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Morena Baccarin Interview: ‘Gotham’ Season 3 and Lee’s Relationship with Jim

By
Rebecca Murray
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Gotham cast at 2016 Comic-Con
Sean Pertwee, Ben McKenzie, Michael Chiklis, Cory Michael Smith, Chris Chalk, Erin Richards, Robin Lord Taylor, Drew Powell, Camren Bicondova, Morena Baccarin, Jessica Lucas and David Mazouz from ‘Gotham’ at Comic Con (Photo by Alan Hess © 2016 Fox Broadcasting)

Fox’s Gotham will kick off its third season on September 19, 2016 and in support of the new season the cast took part in this year’s San Diego Comic-Con. Co-stars and off-screen couple Ben McKenzie and Morena Baccarin were among the stars from the show who made it to Comic-Con to talk about the upcoming season. Baccarin and McKenzie recently welcomed a baby girl into their family, with Morena’s pregnancy and the March 2nd birth of their daughter necessitating Baccarin to take a short break from the series in season two. Back now and ready to further explore her character, Dr. Leslie Thompkins, Baccarin answered a few questions about the new season during roundtable interviews at Comic-Con.

Morena Baccarin Interview:

How soon into the season do we get to see you appear again?

Morena Baccarin: “Right away.”

You’ve been missing for a while.

Morena Baccarin: “Yes, I have. (Laughing) Well, there was a lot of stuff going on. I come in the first episode and we’re in very different places, Jim and Leslie. She’s with somebody else, which he sees right away. They’ve got a long, uphill battle, and we’ll see if they make it.”

Is it someone we’ve seen?

Morena Baccarin: “A new character. It’s Falcone’s son. I think I’m allowed to tell you all this. Nobody’s stopping me. A thunderbolt hasn’t struck me from the sky.”

You had some time off to step away from the show. What’s it been like to gear up for your big return?

Morena Baccarin: “Well, as you know I had a baby so it was really nice to be able to spend some time at home with the kids and regroup, and now I’m excited to come back into the world that I love so much. So much has happened in these characters’ lives as well so it’s nice to start fresh.”

What’s the fresh angle on her that you got to take that got you excited for this season?

Morena Baccarin: “This new love interest is going to be very interesting because we’ve only ever seen Leslie with Jim. We’ve only ever seen their love story, and now there’s something for him to work for. It’s exciting as an actor to play that conflict. He’s certainly not a choir boy, so we’ll see what happens with his life. It will not be easy. So, they’ll have something to work towards.”

How different is this new relationship and the dynamics?

Morena Baccarin: “This is just the beginning. But I think when you go through a tragic, a traumatic event, you seek somebody that is more of a caretaker or seems more level-headed or whatever. That’s what he seems to be. Of course, it’s Gotham. Things change.”

With a cast as big as this, do you get to interact with any new characters this season?

Morena Baccarin: “I hear that I will. I haven’t yet, but I will.”

What was the last year like getting to be a part of both Gotham and Deadpool?

Morena Baccarin: “I’m pinching myself every day. I don’t know how I got so lucky to be able to be in both Marvel and DC universes and have it all be successful. It’s been really fun. I can’t wait to do more.”

Have they talked to you about the Deadpool sequel? Have they given you any details?

Morena Baccarin: “No, I don’t really know exactly what’s going on. I’ve been told I will be in it. I don’t know to what capacity or what they’re planning. I’m dying to find out. Let me know what you hear!”

With so much emphasis on the male characters in the show, as a female character on the series what would you like to see happen with Leslie?

Morena Baccarin: “Last year, because she was in service of Jim and trying to right his wrongs or they were going to start a family together, she ended up I think taking more of a passive role in Gotham, in general, and just really not having her own things going on. So it would be nice to see her side of the story a little bit, which we’ll get with this new love interest and her new life.”




Melanie Scrofano Interview: ‘Wynonna Earp’ Season 2

By
Rebecca Murray
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Wynonna Earp stars Melanie Scrofano and Shamier Anderson
Melanie Scrofano and Shamier Anderson from ‘Wynonna Earp’ at Comic Con 2016 (Photo © Richard Chavez / Showbiz Junkies)

When Wynonna Earp‘s Melanie Scrofano sat down for roundtable interviews at the 2016 San Diego Comic Con, Syfy had not confirmed the popular series would return for a second season. Of course, it was assumed the show would be back or else there really wouldn’t have been any reason to bring the entire main cast to Comic Con to talk about the show and participate in interviews. And in fact following the interviews, Syfy did confirm Wynonna Earp earned a second season that will premiere in 2017. Commenting on the renewal, the series’ showrunner Emily Andras said, “I’m absolutely thrilled we have the opportunity to deliver more of our witty, female-led, kickass, diverse supernatural series to our passionate fan base around the world.”

Melanie Scrofano, the woman who leads the kickass cast, told us that she hopes Wynonna doesn’t get over all of the devastating events that took place in season one too quickly.

Melanie Scrofano Interview:

Are you ready to throw back on the leather pants and go kick ass?

