True Blood star Anna Paquin is set to star in the Netflix series Alias Grace, based on Margaret Atwood’s novel. Paquin will join Zachary Levi and Sarah Gadon in the miniseries written and executive produced by Sarah Polley. American Psycho‘s Mary Harron is directing the six-hour miniseries which began shooting on August 15, 2016.
“Anna is an incredibly versatile performer who always makes complex, unpredictable, and fascinating choices in her work,” stated Sarah Polley. “It’s always a marvel to watch her and we’re thrilled to have her join the cast.”
Alias Grace is a Netflix, CBC, and Halfire Entertainment production. Director Harron and Noreen Halpern are executive producing, with D.J. Carson producing.
The Plot:Alias Grace follows Grace Marks (Sarah Gadon) a poor, young Irish immigrant and domestic servant in Upper Canada who, along with stable hand James McDermott, was convicted of the brutal murders of their employer, Thomas Kinnear and Nancy Montgomery (Anna Paquin) in 1843. Nancy is Kinnear’s housekeeper and lover, and while she initially befriends Grace, she begins to resent Grace and becomes increasingly jealous of Kinnear’s affection for her. Nancy eventually fires Grace in a fit of rage and is later found brutally murdered.
Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga to star in ‘A Star is Born’ (Photos Courtesy of Warner Bros Pictures)
Warner Bros Pictures confirmed Lady Gaga will star in the remake of A Star is Born opposite Bradley Cooper. Lady Gaga recently earned a Golden Globe award for her performance in the FX horror anthology series American Horror Story, adding that honor to a trophy case that includes six Grammy Awards. In addition, she also was nominated for an Academy Award for her song “Til It Happens to You” from the documentary The Hunting Ground.
Cooper has earned three Academy Award acting nominations for his work in American Sniper, American Hustle, and Silver Linings Playbook.
The A Star is Born remake has been in the works for years and is finally moving forward with the confirmation of the two leads, Lady Gaga and Cooper. Cooper will also be stepping behind the camera to make his directorial debut with the project. Lady Gaga, of course, will sing in the film and is writing new songs for romantic drama. Cooper, Todd Phillips, Jon Peters, and Billy Gerber are producing, with Basil Iwanyk on board as an executive producer.
“For those of us lucky enough to watch him work as an actor and producer, it has been clear that Bradley would make this transition to director,” said Greg Silverman, President, Creative Development and Worldwide Production, Warner Bros. Pictures. “We are honored that he is doing it, here, at his home—Warner Bros.—and with Lady Gaga as a collaborator and co-star. The world is in for a treat as these great artists craft an all-new vision of A Star is Born.”
The original A Star is Born was released in 1937 and starred Janet Gaynor and Fredric March. In 1954 Judy Garland and James Mason took on starring roles in a version that was nominated for six Academy Awards. A Star is Born was remade yet again in 1976 starring Barbra Streisand and Kris Kristofferson. That remake earned four Oscar nominations, winning in the Original Song category for “Evergreen.”
WGN America’s Salem will premiere its third season during Halloween week, kicking off a season in which the witches will be battling their biggest foe to date – the Devil himself. During the 2016 San Diego Comic-Con, Seth Gabel (‘Cotton Mather’) joined Salem co-creator Brannon Braga to discuss the upcoming season and what viewers of the addictive series can expect when it returns this fall. While taking part in roundtable interviews, Braga and Gabel provided a few details on season three without giving away any spoilers. But what they did have to say about this new season should make fans of the series anxious for Halloween week to arrive.
Seth Gabel and Brannon Braga Interview:
What’s in store for season three?
Brannon Braga: “It’s a new chapter in Salem. The Devil has broken all of his promises to the witches. It will not be a world of freedom and freedom from hypocrisy and oppression. It will be a world where he will take revenge upon God by destroying humanity. So he lied and they’ve made a terrible mistake. The only person who can stop the Devil is the person who gave birth to him and that’s Mary Sibley, and she’s dead. That’s how the season begins.”
Are there going to be any unusual alliances between your character and another character that we aren’t expecting?
