane in a feature that’s part of a franchise, but without an English accent,” is all he allowed. We spoke to McGowan in an exclusive interview to find out why Vane had to face his maker.
Wow, so Charles Vane is really dead.
That is true.
Zach McGowan as Capitan Charles Vane
When were you told that Vane would hang?
Before I took the part. I just didn’t know when it was going to happen. Pirates have one end. I found out in the middle of shooting—around Christmas 2014. [But] I always said to them, “When are we going to do it and how are we going to do it?” That was important to me. You can’t save everyone all the time. The actual Charles Vane was hung. The tone of the show is very real, which I like very much, and you can’t keep having the situations Vane was in, where he’d always make it out. I lived a lot longer than I ever expected on that show. But, also, I never expected to live seven months of my life in Capetown, South Africa. As much as I love it there and the show, it’s so far away from my family in Los Angeles, and I have little children.
How much of the hanging scene did you do until a stunt man took over?
I’ve never been doubled. That was me hanging on there and having a blast. I kept my neck muscles flexed and swinging on a little swing. I was asked if I wanted to do a long drop with a snapped neck or a slow strangulation. I said slow is better; I could fight it for a while. I tried not to blink, and I said if my eyes close, come get me.
Vane died because he helped rescue the pirate Jack Rackham (Toby Schmitz). How will Vane’s death impact the story?
It’s fair to say that Vane’s death will affect all those pirates in a very profound way. I always told [producer Jonathan Steinberg] that I wanted to be the first one that they hang. I want it to be awful for the audience. Killing defenseless people is pretty awful. I wanted to be fearless about it as an actor, and I wanted him to be fearless in that moment of death.
Mr. Scott (Hakeem Kae-Kazim), the former slave who was later revealed to be the leader of an island with escaped slaves, died in the same episode. Was Vane’s violent death a comparison to Mr. Scott’s peaceful one surrounded by loved ones?
I think so. Mr. Scott had a family and Vane, unfortunately, was denied that in life. He had to die alone.
Hannah New (as Eleanor Guthrie) – Episode 309
Vane’s former lover Eleanor (Hannah New) came to see him in prison and wouldn’t admit any love for him. He seemed resigned to dying then. Was that the case?
To me, it was very much that. He loved Eleanor and would have been happy to marry her and have kids. But she had ambitions of her own that were greater than that. That was his chance to have something good in his life, and she didn’t want it. Eleanor loved his nice side, but the beast in him scared her away.
Edward Teach (Ray Stevenson), aka Blackbeard, saw Vane as the son he never had. Will Teach take revenge?
I can’t tell you that! But I think that Teach loved Vane, and Vane loved him like a father, even though he kept Teach from killing Vane’s friend Flint (Toby Stephen) as he laid unarmed on the beach. And then he went off with Flint.
So now that Charles Vane is definitely gone, how would you describe him?
He’s a pirate but, in reality, he was more of a freedom fighter. If he was going to be martyred, he wanted it to be for the right cause. That was the goal with him, and we did that. England stands on this pedestal, portraying itself as so civilized, but they kill people in chains who can’t defend themselves. Vane would fight if someone wanted to kill him, but once his opponent was no longer dangerous, like when he fought the Spaniard on the boat who pleaded not to kill him, Vane said, “You want a drink?” He lived by a code.
Black Sails, Season finale, Saturday, March 26, 9/8c on Starz.
Conversation26 Comments
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Won't be the same without him. Think the shows writers have made a mistake getting ride of him. The show will die a death now... you wouldn't kill Darryl off walking dead would you? Of course not as show would not be the same. Same here!!
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Good point and exactly. Although I don't think the show ever looked at Vane through the eyes of the viewers or knew, or cared very much (if at all), that this character was responsible for a lot of viewer interest and for bringing a lot of fans. It seems clear now that they are telling whatever story they want to tell ...whether or not it's what a lot of people watching their show want to see. As for me, without Vane, I find myself no longer interested.
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I'm sure that a lot of people will continue to enjoy Black Sails and Blackbeard replacing Charles Vane but for me, he was the best of the show and I'm now done with it.
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Charles Vane was my favorite part of the show. I wouldn't have watched it this long without him and do not plan to ever watch another episode. As far as I'm concerned last night was the series finale for me.
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Vane ended up being favorite. So sad
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I for one only watched the show to see Zack. I'm done. Was good while it lasted. Buh bye!
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Don't let the door hit ya
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He was the the reason I watched the show. Many characters are good. The vision is good. The writing is good. But without Vane at the center of it, I find myself not that interested any more. He was the glue that cemented it for me. Without him....whatever. Have already un-programed my auto taping.
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Except Vane was never at the center of it, he never even got a flashback. Flint is.