Melanie Scrofano: “So your thought is I should wear leather and not ripped jeans? You think I’ve evolved? I should tell you I love the ripped jeans. The costume designer Jennier (Haffenden) and I really think that the ripped jeans is really symbolic. She’s probably had those jeans for way too many years and it just feels right when I put them on. It’s like all of a sudden, ‘I don’t give a f**k!’ So, yeah, I’m so ready. I’m so ready not to give a f**k.”

How does Wynonna move forward from the season one finale?

Melanie Scrofano: “I don’t know. I don’t want to know before we start shooting. But, like I’m a fan of not knowing things. Emily (Andras) wanted to meet at the end of the season. She’s like, ‘If we come back, what do you want to do?’ I’m like, ‘I don’t know. You tell me,’ but I know I would like to – in my perfect world – be even obviously more messed up. As you think she’s getting her sh*t together, she would be irreparably damaged from shooting her sister. She’s another loss that’s her fault. And, yes, it’s different. Yes, it’s like she had to do it this time. But she still shot her family. It’s like the numbers of people she has left to count on are dwindling. I think that she’s damaged enough that she wouldn’t go, ‘I had to do it. It’s okay.’ I think she would just self-sabotage and just go dark places. I hope that’s where it goes.”

She’s going to have to recover at some point though, right, to move forward at all?

Melanie Scrofano: “Yeah. I don’t want that to happen too fast. Of course her journey…if she’s always just going to be a mess, that’s going to get old. But, what I want to see is that she would move forward. I think she would stuff it all down, you know, and as we do in life, ‘I’ll think about it later. I’ll think about it tomorrow.’ Very Scarlett O’Hara, like, ‘I’ll think about it when I have time to deal with this.’ I think that will hopefully come back and bite her in the butt. Just one of those epic…maybe she starts to drink even more. Just things that happen in real life where we just stuff things away and just all of a sudden it just turns around and all of a sudden we’re an alcoholic.”


Is she ready for the fact her sister might be her nemesis next season?

Melanie Scrofano: “I don’t think…I mean clearly she doesn’t know. I hope we draw that out. I hope that’s a slow burn.”

She had to confront Willow in the first season but to have to confront Waverly in season two seems like it could be too much for her.

Melanie Scrofano: “That’s right. It’s that whole thing of how many family members do I have to lose? Already she probably has abandonment issues from where’s her mom? And I don’t have the answer to that. I actually don’t know. I know I’d love to explore that. But then to lose Waverly… I mean, it’s Waverly, she’s her younger sister but in a way she’s a bit of a mom in a sense of even in episode 12 and 13 she’s like, ‘I’ve got something I have to do.’ She’s taking care of everything. But for Wynonna to lose that, I don’t think Wynonna knows that Waverly’s such a strength for her.”

Why do you think there’s been such a passionate response from fans, particularly on social media?

Melanie Scrofano: “Honestly, I don’t know why it is. I know why I think it’s that way; I feel like when we’re shooting and we’re in our little bubble, we were like, ‘This is an awesome show.’ Doesn’t mean people are going to get it. Doesn’t mean it’s going to translate. We can only do our part as actors. We’re not going to edit it; I don’t know what it’s going to look like. So, as an actor you just go, ‘I hope people get it because I do.’

I do think people respond a lot to the humor and not taking itself too seriously. I know before we started somebody posted to me, ‘I can’t wait for your show to air because I’m so sick of how serious things are.’ Things are serious in our show but we’re not precious about it. It’s just like, ‘The world is going to end. Gotta do something about that!’ I think that’s refreshing. I do think it comes across and our chemistry is great.”

Wynonna is such an inspiration. What were some of your female character inspirations growing up?

Melanie Scrofano: “Nobody jumps out at me, to be honest, in terms of famous people or characters. I read a lot so I guess I absorbed inspiration that way. A lot of the people who inspired me were like girls…I was not a cool person. Well, I was but nobody knew it and so I would draw inspiration from people at school that I looked up to. There were older girls who, maybe because I was bullied and things, girls who took me under their wings. They were my heroes.”

What is it that draws Wynonna to Dolls and Doc Holliday?

Melanie Scrofano: “I think Dolls is a strength that she doesn’t have. He’s so together. I love that about him. Even Shamier (Anderson) as a person on set you’re just like, ‘Shamier, I need help with this.’ [Shamier leans in to hear what Melanie’s saying about him.] And he’s there. He has that strength of character. I think Doc has the wisdom of the years and gives her that perspective that she needs. He knew Wyatt so he’s able to remind her who she is in a way that nobody else can do. I’ve never thought about that actually; I just thought about that right now, which is pretty great. And, they’re both hot.”

Watch the full Melanie Scrofano interview:





Christian Slater Interview: ‘Mr. Robot’ Season 2

By
Fred Topel
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Mr. Robot star Christian Slater
Christian Slater from ‘Mr Robot’ at Comic Con 2016 (Photo © Richard Chavez / Showbiz Junkies)

The second season of USA Network’s Mr. Robot proves the show isn’t resting on its laurels. Season two is equally as intense and entertaining as the show’s award-winning first season, and at the 2016 San Diego Comic Con the show’s cast answered questions from fans of the series during a packed panel. They also sat down for roundtable interviews, with Christian Slater discussing his approach to playing Mr. Robot and how the character has evolved from season one to season two.