Seth Gabel: “Well right now I’m under the control of my wife, Anne Hale, who’s a witch and taking advantage of me. So you’ll see Cotton, in order to figure out how to get out that situation of being under someone else’s control, he has to do and become a lot of things that he wouldn’t ordinarily do. He tries to do honest things ever since he decided not to be such a jerk like he was in the pilot. But, he starts to realize that sometimes to do good you have to do a little bad. I think a lot of the characters on the show realize that. But then where does the line end? As you say (indicating Brannon Braga), the road to hell is paved with good intentions. I know you coined that phrase. I think a lot of the characters experience that this year.”
Is it a more physically demanding season for you?
Seth Gabel: (Laughing) “It’s always physically demanding. Having a rat stuffed inside of you, yeah, it’s intense. Physically intense.”
Brannon Braga: “And vomiting out the rat.”
Seth Gabel: “Well, if that happens…”
Emotionally more intense too, at the same time?
Seth Gabel: “Yeah, because Cotton and Anne, despite their conflict they do love each other. There is some kind of semblance of innocence that exists between them, and they’re trying to rescue that and salvage that but the world is so distorted around them, it’s difficult for them to get on the same page.”
Cotton seems to cry a lot. Can you cry on cue?
Seth Gabel: (Laughing) “I can’t give up my secrets. I use a lot of menthol.”
Brannon Braga: “The weird part is he cries when he’s not on camera too.”
Seth Gabel: “Yeah, I’m just crying all the time. They’re just like, ‘Get the camera on him!'”
Did you know from season one that season three would be set in hell? Was that the arc you had in mind the whole time?
Brannon Braga: “We always knew we wanted to go to hell, literally. We wanted to go to hell and we wanted to see what it’s like down there. We get there this year, so yeah from very early in the show we had a sense of where it was going to build up to this point.”
Are there any characters we can expect to be entering into the mix that we should be looking out for as major players?
Brannon Braga: “Well, there’s a new character that’s called The Sentinel and The Sentinel is one of the Devil’s brothers, his right-hand man. He’s summoned to help him in his plans. That character is a new kind of villainous scary character. I can just hint that the Countess Marburg (played by Lucy Lawless) will play an unexpected role – a central part this season – but in a most unusual way. And, there are others. Marilyn Manson plays a character. He plays the barber-surgeon in town. Back in those days the guy who cut your hair and gave you a shave took out your spleen. And so he’s a comic relief character but there’s also a little Sweeney Todd in there. He plays a pretty big role.”
Seth Gabel: “He does a really great job.”
But no singing.
Seth Gabel: “Just the theme song.”
This next season sounds like it’ll be darker than the previous two. How do you determine when you’ve taken it too far and might have pushed the limit with the audience?
Brannon Braga: “I’m not sure it’s going to be darker. I’m not sure how much darker this show can get. In fact with Cotton’s central storyline it’s actually in some ways lighter. There’s actually more humor this year. We actually put a little more humor into the show this year. But, you know, we just try to be honest with the story. We try not to do anything gratuitous just to do it. As long as it’s authentic to the stories and characters. But there are times when we don’t know if we’re going to cross the line. ‘Can we show this?’ That’s when the show works best. Like in the pilot episode there was a nipple showing but it’s on her thigh. ‘Is that allowed?’ ‘Not sure.’ ‘Let’s do it!’ That was the one moment in the pilot that freaked people out.”
Do you ever get the creeps while shooting? Does it ever scare you just being on the set?
Seth Gabel: “Actually, it doesn’t. It’s interesting. When you’re on set and you know that the blood is corn syrup and food coloring, I really try to between takes just remind myself of that. ‘This is all pretend.’ When you’re working it’s kind of funny because you’re stabbing and then it’s like, ‘Cut!’ and it’s, ‘Hey, how’s it going?’ It’s kind of easy to get over it.”
Brannon Braga: “There have been times filming when I got freaked out. One of those times was when Elise Eberle was in that cage dog walking thing and screaming. Everyone was freaked out because nobody knew that’s what she was going to do. And there was a goat who was really freaked out.”
Seth Gabel: “That was a scene that did affect me. The goat was a little startled after that because I would have to protect Elise from the goat because it thought she was some kind of monster. It was fight or flight for the goat and it chose fight. And unfortunately her mark was within the realm of where the goat could reach. So she’s screaming and pointing her finger, and the goat is wanting to butt her. So I’m having to hold her down and try to lightly press the goat with my foot away from her.”
