The CW’s new dramatic series Containment premieres on April 19, 2016 and in support of the show’s debut, the cast participated in a panel and interviews at the 2016 WonderCon in Los Angeles. Set in Atlanta, Containment finds the city quarantined after a deadly epidemic breaks out. Among the series’ stars is Kristen Gutoskie (Beaver Falls) who plays Katie Frank, a mom and teacher Gutoskie describes as amazing, compassionate, and strong. “She’s complex. She’s a real woman. She’s strong but she’s vulnerable. She’s broken, she’s been screwed up but she’s also really loving and nurturing,” explained Gutoskie.
Kristen Gutoskie Interview:
What can viewers expect?
“You can expect a whole lot of things. You can expect drama. It’s crisis-driven. You have a virus that breaks out in Atlanta and it’s not just any virus show. It’s a real virus; it’s something that could actually happen. You have the entire city quarantined so that people who were healthy and going to work for the day and made it outside of the quarantine area, they can’t go home – or vice versa. So, it’s humans in crisis but you have these loving relationships that are ripped apart and actually relationships that start in quarantine. You wouldn’t think at a time like this, but people’s truest colors come out. You’ll get a lot of gore. It’s horrific. It’s scary and it’ll make you a hypochondriac, but it will also make your heart beat and feel you all warm and tingly.”
Did it make you a hypochondriac?
“I already was one. I admit to that. I think it made you kind of notice things more. Like when I go to the grocery store, I have wash for my fruit now, a special wash and I wash it thoroughly. And when people sneeze you realize how easily things can travel. You definitely become a little bit more aware of things, for sure.”
There have been lots of pandemic shows. What do you think it is that appeals to people about that theme?
“I think the overarching theme of all these virus shows is really seeing humanity breakdown at the most basically animal place. You lose all of your etiquette in these crisis so to just watch how people would react…and I think we all have this fear of like, ‘When is the end coming? What’s going to happen? If it’s not going to be global warming or terrorism, is it going to be a virus?’ I think along with the virus shows you’ve seen all types of apocalyptic shows. I think it’s this fear of could it really happen and watching how humanity reacts to these situations because we all have these faces we put on. We have social constructs and you really get to see the true humanity of people whether it’s really raw and it could be hateful. I think we just want to see each other in a real place.”
Has it made you question how you would react?
“Definitely. You really can’t predict how you would react. I’d like to think I’d be this heroic, amazing person who would risk my life but you really don’t know until you’re in it. It makes you look at yourself and go, ‘Would I do what my character did? Would I be as courageous as this character? Would I be as fragile as this character?’ Some people in the show will risk other people’s lives to save their own lives. You definitely question your own humanity and your own integrity. I’d like to think I’d be a heroic person in a situation like that, but panic is a thing. When you panic you lose a lot of rational thinking and you act on impulse and on instinct. When that happens you don’t always have the control you’d like to have. So, yeah, I don’t know what I’d be like. Hopefully, I’d be strong.”