Christian Slater Interview:

How does it feel to portray somebody’s emotional baggage in their imagination?

Christian Slater: “It’s unusual. It’s definitely unusual. After we did season one episode nine I had many questions about where the character was going to go. Sam (Esmail) was still writing the characters from week to week. We didn’t know what was going to happen. This season we had the opportunity – or Sam had the opportunity – to work with all the writers and write every script. So, then over the course of two days we sat down and read through with the whole cast and everybody so we were all on the same page together. So, that just was remarkably helpful knowing where we were going and what direction and what each of our character arcs were going to be.

But, yeah, playing somebody’s emotional baggage… I mean, the character I think initially was this manifestation of somebody that Elliot truly loved and needed him to sort of lead him and guide him along this path. As long as Elliot’s moving in that particular direction, we’re fine. As soon as he starts to put up barriers and walls and things like that taking us off course, I’m not going to be happy about it.”


What has it been like playing that relationship more antagonistic this season?

Christian Slater: “You know, it’s difficult. First of all because I really love Rami (Malek). But, I like the dynamic of us now. I think they’re all very well thought out and thoroughly detailed. Sam has put a great deal of thought and care and time into really getting to the bottom of this relationship and understanding it as fully as you possibly can. So I’m just excited for it to continue to unfold. I’m also excited for the opportunity the character’s developing a personality of his own, not just this idealized vision of what he manifested his father to be or what he would have liked hm to have been had he lived. The character’s really starting to exercise his own will in a lot of situations and scenarios. That’s a lot of fun. It’s a real power struggle between the two of us.”

Does being a part of this show make you more aware of the use of technology?

Christian Slater: “Yeah, definitely, certainly. I didn’t know really anything. You just don’t think about the dangers of the internet. But, yeah, certainly doing a show like this raised all of our levels of awareness. This whole hacking universe is extraordinarily powerful. We’ve seen it already bring down corporations to their knees. It’s no joke. It’s the real deal and something that we need to really take very seriously. I don’t know where we’re going in the next few years. I don’t want to be making a documentary here; it’s a TV show. Hopefully it will raise people’s awareness levels enough they will start to actually incorporate a lot of these security protocols that are available.”

Watch the Christian Slater interview:

(Interview by Fred Topel. Article by Rebecca Murray.)

‘Suicide Squad’ Movie Review: Watch the Trailers, Skip the Film

By
Rebecca Murray
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Suicide Squad Cast Movie Review
JAY HERNANDEZ as Diablo, JAI COURTNEY as Boomerang, ADEWALE AKINNUOYE-AGBAJE as Killer Croc, MARGOT ROBBIE as Harley Quinn, WILL SMITH as Deadshot, JOEL KINNAMAN as Rick Flag and KAREN FUKUHARA as Katana in Warner Bros. Pictures’ action adventure “SUICIDE SQUAD” (Photo © 2016 Warner Bros Entertainment)

You bought into the promises made by the trailers, didn’t you? It’s okay to admit you watched the Suicide Squad trailers and thought finally there’s a film set in the DC Comics universe that’s figured out how to work in humor the way Marvel has with films such as Deadpool and Guardians of the Galaxy. Join the ‘Fooled by a Trailer’ club; you’re among friends here and it’s okay to confess to lowering your guard and believing what a trailer was selling. It happens to the best of us.

An hour into Suicide Squad I wanted to have a serious talk with whoever cut the trailers. The movie teased in those videos is definitely not the final cut shown in theaters. I’ve had this film at the top of my summer must-see list since that first promotional trailer arrived last year at Comic Con because, even though I absolutely should have known better, I bought into it hook, line, and sinker. Maybe I was still riding high after the sheer lunacy of Deadpool. Maybe it was just that I assumed after Batman v Superman it couldn’t get any worse. The powers that be at Warner Bros want to see DC’s Justice League succeed which meant that Suicide Squad was tasked with wiping away the bad taste left lingering following the debacle that was Batman v Superman (one of the most tedious and joyless superhero films to ever hit the big screen). Unfortunately, if Suicide Squad is indicative of what’s to come with Justice League, the DC Comics film world is in deep, deep trouble.


The first hour or so of Suicide Squad is spent setting up the supervillains who make up the squad. It also establishes Viola Davis as Amanda Waller, a government official pulling the strings and introduces Joel Kinnaman as Colonel Rick Flag, the military officer who’s charged with overseeing the squad by constantly threatening them with death. The squad itself is made up of Will Smith as Deadshot, an assassin who never, ever misses unless he means to; Jai Courtney as Boomerang, a crazy dude named after his weapon of choice; and a nearly unrecognizable Jay Hernandez as El Diablo, the tattooed fire-conjuror with a disturbing past. Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje plays Killer Croc, a villain whose talent is the ability to swim like a crocodile. (If he has any other ability, it’s not shown in the film.) Adam Beach shows up briefly as Slipknot, a villain who seems incredibly out of place among the other psychos. And Margot Robbie, the only reason to watch the film, is Harley Quinn, a former psychologist who went wacko after falling for The Joker (played by Jared Leto) who’s part of the story but not part of the Suicide Squad.