Watch the full Seth Gabel and Brannon Braga interview:
Teamed up at Comic Con to talk about season two of The CW’s Legends of Tomorrow, Arthur Darvill (Rip Hunter) and Maisie Richardson-Sellers (Amaya Jiwe/Vixen) said we can expect a bigger show with an expanded universe. Season two of the comic book-inspired series will find members of the Justice Society of America and the Legion of Doom showing up to shake things up on DC’s Legends of Tomorrow season two. Legion of Doom members showing up to wreak havoc are the Reverse-Flash played by Matt Letscher, Wentworth Miller as Captain Cold, John Barrowman as Malcolm Merlyn, and Neal McDonough as Damien Darkh. And among the JSA who will be part of season two are Hourman, Stargirl, Obsidian and Dr. Mid-Nite.
The season two plot: “After the defeat of the immortal villain Vandal Savage and the corrupt Time Masters who colluded with him, a new threat emerges. Dr. Nate Heywood (Nick Zano), an unconventional and charming historian, is thrust into the action upon making a shocking discovery – the Legends are scattered throughout time. Nate must find a way to rescue season one’s beloved team of heroes and rogues, including billionaire inventor Ray Palmer (Brandon Routh), who has created an exo-suit with the power to shrink him to miniscule size, as the Atom; Sara Lance (Caity Lotz), the White Canary, a trained assassin; Professor Martin Stein (Victor Garber) and Jefferson “Jax” Jackson (Franz Drameh), who together form the meta-human Firestorm; and Mick Rory (Dominic Purcell), aka Heat Wave, a career criminal. When the Legends encounter the J.S.A (the Justice Society of America, the precursor to DC’s Justice League) in the 1940s, Amaya Jiwe (Maisie Richardson-Sellers), aka Vixen, joins the team. While the team reunites, a mystery looms – the fate of former captain Rip Hunter (Arthur Darvill).
Once reunited, the Legends continue their new mission to protect the timeline from temporal aberrations – unusual changes to history that spawn potentially catastrophic consequences. When Nate, the grandson of J.S.A. member Commander Steel, unexpectedly finds himself with powers, he must overcome his own insecurities and find the hero within himself. Ultimately, the Legends will clash with foes both past and present, to save the world from a mysterious new threat.”
Legends of Tomorrow will kick off season two on The CW on Thursday, October 13th at 8pm ET/PT.
Arthur Darvill and Maisie Richardson-Sellers Interview:
Will Rip find out about Barry Allen’s time travel and have a conversation with him about that?
Arthur Darvill: “I hope so. I’m desperate to work with Grant (Gustin). We’ve been hanging out a bit and he’s so good. I think it would be great to explore that. I have no idea if that’s happening. Yeah, it’s happening. I’m lying.”
Have you started your Vancouver band yet?
Arthur Darvill: “No, we haven’t. It’s just me solo at the moment. There’s so many people who play music up there. We always have these grand ideas of spending our weekends writing a hit album. We end up just sleeping.”
Last season Rip wasn’t the best of captains…
Arthur Darvill: “What do you mean?”
He lied, he deceived, and led them into a couple of time messes. How is he going to improve this season?
Arthur Darvill: “He’s such a funny character. He thinks he’s so great at what he does. He thinks that his intentions are the best intentions. I think he’s had a bit of time to reflect when we meet him, but I think what he went through last season has definitely damaged him. He’s got a real internal sadness, no matter what’s happening. He’s lost so much and failed so hard. It’s something that he’ll never be able to get back. He’s lost part of himself. But, also, I’ve been promised that we get to see more of his lighter side as well. I’m excited to see that. When we meet him he’s like a kind of exasperated parent whose kids won’t stop coloring on the walls. But then early on there’s a big twist, quite super early on in the (season) which changes absolutely everything for him. It’s exciting – and a secret.”
Now that Rip has come to terms with not saving his family, what is his driving force?
Arthur Darvill: “They’ve also destroyed the Time Masters, so he feels a responsibility to keep time ticking as it were. Very soon we find that there is someone who is trying to stop him from doing that. We meet quite a big foe quite early on and very quickly takes their attention.”