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Charles Vane was my favorite right after Flint. They're both badasses! I hope Blackbeard blows Nausau to Hell while the British are attacking Flint. History doesn't record that, but I hope they improvise. How did two women end up as being the worst characters in the show, Eleanor and Max? Hmm, the male pirates will die for their way of life but the women somehow seem to scheme their way out of death. I think the writers turned the story on his head!
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How are Max and Eleanor "the worst"? Max is many things, but definitely not a murderer or someone who wants chaos. And Eleanor is just as cunning and destructive as Flint. What about Silver? The biggest schemer on the show, whose only rival is Max in the cleverness department.
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Max would sell anyone to profit. Vane save her life! Eleanor is a snake and killed Vane out of vengeance. She beat a chained man with her fists! Charles loved Eleanor as he proved over and over again. I hope she hangs! Max, I hope she ends up destitute. They'll all end up dead save for Silver and Bones.
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There's no evidence of that & Vane did not save her life. Are we watching the same show? Max is no more manipulative than any of the men on the show, and doesn't even the rival the likes of Flint & Eleanor when it comes to how far they're willing to go, to make what they want to happen, happen. This sounds like some sexist BS, where the male characters can be the literal WORST, but if the female characters don't fit within the strict paradigm you want them to be in, then suddenly they're bad characters.
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It seems childish to me that you would suggest that it's sexist to say that Eleanor and max are "the worst" when they both very clearly had a large part in the death of one of the main protagonists in the show. When it came down to it, Vane ended up as a selfless freedom fighter, Eleanor as a hypocritical, vengeance seeking parasite of the governor, and max as deceptive opportunist with the lack of integrity to stop what she clearly knew was wrong. Don't bring sex into it because you're offended when people correctly point out that certain female characters on the show are "the worst."
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Are you still upset over Vane? It's time to get some perspective. He's dead and gone, just as history told us would happen, and the story is better for it. Again, if anyone here thinks Eleanor and/or Max are the worst or the most manipulative characters on the show, then yes they're sexist (including you). "They both clearly had a large part" um.. no. Eleanor can take the credit for that all by herself, as it was her brainchild. Max tried at many different points to dissuade Eleanor from executing Vane, and Eleanor didn't care to take her advice. She wanted Vane dead asap, and she did whatever she need to, to achieve that goal.
Eleanor has always been this ambitious and rash with her judgement, since the start of season 1. I bring GENDER into it, not sex, because it IS a relevant factor. Flint has killed his bestie, several innocents, and done some pretty vile stuff to achieve his goals- yet he's not been called out the way the women have. Jack is also a murderer and was able to justify the use of slave labor, yet he also gets a pass and is just "human". Same goes for Silver, Vane, and the rest of the crew (who are male), while people like you seek to tear Eleanor and Max down in ways that are unfair. Especially Max, when she's been the most victimized of any of the main characters, is a former slave, and isn't responsible for ANYONE dying. Get out of here with that mess. And I've not excused Eleanor for anything, I've simply pointed out that she is *just* like Flint, and he isn't demonized nearly as much as she is. That's sexism in action.
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I believe it is the lack of loyalty that people are reacting to. Eleanor and Max are survivors in a time period and place where women are disposable. However, Eleanor wanted power at all cost. Max wanted control of her life/environment.
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Your a hypocrite. Enough said.
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Vane was my absolute fave. So sad to see him go. Shame on you for not saving him Eleanor. He would of saved you. Black sails wont be the same without him. Cant wait to see Teach get some badass revenge
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vane looked ever bit the pirate. Shame to lose his character. Should have gotton rid of Jack Rackam . Rackam seems the sissy pirate out of the bunch.
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that's the point of his character
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Charles Vane was the reason I loved this show. He had a soft side that was tender. Eleanor did not deserve him. He stayed true to who and what he was.
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Charles Vane was my favorite character on the show. I found myself constantly routing for him, I was so upset when they hanged him 😭. I will hate watch the final season but was intimately happy they canceled the show because they killed off the most interesting driving character of the show. I hope he returns as a ghost to drive Eleanor mad!!
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Fuck them all!!!!! I wont watch this series anymore! Is garbage without Vane! GARBAGE! I want him back!
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The main thing that bothers me about vanes death is its not true to history.and remember flint and silver are fictional characters.won't be the same without him.let's hope for alot of flashbacks.and don't forget,ann had a female partner named mary read.let's hope she shows up.vane was a true pirate in every sense of the word.see you in hell charles.
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Irl Vane hung beside of Rackham... So I'm done since that is a fairly big change. Not to mention none of the other characters rivaled him for depth of character. Done too.
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Awesome character, awesome death. Well done.
The actor is on The 100 now, which is a good show.
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