Gladiators, get set! Scandal returns tonight for its Season 3 finale, and it’s Papa Pope who is in dire need of daughter Olivia’s saving. To get prepared for the epic conclusion, Joe Morton stopped by the Us Weekly NYC offices to discuss his character’s fate, and the craziest thing his fans have done.
The ABC series last left Rowan Pope (Morton) bloody on the floor thanks to ex-wife Maya (Khandi Alexander). “Did I survive after getting stabbed from Maya Pope? Well, you’ll just have to wait and see,” the 66-year-old teased Us. “In order to revenge in what Maya has done — is probably to put her in the worst situation possible,” he said. “I wouldn’t necessarily kill her, but I might sort of torture her for awhile.”
Morton joked about Rowan’s nasty ways, but admitted that there are a few (just a few!) similarities between himself and his devilish character. “[It] lies in the fact that Joe Morton was divorced at some point, and I have an older daughter who took that divorce very hard,” he told Us. This also is the case when it comes to his real-life father, whose armed forces background inspired the demanding and lonely persona audiences sometimes see in Rowan.
It is yet to be seen what’s in store for Rowan in tonight’s finale, but in the meantime, it seems some viewers have been hoping for a full recovery. “Recently, as of from last week’s episode, I was told there was a prayer circle being formed somewhere in the United States in hopes that Papa Pope would stay alive,” Morton told Us.
As for his pregnant costar Kerry Washington, who’s expected to give birth any day now? Morton kept tight-lipped about his onscreen daughter just like Rowan would. “We’ve never talked about Kerry’s pregnancy on the show,” he said. “And in fact, Kerry would prefer that we don’t talk about her pregnancy.”
Scandal’s Season 3 finale airs tonight on ABC at 10 p.m. EST.
Watch Joe Morton’s full interview now!