How will the Justice Society of America interact with the Legends of Tomorrow gang?
Maisie Richardson-Sellers: “I think when we first meet her and the Justice Society of America there’s a lot of clashing because it’s two massive superhero groups and a lot of egos. But it’s a whole journey and I hope that we can figure it out.”
Arthur Darvill: “We’ll eventually be able to stop fighting.”
Maisie Richardson-Sellers: “Yeah, there’s a lot of awesome fight stuff coming up and a lot of great time travel locations and periods. The show is getting bigger.”
Will Patrick J. Adams’ character Rex Tyler/Hourman challenge Rip’s authority or leadership?
Arthur Darvill: “I haven’t read it yet, so I don’t know. I think so. What’s so great about introducing all of these new characters is that there are so many egos flying around. They’ve all got a similar aim – to keep everyone safe and happy…”
Maisie Richardson-Sellers: “A lot of cooks stirring the pot.”
Arthur Darvill: “A lot of cooks stirring the pot and I think that very quickly makes some quite tense situations with people. It’s great because in my life I’m so afraid of confrontation that I can just live it out at work by having arguments with everyone – pretend arguments.”
How do you think Rip would take to having Rory run the ship?
Arthur Darvill: “I don’t think he’d be ready for that. He’d be like, ‘Jesus Christ! This guy’s not very good at being brave, is he?’ I don’t think Rory would deal very well with it. I don’t know… He steps up occasionally.”
Watch the full Arthur Darvill and Maisie Richardson-Sellers interview:
(Interview by Fred Topel. Article by Rebecca Murray.)
Christian Slater as Mr. Robot and Rami Malek as Elliot Alderson in ‘Mr. Robot’ (Photo by: Peter Kramer/USA Network)
Is anyone surprised USA Network renewed Mr. Robot for a third season? Probably not as the award-winning series has not only pulled in high ratings but has accomplished what many new dramas have been unable to do: Mr. Robot‘s delivering a compelling second season that has elevated the bar set by the show’s first season. Mr. Robot, which picked up six Emmy nominations for season one, is now airing season two on Wednesdays at 10pm ET/PT. Season three will arrive in 2017.
Mr. Robot was created by writer/director/executive producer Sam Esmail. The cast includes Rami Malek, Portia Doubleday, Christian Slater, Carly Chaikin, Martin Wallstrom, Grace Gummer, Michael Cristofer, and Stephanie Corneliussen.
“We couldn’t be more proud of Mr. Robot, a series that has pushed boundaries, captured the cultural zeitgeist, and been honored as one of the best dramas on television,” stated Chris McCumber, President, Entertainment Networks for NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. “Midway through its second season, Mr. Robot continues to break new ground and open up new opportunities for the network. We can’t wait to see where Sam Esmail and the entire brilliant Robot team take us next.”
“Being the home studio for this wonderful, completely original show is an exhilarating experience. Sam and company just keep taking it to another level,” said Jeff Wachtel, Chief Content Officer, NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment and President, Universal Cable Productions. “We can’t wait to get going on Season 3… as soon as we finish Season 2!”
The Plot:Mr. Robot follows Elliot Alderson (Malek), a cyber-security engineer who becomes involved in the underground hacker group fsociety, after being recruited by their leader (Slater). Following the events of fsociety’s five/nine hack on multi-national company Evil Corp, the second season explores the consequences of that attack as well as the illusion of control.
Paramount Pictures just released the full trailer for the sci-fi thriller, Arrival. Directed by Denis Villeneuve (Sicario, Prisoners), the alien drama stars Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, Forest Whitaker, and Michael Stuhlbarg. Paramount’s aiming for a November 11, 2016 theatrical release date for Arrival.
The Plot: When mysterious spacecraft touch down across the globe, an elite team – lead by expert linguist Louise Banks (Amy Adams) – are brought together to investigate. As mankind teeters on the verge of global war, Banks and the team race against time for answers – and to find them, she will take a chance that could threaten her life, and quite possibly humanity.