Also not technically part of the squad but a key player in the plot is archaeologist June Moone played by a horribly miscast Cara Delevingne. June’s possessed by a super powerful witch known as the Enchantress. Amanda Waller has the Enchantress’ heart locked up in a box, which is the only reason the government can control her. June’s heart is possessed in a less creepy way by Rick Flag. And while we’re on the subject of the June and Rick relationship, the 13 year age difference in actors is not only noticeable but doesn’t make any sense. A more mature actress in the role may have made the Enchantress character less angsty and more ruthless.

So, once the team’s together their big mission is to rescue someone important from a skyscraper while the Enchantress, who has managed to get loose and free her demon brother, is whipping up some sort of bizarre lightning/thundercloud-ish machine (which looks nothing like a machine but is constantly referred to as a ‘machine’) that will wipe out humanity. Why? Because people no longer worship her. Awww, poor thing. The more important question though is who thought it was a good idea to make this character, who comes across as scary as a petulant teen, the main villain in a mega-budget comic book-inspired action film? Once Suicide Squad introduces Enchantress doing a weird wobbly dance while whipping up her storm cloud weapon/machine, the film pretty much just goes to hell in a handbasket.

Suicide Squad’s tone is all over the place and every single funny moment in the film has already been revealed/ruined in the trailers and TV spots. The villain is surprisingly lame, the CG is nothing special, and with the exception of Robbie’s Harley Quinn, Suicide Squad fails to make a case for ever wanting to spend time – or money – watching any member of this ensemble again. And, look, Jared Leto’s a fine actor but he’s no Jack Nicholson or Heath Ledger. Plus, what’s the reason behind The Joker’s silver teeth? Suicide Squad also seems handcuffed by its PG-13 rating, especially when you take into consideration the fact Deadpool went with an R-rating and did just fine at the box office.

Justice League is going to have a tough row to hoe to win over audiences following Batman v Superman and now Suicide Squad. A trip back to the drawing board needs to happen and someone higher up is going to have to take a good hard look at what it is audiences actually want to throw their support – and their dollars – behind before Justice League debuts. The old saying, “Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me,” applies to the two most recent Warner Bros/DC Comics offerings. We can only hope that the other old adage, “The third time is the charm,” holds true for Justice League.

GRADE: D+

MPAA Rating: PG – 13 for sequences of violence and action throughout, disturbing behavior, suggestive content and language

Running Time: 123 minutes

Directed By: David Ayer

Release Date: August 5, 2016




Marie Avgeropoulos Interview: ‘The 100’ Season 4 and Octavia’s Heartbreak

By
Rebecca Murray
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The 100 star Marie Avgeropoulos
Marie Avgeropoulos from ‘The 100’ at Comic Con 2016 (Photo © Richard Chavez / Showbiz Junkies)

The 100 star Marie Avgeropoulos says season four of The CW’s sci-fi action/drama series will be an emotionally difficult one for Octavia. That’s nothing new as each season of The 100 has been tough on the character who in season three witnessed the murder of the man she loved. During roundtable interviews at the 2016 San Diego Comic Con Avgeropoulos also revealed she’s looking forward to Octavia’s even darker turn in the upcoming fourth season of the show which will premiere on The CW’s primetime lineup early next year.

Marie Avgeropoulos Interview:

Octavia had such an emotionally difficult season. How is she going to handle that moving forward?

Marie Avgeropoulos: “Tears, tissues, booze… No. Octavia had a really hard season. She lost the thing that was the most important to her which was her Romeo, Lincoln [played by Ricky Whittle]. They had that gorgeous Romeo and Juliet romance that was forbidden since day one. And whenever someone tells you you can’t have that one, it makes you want it even more. Isn’t it funny how that works? But they just kept making these immense sacrifices for one another throughout their entire relationship and ultimately that’s how it ended. As tragic and horrible as it was, it was a little Shakespearean at the same time. So it was a really precious thing they had going and he taught her pretty much everything she knows that the Arkers didn’t and wouldn’t because nobody really believed in her and dismissed her. Lincoln was the only one who really had never done that, except for her brother of course but they’d been ying and yang this season.”

How was it filming those scenes with Octavia losing Lincoln?

Marie Avgeropoulos: “Well, actually the last scene where Octavia was watching Lincoln’s death was actually really challenging because he wasn’t even there and I had to do it staring at a telephone pole with an ‘X’ on it. I had to really use my imagination to really service that moment because it was such a big one. They worked on their relationship to be together for three seasons straight. I had to pull my heartstrings every which way I could.”


We’ve heard the upcoming season described as harsh but also more hopeful. Are you looking forward to that?

