Westworld
Jimmi Simpson as William in a scene from “Westworld.” During the Season 1 finale, it was finally revealed that he grew up to become the mysterious Man in Black played by Ed Harris. HBO

Nobody was more heartbroken than “Westworld” stars Jimmi Simpson and Evan Rachel Wood when it was revealed that William would eventually grow up to become the disillusioned Man in Black (Ed Harris).

Simpson even told E! News the revelation was “devastating” for them because they truly believed in the couple’s love for each other.

When William (Simpson) saw Dolores Abernathy (Wood) reenact the scene that made him fall in love with her in the first place with another guest, he was shattered. Simpson said it’s because William truly loved Dolores.

“That one heartbreak, that time when he was just like, ‘I was one of many,’ a heart in love doesn't give up that quickly. I imagine that for many of the following years, his main aim as he came back was to see if he could find that part of Dolores again. And I imagine it would have taken a whole lot of disappointments to get him to turn into the person he became,” he said.

Simpson added that letting William put on the black hat was difficult for him to do. “We knew it was coming, it was really sad,” he said. “And we had to just keep living truthfully, even though our circumstances were getting sadder and darker. We were just in pieces.”

Meanwhile, Simpson also said there’s something symbolic about William letting his brother-in-law Logan (Ben Barnes) ride off into Westworld without his clothes on. “That was kind of Logan's punishment. You just wanna do your own thing, you want to be your own master, well, you can be the master of nowhere, because I'm gonna run this show now,” he said.

Earlier, Simpson told Paste Magazine that the Season 1 finale was a “humdinger,” and he is very proud of what he has accomplished through the show. “The fact that this many people are seeing something I’m actually proud of, I’m beside myself,” he said.

Sadly, Simpson told Vanity Fair that he will no longer be reprising his role as young William next season.

“Westworld” Season 2 will return to HBO on 2018.

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