Joshua Sasse Knows What He'd Do If Doomsday Came

If you knew the world was going to end in less than a year, what would you do with your time? Who would you spend your remaining months with, and what wrongs would you seek to right? This is the premise explored in the CW's No Tomorrow , about a cautious young woman, Evie, (Tori Anderson) who falls for the perfect man, Xavier (Joshua Sasse) — except he just happens to believe the apocalypse is nigh. Though Sasse doubts the show will prove his character right ("there are a few too many post-apocalyptic shows already,") he supports the message the show boasts: Live every day like it's your last.

"You just don't know when life is going to end," the 28-year-old English actor says. "The message they're after is for people to really grasp and adopt the concept of carpe diem, and to remember what's important in life. People have been saying [the world will end] forever. It's not a new idea, but it's an important and universal one."

Like many of us, Xavier has a personal bucket list, except his is a doomsday list, and he's attempting to cross one item off the list every day. Sasse has his own list of things to cross off, but they don't include trying bone marrow or jumping off cliffs like his CW character. For the former Galavant actor, travel and exploration are the two items he wants to do more of. "Being an actor, you're employed half the year and unemployed the other half of the year, so you get a chance to explore. So, my list is sort of day-to-day."

And unlike Xavier, Sasse isn't broadcasting his conspiracy theories to the world in the hopes of converting others. "I've got plenty [of theories], but they're all private," he teases. "It certainly baffles me looking up at the stars to think that we're not alone out there. How could you possibly look at the North Star and feel like we're the only thing out there? But, I don't think that's conspiracy. I think that's just common sense."

And yet, Sasse is quick to correct me when I call Xavier a conspiracy theorist. "To him it's an empirical truth," he says. "He's done the math on this. For him It's a fact, it's not a conspiracy. A lot of people think he's crazy, but to him it's undeniable."

While Xavier's views on the world are less than popular, his instance in standing up for what he believes in is nothing short of inspiring. Sure, he hands out questionable end-of-the-world flyers and attempts to warn the world's leading scientists of the impending apocalypse, but it's only out of the goodness of his heart. If you believed the world was ending, wouldn't you want the ones you loved — and the world — to know?

Like Xander, Sasse has an immense sense of passion and purpose which is fueled by his real life embodiment of carpe diem. His Instagram and Twitter account showcases his many causes: Marriage equality and animal rights being two of the most prominent. And of course, we can't overlook the fact that the actor is a proud feminist.

"Anybody who is a part of society today should be a feminist. It's about having equality across the board. Saying 'I'm a feminist' is just saying that I'm a considerate, genuine human begin with with a rational head on my shoulders," he says, adding, "If you want to say you're not a feminist then you can also just put 'stupid' across your forehead." Amen.

Because Sasse is aiming to make the most of his time here and now, he devotes much of his time to helping create global change. One of Sasse's projects is #SayIDoDownUnder, a movement he started to raise awareness about the marriage inequality that still exists in Australia. "It's astounding because there are 76 countries in the world that that don't allow same-sex marriage. It's like, how is that even possible? And ten of those countries still carry a death penalty for homosexuality," he shares. Sasse is engaged to Kylie Minogue, yet to show his dedication to the cause, the two will not wed until marriage is legal in Australia. "How is it fair that we can get married if they can't? It doesn't matter which gender, it's our problem too."

Another issue Sasse has championed is helping fight for our furry — and not so furry — friends. When I ask why Sasse is an animal activist he replies: "Because I'm a human being. Shouldn't everybody be?" He goes on to explain that because half of his family lives in Zambia he grew up around poaching. The nearness to this form of hunting illuminated the undeniable cruelty of the act. "It's something I've seen my whole life. Just recently, an anti-poaching rule was voted down by the EU in Africa, solely because they want to be able to sell their ivory stocks. It's just so disgusting. I've seen a rhino dead in a field with its horns cut off. You just can't believe it. I'm working together with the rangers in Zambia to [stop it]."

It's clear that Sasse is passionate about improving the state of the world — after all, who knows when that big asteroid is going to hit — and his social media accounts help broadcast his efforts. But if your instagram feed is nothing but pictures of material pleasures, Sasse doesn't want anything to do with it. "I'm not the kind of person that's going to tweet a picture of a hamburger that says #yummy. I don't understand that," he says. "I just want to educate people. Social media should be used for a good reason, rather than what knickers you're wearing or something like that."

Sasse's extracurricular humanitarian efforts mark high on his bucket list, but fans of the Brit — particularly those who enjoyed seeing him as the crooning lead of Galavant — want to hear those pipes in use on No Tomorrow. "That's a request we get from fans daily," he admits. "It's something they really want. It's important to them." So, will those sought-after pipes make a cameo? Sasse hesitates, then says: "Let's just say I imagine fans will be happy."

While Xavier's doomsday theory is dividing, his outlook on life is the opposite. And Sasse is attempting to follow in his character's footsteps by living every day to the fullest. He's also striving to make real, tangible change in the world — and that's one thing we can all get behind.

Images: CW (2); Giphy