Marie Avgeropoulos: “Not for Octavia. I know what she’s going to be up to. It’s going to be a really emotional journey for Octavia. She takes a really dark turn into some pretty nasty pastures. You know, Octavia thought killing Pike would sort of band-aid that wound in her heart. It doesn’t. It actually triggers something even more disappointing because she thought it would fix that and make it all better. She is going to do what she does best next season, and that’s killing people. She doesn’t enjoy or take pleasure out of it; she just knows that’s her skill set. Her peers are doctors, mechanics, computer programmers. It took Octavia a while to figure out what she does best and now she knows what that is and she’s going to use that as an outlet to really excel at being the best assassin that she can with a certain group that you’re all aware of – I can’t tell you who. She’s going to have a really dark season. I don’t know yet what I’m in for. Probably some fun.”

Are you excited for her to take that dark turn?

Marie Avgeropoulos: “Yeah, definitely. I don’t want her to start playing violin or something. It’s fun. My favorite part of my job is learning how to sword fight better and ride horseback and all that stuff. It’s so much fun. I get to put that on my tax return!”

Watch the Marie Avgeropoulos interview:





Rose McIver Interview: ‘iZombie’ Season 3 and TeamZombie

By
Rebecca Murray
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iZombie star Rose McIver
Rose McIver and Rob Thomas from ‘iZombie’ at Comic Con 2016 (Photo © Richard Chavez / Showbiz Junkies)

The CW’s iZombie finished up season two with a game-changing finale that opened up the small group of people who actually knew zombies existed into a much larger group that can now help and support Liv Moore (played by Rose McIver). McIver and her iZombie co-stars once again presented a panel at Comic Con, talking about the upcoming third season and what that season two finale will mean for Liv and her friends moving forward. The iZombie gang also participated in roundtables at the San Diego Comic Con, providing a little more insight into how Liv will adjust to more people joining #TeamZombie and into a couple of brains we can look forward to seeing Liv munch on in season three.

The CW will return iZombie to the primetime lineup in early 2017.

Rose McIver Interview:

Are you excited now that the team has expanded and more people know what’s going on and will be on Liv’s side?

Rose McIver: “Yeah. I’m really curious to see the new dynamic with Clive and Liv now that he’s informed because I think a lot of the humor was derived from being out of the loop. But his character’s so rational and so logical that I think there’s going to be a really new and interesting humor that comes with him weighing in on her brains and how they’re going to work. So, I’m really excited about that.

I think it’s good for Liv to have the support. I feel like there’s a good council of people now that bring different ideas and advice. They’re kind of a stronger unit, yeah.”

Do you think the next season will shift away from the procedural mode? Will it change how she interacts with everybody?

Rose McIver: “I think there will still be a procedural element for sure. Liv will still eat brains and take on characteristics. I feel like so much of what I enjoy and what we enjoy about making the show kind of comes from it, but I think definitely the season arc stuff progressively has gotten bigger and bigger and more interwoven. I feel like what I know so far of season three there’s some very solid high stakes stuff that happens that carries throughout the season, so there will be more serialized elements as well.”


We didn’t get to visit Liv’s family in season two.

Rose McIver: “I know. I’m just as curious as you are. I want to know about her family life and her mother, but I also want to know (about her dad). We don’t know about her dad and I’m really curious. I’ve been plugging today just making dad choices, like, ‘I want Bill Murray. Get him. Clear his schedule.’ Let’s all fantasize on who would be a good Liv dad.”

Have you been told any of the brains that you’ll be eating this season?

Rose McIver: “I only learned today that I have to eat the brain of a dominatrix in an episode so I’ll be drawing upon a lot of research. I was actually thinking it’s going to be one of those things that’s like, ‘Delete browser history.’ You don’t want to be caught with that stuff! But it will be fun. It will be really good. I know that early on Major and I eat the brain of a father and his angsty teenage daughter. I’m the father, he’s the angsty teenage daughter. That is going to be a lot of fun. It’s the part Robert Buckley was born to play. He’s going to nail it. It’s going to be great.”

So you’ll actually do research on a playing a dominatrix?

Rose McIver: “Well, I haven’t yet because I’ve just been told this morning. It seemed a little hasty to be searching in between the tables. You can never prepare enough, you know?

I do try to research, absolutely. I have really limited time between episodes, like the turn-around is unbelievable. But absolutely on the weekends. I look things up or I talk to people on the phone who worked in different professions. I try to do what I can. There’s plenty out there.”

What kind of a recipe would you do for a dominatrix brain?

Rose McIver: “Good question. I feel like licorice whips or something. Licorice whips with little brains on the end. That’s a good question.”

Liv started out a loner because no one could commiserate with her, and now she has Major and this team. What’s it been like to play that embracing of a new family for her?