Fox’s hit animated comedy series Bob’s Burgers will return on September 25, 2016 for its seventh season. The popular series was well represented at the 2016 San Diego Comic-Con by voice cast members H. Jon Benjamin (Bob Belcher), John Roberts (Linda Belcher), Kristen Schaal (Louise Belcher), Eugene Mirman (Gene Belcher), Dan Mintz (Tina Belcher), and Larry Murphy (Uncle Teddy). Sitting down for roundtable interviews, Schaal, Mintz, and Murphy discussed favorite episodes, what their characters might be doing in 20 years, and why the series has such a passionate following.
Kristen Schaal, Dan Mintz, and Larry Murphy Interview:
Did you have anything as a kid you held on tightly to and didn’t want to let go the way Louise sticks with her bunny ears?
Kristen Schaal: “I definitely had a blankie that I had for a while. I think that might have been my main thing. No particular stuffed animal or clothing that I can recall.”
If your characters could age, where would they be as adults 20 years from now?
Dan Mintz: “Tina would be 33 so probably starting to think people are having families, so maybe she’d start to think about that. I actually just met an adult who is exactly like Louise. I think she’s like a child sociopath but she turned out very well.”
Kristen Schaal: “I think no matter what Louise puts her mind to she’ll accomplish it no matter what. So, it just depends on what dream she lands on.”
Dan Mintz: “Politics?”
Kristen Schaal: “Yeah, sometimes I think politics but then I wonder if she’d have the patience for it. Maybe. Maybe she’d be like the new Frank Underwood.”
If you couldn’t play your character, who in Bob’s Burgers would you like to play?
Kristen Schaal: “It would be fun to be Linda. She has so much fun and she’s so loose and she loves her wine. She loves her family and she sings. I think I could fit into that one.”
Dan Mintz: “Well I don’t have much range in my voice so I don’t think I could play anyone else, but if I could do other voices I’d play Bob.”
Larry Murphy: “I certainly relate to Bob the most.”
Tina is a feminist icon. How does it feel to be a feminist icon as a male?
Dan Mintz: “Yeah, it is novel. But still to be that character…it’s not how I pictured my life turning out so it’s exciting. I always hear from women, ‘I was exactly like that as a kid so it’s so great to see someone like that.’ I think it’s funny because I don’t think she ever really talks about anything specifically, but it’s just like being the way that she is which is really cool.”
Will there be more singing?
Dan Mintz: “I mean that was kind of a pleasant surprise for me because I actually like singing on the show. I don’t like singing live but being recorded (is fine). I never thought that was something I’d ever want to do and it’s always really fun.”
Larry Murphy: “I think that Loren (Bouchard) has a musical background and loves music. I think that’s grown over the course of the seven seasons.”
Kristen Schaal: ”Yeah, we had no idea. I also like singing on the show too because there’s room for mistakes because Louise is a child. It’s okay if she’s off key, and I think they even prefer it which is good because I can’t hear notes apparently.”
Dan Mintz: “It’s great to play someone who’s not supposed to be a good singer.”
Larry Murphy: “And the song that Kristen and Jon did on the 100th episode I feel like it’s one of the best songs that they ever did.”
Kristen Schaal: “It’s a big hit among the Bob’s Burger staff.”
Do the scripts still surprise you? Are there any jokes in the scripts you don’t think will work out that actually do?
Kristen Schaal: “I think the visual jokes for the most part. I always reference it but it’s from a long time ago – there have been a couple this year – but the one where the animatronic shark comes to life in ‘The Deepening.’ Reading it, you can’t see how funny it is when it’s animated. I didn’t realize the impact it would have. It really tickled me to see that shark. There’s been a couple of jokes like that too where you can tell, ‘Oh, there’s a dance here,’ and you just have to sort of wait for it.”
Larry Murphy: “Or a montage sequence, that sort of thing where it kind of pays off and is funny.”
Do you any favorite recent episodes?
Kristen Schaal: “There’s an episode where Louise gets the flu. It’s called ‘Flu-ouise.’ She trips out on a fever and we get to follow her into this weird Louise world where her toys come to life. I’m excited about that one.”
Larry Murphy: “The next season there aren’t too many Teddy-focused episodes.”
Kristen Schaal: “That’s a shame, but there is one time.”
Larry Murphy: “Yeah, one time in ‘See Me Now’ where Teddy takes the Belcher family out on his newly refurbished boat. It gets pretty crazy.”
