Shane West stars on WGN America’s series Salem, which is inspired by the 17th-century Salem witch trials in colonial Massachusetts.

West, who thinks that the fascination with the Salem witch trials has endured because America doesn’t have as many “internal wars amongst ourselves as most countries” and that the witch trials were “your own people killing your own people,” is keen to admit that he does believe that there are supernatural forces at work in the world. Thankfully for the actor, he’s been fortunate not to encounter anything too jarring where the occult is concerned.

“I believe whoever, whatever your believe in the powers up above, that someone’s looking out for me because I think they know if I do see anything too creepy I might lose my damn mind,” West told uInterview exclusively at SXSW. “So, I do believe that they’re out there and I try to stay copacetic and very chill with ghosts so I don’t have to be involved in any paranormal activity.”

Shane West Talks ‘Salem’

In the series, West plays all-American war hero John Aldean, who’d returned home to find that his sweetheart Mary has married town leader George Sibly. In the first season, John fights for his town and to win back the love of his life, but in the upcoming season, John’s trajectory is going to take a somewhat darker turn.

“This season Alden’s got a little bit of a different MO; he’s pretty much hell-bent on revenge this year. He’s been left, again, by Mary Sibly, and he now knows she’s a witch,” West told uInterview exclusively. “He now knows that witches are taking over the town that he was born and raised in, that his father created and built from the bottom up, and he comes back from the dead to hunt down every witch that exists in Salem, in Massachusetts and beyond.”

According to West, as part of his efforts to rid the area of witches, John engages in some Native American rituals that see him delve into the supernatural world he’s been trying to fight against. West also revealed that John gets some tattoo work, some of which West has carried off-set.

“He starts to develop some odd powers on his own that makes him become a tad witch-like in his search and quest to destroy all witches,” West explained. “You’re going to see, which I have a little bit on, kind of left it on – first time I’ve talked about that today – he’s gotten these supernatural tattoos that kind of cover up his body, his chest, his stomach, his back, his neck. They kind of, without spoiling too much, take on a life of their own over time.”

Salem season 2 will premiere April 5.