Rose McIver: “I feel like the start of season one, Liv was alone. She pushed everybody away. The start of season two in many ways Liv was alone and pushed people away. This is the first time we’re going into a season and there’s a support group. There’s definitely some confusion and if I were Clive, I’d be pissed off. It’s like there’s an open dialogue. She has people there looking out for her and so it kind of is a strong foundation for her to start this season from. I feel Liv doesn’t know what to make of Fillmore-Graves yet. I don’t think it’s black and white. It definitely seems very suspicious but she doesn’t know exactly what they entail. And they also have a lot of information that could be very useful to her. She’d be wise not to antagonize them entirely just yet. So I feel like having her little council around her that can help her make good decisions and not be too rash and impulsive, that’s great. It’s going to be a very different dynamic.”

Can you talk about actually filming the finale from last year because it was such a different episode from any of the ones that led up to it?

Rose McIver: “It was cold. It was really cold. We were wearing those sweatsuits and you’d sit outside and it was like freezing. You step inside and you had the sweatsuits and this stuff pulled over your head that was so hot and sweaty, and it was plastic-y. We just dripped with sweat on the inside. It was quite physically taxing, the whole thing. There was a lot of stunt components. We had Rob Thomas which was so much fun. He was such a trooper. He was there as late as all of us the last couple of days working with all the stunt people.

It was really good. Right at the end of the season everybody’s very exhausted but there’s definitely a strong comradery around there as well where it’s like that last day of school feeling. We had a really great time. It was pretty full-on and long days.”

We hear you’re pretty good working with the rats.

Rose McIver: “Oh, yeah, I’m the rat handler. I’m actually not even in the show; I’m Rahul (Kohli’s) hired rat handler who’s taken over the job from him because he just can’t stand them. I’m not a rat fetishist; I don’t love them. But, I don’t have a huge problem. They’re actually much cleaner than a lot of animals so I’m all right.”

Have you ever actually eaten brains?

Rose McIver: “No. I’m weirdly squeamish. I was a vegetarian for a long time and I have the palate of a child. I feel like brains are a bit much, even for me.”

Watch the full Rose McIver interview:





Tyler Hoechlin Interview: ‘Supergirl’ and Playing Superman

By
Fred Topel
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Supergirl star Tyler Hoechlin talks Superman
Tyler Hoechlin, Melissa Benoist, David Harewood, and Chyler Leigh from ‘Supergirl’ at Comic Con 2016 (Photo © Richard Chavez / Showbiz Junkies)

Teen Wolf‘s Tyler Hoechlin joins the cast of The CW’s Supergirl for season two, taking on the iconic role of Clark Kent/Superman. In season one of the comic book-inspired series, Kara Danvers/Supergirl (played by Melissa Benoist) was only able to communicate with her cousin via text or instant messages. We can expect to see Hoechlin introduced and interacting with Benoist as Supergirl early on in the second season which debuts on October 10, 2016 at 8pm ET/PT.

Tyler Hoechlin Interview:

Can you talk about your take on Clark Kent?

Tyler Hoechlin: “Yeah, without getting fired before I start. (Laughing) I can say a little bit. That’s obviously one of the fun things about the character is finding the different parts of the personality that come out more when he’s Superman. It’s kind of like anybody – in a social setting with certain groups of friends you’re one way, other friends a different part of you comes out a little more. Finding those parts of him and which ones are enhanced depending on who is he and where he is, that will be one of the exciting things to play with.”

There have been so many different portrayals of Superman in the comics, in films and on television. Does yours fall closer to one of the classic portrayals?

Tyler Hoechlin: “You know, I’m really trying not to go specifically at anything that’s been there. Obviously, there’s staples of what Superman is and what he stands for so I want to be truthful to the character inherently, but really finding out how he fits into this story. They’ve done such a great job of establishing the tone and what they’re going for. It’s very positive and optimistic and hopeful, so I’m finding how he fits into that world. That’s going to be more of where my focus is at, as opposed to anything specifically toward one of the comics or one of the portrayals, finding out how he fits in this world.”


How are you handling the green screens and wire work you’ll be doing?

Tyler Hoechlin: “Yeah, it’ll be my first time really doing a lot of that stuff. It’ll be for sure an interesting first day and something I’ll probably finally settle into. But I think that will be one of those real moments of with the suit on and I’m literally in the air flying. ‘Okay, this is happening.'”

What made you really want to play Superman?

Tyler Hoechlin: “One, it’s Superman and it’s an incredible opportunity and such an iconic character. But really it was my meeting with Greg (Berlanti) and Andrew (Kreisberg). We kind of had very similar interests in what we found fascinating about the character, what made him interesting. And so to have some people who want to portray the character in a certain way or of a certain mindset, it made him a very interesting person to me. So, despite the fact that he’s Superman to have the things he has to go through, the responsibilities he has, things like that, that’s what I found fascinating about him. So the fact that they agreed on a lot of those things and we had similar ideas creatively, that’s kind of what made it so appealing.”

In season one there was a lot of texting and instant messaging between Kara and Superman. How do you feel they’re making up for that this season?