Kristen Schaal: “It gets pretty crazy and we get to learn about his past love.”
Why do think the audience is so passionate about this show?
Dan Mintz: “I think the voice of the show, it just sounds really different from what people are used to seeing. But, it also sounds really familiar in terms of how people really talk.”
Larry Murphy: “I think there’s a warmth to the show that doesn’t exist on a lot of programs, and certainly animated programs. It’s pretty impressive that people are able to connect with an animated show like that.”
John Krasinski’s joining a line of actors that includes Alec Baldwin, Harrison Ford, Ben Affleck and Chris Pine in taking on the role of Jack Ryan. Amazon has greenlit Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, an action drama starring Krasinski and executive produced by Carlton Cuse, Graham Roland, Michael Bay, Brad Fuller, Andrew Form, David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, Marcy Ross, Mace Neufeld and Lindsey Springer. The series, which will be available to Amazon Prime Video subscribers, is produced by Paramount TV and Skydance and will be shooting in the U.S., Europe, and Africa.
Season one will consist of 10 one-hour episodes.
“We’re excited to add the Jack Ryan global franchise to our robust originals pipeline,” said Roy Price, Head of Amazon Studios. “Our customers will enjoy a compelling adaptation of the action-packed spy thriller book series, further raising the bar for the quality level of storytelling that has made Prime Video a leading destination for content.”
The Plot:Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan follows an up-and-coming CIA analyst thrust into a dangerous field assignment for the first time. Set to executive produce are Carlton Cuse (The Strain, Bates Motel) and Graham Roland (Almost Human), who wrote the pilot based on a story he and Cuse developed. The series follows Ryan (Krasinski) as he uncovers a pattern in terrorist communication that launches him into the center of a dangerous gambit with a new breed of terrorism that threatens destruction on a global scale.
Anchor Bay Entertainment is releasing the complete sixth season of AMC’s zombie apocalypse series The Walking Dead on Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital HD on August 23, 2016. This means TWD fans will be able to watch the pivotal scene from the finale over and over and over again on high quality video, dissecting the various possibilities as to the identity of Negan’s victim(s). The Walking Dead: The Complete Sixth Season Blu-ray + Digital HD includes all of the 16 episodes as well as deleted scenes, new audio commentaries, and the alternate Negan scene.
Anchor Bay has provided two copies of The Walking Dead: The Complete Sixth Season Blu-ray + Digital HD to give away to two lucky fans! Entering our The Walking Dead Blu-ray contest is super easy. Simply send an email to [email protected] with “THE WALKING DEAD” in the subject line. Only one entry per email address is allowed. You must be over 18 years old to enter and live in the United States. The contest ends on August 24, 2016 at 6pm PT.
The Season Six Plot: Season Six starts with Alexandria’s safety shattered by multiple threats. To make it, the people of Alexandria will need to catch up with our survivors’ hardness while many of Rick’s people will need to take a step back from the violence and pragmatism they’ve needed to embrace. These reversals won’t happen easily, or without conflict. But now Rick’s group is fighting for something more than survival… They’re fighting for their home, and they will defend that at any cost, against any threat, even if that threat comes from within. The series stars Andrew Lincoln, Norman Reedus, Steven Yeun, Lauren Cohan, Danai Gurira, Lennie James, Chandler Riggs, Melissa McBride, Sonequa Martin-Green, Seth Gilliam, Michael Cudlitz, Alanna Masterson, Christian Serratos, Josh McDermitt, Ross Marquand, Austin Nichols, Alexandra Breckenridge and Tovah Feldshuh.
The Walking Dead: The Complete Sixth Season Blu-ray bonus features include:
Episode 616: Last Day On Earth — The Extended Version
Season three of The CW’s comic book-inspired series The Flash picks up with Barry Allen’s friends unaware The Flash (Grant Gustin) has changed the timeline. The Flashpoint storyline that will play out in season three means we’ll be picking up familiar characters, including Caitlin Snow (Danielle Panabaker), Cisco Ramon, (Carlos Valdes), Joe West (Jesse L Martin), and Iris West (Candice Patton), acting as though the events of seasons one and two did not occur.