Tyler Hoechlin: “I think that got them into the same rhythm. They’ve done a great job of at least establishing that contact but it will be nice to actually see them interact face-to-face, carry that over and just dive a little bit deeper into that relationship and how they behave as a family. I always say it’s kind of like when you go see that friend from high school, you don’t even have to be really great friends anymore, you don’t talk all the time, but there’s a familiarity there. You grew up in the same place, you knew the same people, you did the same stupid things together because you were young and dumb. There’s a familiarity there that I’m excited to explore that with that character because they don’t interact that much in the show. But to be able to go back and just talk and suddenly it will be like, ‘Oh, we were here,’ and it’s familiar. So, that will be a fun thing to explore.”

What was the process like getting the role? Did you have to do a chemistry test with Melissa Benoist?

Tyler Hoechlin: “This was one of the most painless processes I’ve ever gone through. I don’t know why. I had one meeting with Greg and Andrew; it went really well. That was I think on a Monday and on Friday we got the offer. That was really it. It was just that one meeting and, yeah, that never happens. That never happens so I was very grateful for that. But, I know Melissa a bit through her husband. He and I did a film together, and she’s the absolute sweetest. She’s so talented so I can’t wait to get on set and actually start to work with her.”

Watch the full interview with Tyler Hoechlin:

(Interview by Fred Topel. Article by Rebecca Murray.)



Sarah Wayne Callies, Robert Knepper Interview: ‘Prison Break’

By
Rebecca Murray
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Prison Break stars Sarah Wayne Callies and Robert Knepper
Sarah Wayne Callies and Robert Knepper from ‘Prison Break’ at Comic Con 2016 (Photo © Richard Chavez / Showbiz Junkies)

Fox’s new limited Prison Break series reunites the main cast for new episodes in which fans will finally have the opportunity to catch up with Michael Scofield (Wentworth Miller), Lincoln Burrows (Dominic Purcell), Sara Tancredi (Sarah Wayne Callies), and T-Bag (Robert Knepper). The limited series, which won’t arrive until 2017, was well represented at the 2016 San Diego Comic Con by the show’s stars, with Sarah Wayne Callies and Robert Knepper teaming up for roundtable interviews to discuss the series, their characters, and where the 2017 Prison Break picks up the story.

Sarah Wayne Callies and Robert Knepper Interview:

You got some closure on T-Bag in the Prison Break spin-off series. What was it like after that to revisit T-Bag again?

Robert Knepper: “It was, you know, our feeling I think – and this came from Paul (Scheuring) – is let’s go back to the first season. Let’s go back to the richness of that writing and that relationship. It almost didn’t matter how it evolved over the years; it was the richness of that first season that made us go. And the beautiful thing about it, as I was thinking about what we were going to talk about today, is I thought how great is it that we did play these characters years ago. At the same time when we came to the set, I never felt like this was nostalgic. This wasn’t, ‘Hey Sarah, do you remember when we used to…,’ that was like a bunch of actors going, ‘Sh*t, I have to figure this out right now, today.’ And because we played the characters before, there was this confidence. There was this ease and an ability to say, ‘Let’s try something new. Let’s make it simpler. Let’s make it more dangerous.'”

Sarah Wayne Callies: “It’s been seven years and so I think two things happened. One is that the character evolves because it’s been seven years in their life. But the other one is, God willing, we evolve. I better be a better actor than I was seven years ago or I’ve been wasting my time.”

Robert Knepper: “I feel like I’m a better person. I’m a different person than I was seven years ago. It was great to be able to walk onto the set and have people say, like Sarah…she and I hated each other as characters years ago. And now to have this sort of conflict with characters with each other… People like Dominic (Purcell) were like, ‘What? You guys are hugging?’ People confuse between the characters and the actors. I was always this guy who could hug Dom years ago, but we were not this way years ago. And now the characters go, ‘I need you. How can I figure out how to get what I need from you when I still don’t totally trust you?’ It was much more of a camaraderie this time.”

Sarah Wayne Callies: “Yeah there was, for sure.”

So you would say the new episodes are less about nostalgia and more about a continuation of something new with the story?

Sarah Wayne Callies: “Yeah. I mean, Paul was the brain behind season one and season two, and then he left the show. Now he’s back masterminding season five. I can’t imagine what the inside of his brain looks like, but he’s got this sort of labyrinthing way of seeing things. He lays things out and lays them in, and I think that’s exciting for us as actors. I don’t think this is a nostalgia piece. I actually think that they’ve updated it in a way that really dials into a current sort of geopolitical world that makes it really relevant. I think parts of the story that are being told are pretty brave and pretty risky.”

Where is it that we catch up with Sara in her life? What is she up to at this point?

Sarah Wayne Callies: “You know, in a lot of ways she’s a radically different person because she’s now a wife and mother and has been for the last seven years. And she’s a woman raising a son who she believes is the son of the dead love of her life. I think without that son Sara probably wouldn’t have come back from her grief. But at a certain point down that rabbit hole I think she looked at this little boy and went, ‘My grief is a luxury you can’t afford, so I’m going to get on with it. I’m going to express my fidelity to your father by raising the hell out of you. I will pour my love for him into you.’