During our interview at the 2016 San Diego Comic Con, Panabaker discussed what’s happening with Caitlin and whether we’ll get to see her tackling the Killer Frost role again either during or after the Flashpoint storyline.
Danielle Panabaker Interview:
How fun was it to play Killer Frost last season?
Danielle Panabaker: “The best. It was so cool. Look, I have such a fun job. We get to go play dress up every day and on top of it I get to be Caitlin Snow most of the time. But to get to play that alternate really bad guy, the best.”
Was the costume fun to do or was it kind of cumbersome?
Danielle Panabaker: “No, it was generally very fun. It was such a cool process to get to develop it. We knew it was coming so we got to work on it a little bit. We had some time. The contacts made it hard to see and there was something about the wig…whatever. It was awesome.”
Did the contacts help put you in the right kind of bad mood for getting into Killer Frost?
Danielle Panabaker: “I don’t think so. It’s funny though. I felt very reclusive because it was hard to see. I had to focus and conserve my energy.”
So there’s been talk about meeting Caitlin’s mom. Will that be part of Flashpoint?
Danielle Panabaker: “I want to meet her mom. I think it would be awesome. I’ve harassed them about that for a while. […]They don’t tell us anything. They’re like, ‘Okay…,’ and they nod a lot when we ask them questions. I would love to meet her. I feel like we know a lot about the Wests and the Allens and a little bit about the Ramons. It’s time for the Snows.”
How is Flashpoint going to affect Caitlin?
Danielle Panabaker: “That’s what’s cool about Flashpoint is that everything’s different, the relationships, the places, the people that you’ve come to know. They’re all different. It’s a testament to the cast that we’ve been able to pull off everything.”
Is it ever confusing to keep track of what version you’re playing or what version you’re talking to?
Danielle Panabaker: “I guess it could potentially be confusing when you’re reading a script, but to see it brought to life by everyone… Look at Tom Cavanagh and the difference that he brought season one versus season two to Harrison Wells. A lot of credit goes to him. He did an incredible job of changing the cadence and the tone of his voice; he threw things around which was not in the script. He’s just an incredible actor.”
Is this a Caitlin who has not experienced the losses we’ve seen her experience in seasons one and two?
Danielle Panabaker: “I would say her past is certainly different than the Caitlin Snow we’ve known.”
Assuming that at some point we do get back to the Caitlin Snow who suffered those losses, how will she be dealing with them?
Danielle Panabaker: “I think she had that moment at the end of season two where she was breaking down and she sort of confided in Cisco. But I do think her passion is her job and working with The Flash and being a part of #TeamFlash, so I think gives her her drive, for sure.”
Will we be exploring her love life again this season?
Danielle Panabaker: “She’s fine by herself. I think she can take a break from boys for a little bit. It’s not been working out too well for her.”
How difficult were the episodes in season four in which she was kidnapped by Zoom?
Danielle Panabaker: “It was funny because I was away from the cast for so long. I worked with Teddy (Sears) a lot. But, you know those two or three weeks where I didn’t see them except in passing – I missed them. Maybe they missed me.”
Would you be down for reprising Killer Frost?
Danielle Panabaker: “I would love to. I feel like it was such a tease. We saw a little bit of her but I feel like there’s always room for more. There are 52 Earths out there. We have a lot of Earths to play with.”
Caitlin had a connection with Grodd and last we saw he was heading to Gorilla City. Is that something you think might be explored this season?
Danielle Panabaker: “That’s a good question. I didn’t think about that. I would love to see more of him, and I do think it’s cool he and Caitlin share such a special bond. Hopefully that still exists in whichever world they know each other in.”
Have there been any hints about Caitlin crossing over to another show this season?
Danielle Panabaker: “No one has hinted, but I’ve asked. I want to go to Supergirl. I want to hang out with those women, for sure.”
Have you heard from any fans, young girls especially, who were inspired to go into science or technology because of Caitlin?
Danielle Panabaker: “A lot of times dads will tell me that they watch with their family and Caitlin is inspiring to young women. I think that is amazing. I was super into math when I was in middle school. I was mocked insistently for it. Hopefully in some small way this is changing that.”
Danielle Panabaker:
Watch the full Danielle Panabaker interview:
(Interview by Fred Topel. Article by Rebecca Murray.)