I think when we catch up with her, you know her son’s seven years old and he’s at an age where he’s looking and acting more like his father every day which is devastating and beautiful at the same time. She made a decision not to raise him alone. She found a man willing to take what she had left to give. She’s remarried. There’s no pretense of like, ‘This is the love of my life.’ This is a comfortable companionship. We’re good to each other; he’s good to the kid. It’s working. Is it the happiest she’s ever been? No. But, she’s doing what needs to be done.”

However Michael comes back, the idea that he told her he was dying of a brain tumor must not sit well with her. How is she going to deal with that?

Sarah Wayne Callies: “I think that there’s so many emotions that come up initially when she’s confronted with what appears to be evidence that Michael is back. I think doubt is a huge part of it. But I think also a lot of those emotions have to do with the feeling of betrayal. ‘Where have you been all these years when I’ve been raising this child on my own? Did you love me?’ Because over the four seasons it doesn’t take that long. It’s like a year and a half in the lives of these people so I think she starts to question, ‘Maybe I was wrong. Maybe I built this thing up in my head.’ And then somewhere behind that I think is faith, is a sense that this is a good man who does the right thing whenever he can so there must be a reason for this and I’ve got to find that reason. But, it’s a very uncertain thing.”

Robert Knepper: “I remember watching the show and thinking, ‘God, I love Sarah’s acting.’ But here’s the thing, you had this great knack of like not looking people in the eye until you really need to look at them. I thought, ‘Oh, I wish I could do that!’ because you hate ‘TV actors’ that go (staring directly at someone), ‘I’m watching you. I’m never looking away from that one eye,’ right?”

Sarah Wayne Callies: “I appreciate the compliment but realize that most of that was because I was f**king with syringes, putting on gloves.”

Robert Knepper: “The reason I bring it up is because now she and I have some really beautiful, juicy scenes together. I go, ‘I get to act with that person that I used to just watch on TV!'”

Sarah Wayne Callies: “I felt the same way! We never worked together the first season and I remember watching it and I was like, ‘Oh, he’s doing that? Wow!'”

Watch the entire Sarah Wayne Callies and Robert Knepper interview:





‘Star Trek’ 50th Anniversary Press Conference

By
Melissa Molina
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Star Trek 50th Anniversary Press Conference
Bryan Fuller, Scott Bakula, Brent Spiner, Michael Dorn, William Shatner and Jeri Ryan at Comic Con 2016 (Photo: Johnny Vy © 2016 CBS Broadcasting, Inc)

There are a very select number of science fiction shows that are able to have the honor of continuing on for more than a couple of years. The countless stories that have emerged from Gene Roddenberry’s fantastical Star Trek universe continue to this very day, entertaining all around the world with stories that are mixed with action, science and a beautiful dose of humanity and how one day could be united in such a beautiful way.

Star Trek has served as an inspiration for countless people around the world, bringing an abundance of hope not only over what we can accomplish in space but as a species. Not every episode that’s taken place in the Star Trek universe is overflowing with these themes, and at times can be a little bit over-the-top campy, but the impact the series has had on viewers still clearly resonates in their hearts to this very day.

This is why it is no surprise that Star Trek: Discovery got the green light. The opportunity for the likes of showrunner Bryan Fuller, co-producers Heather Kadin, and Rod Roddenberry to create another chapter in the ongoing mythology was nothing short of exciting to do. And so, on the 50th anniversary of the beloved franchise, those behind Star Trek: Discovery and actors William Shatner (Star Trek), Scott Bakula (Star Trek: Enterprise), Jeri Ryan (Star Trek: Voyager), Michael Dorn (Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine) and Brett Spiner (Star Trek: The Next Generation) descended upon this year’s San Diego Comic-Con to sing the praises of this iconic sci-fi series.

Star Trek: Discovery will premiere on CBS All Access in January 2017.

Watch the Star Trek 50th Anniversary press conference videos:


Joseph Morgan Interview: ‘The Originals’ Season 4

By
Rebecca Murray
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The Originals star Joseph Morgan
‘The Originals’ star Joseph Morgan is ready to sign autographs for fans at the Warner Bros. booth during Comic-Con 2016 on Saturday, July 23. #WBSDCC (Photo © 2016 WBEI. All Rights Reserved)

The CW’s The Originals cast members made the trip to San Diego for the 2016 Comic Con where they conducted a lively panel with fans, answering questions (without disclosing any spoilers) about the show’s upcoming fourth season. The series’ stars also met with the press to talk about the series and what’s going on with the Mikaelson family. In our interview with Joseph Morgan (‘Klaus Mikaelson’), he told us we can expect a very different Klaus at the beginning of the season but one that’s still very dangerous.

The CW’s The Originals season four will premiere in early 2017.

Joseph Morgan Interview:

How quickly is Klaus going to get out of the box?

Joseph Morgan: “He’s out of the box and in a dungeon when we find him. Marcel still has him captive and he’s not going anywhere, at least not the first episode.”

The bromance is definitely off between Klaus and Marcel then?

Joseph Morgan: “I don’t know. I think maybe the chains and the bondage have sort of increased the potential for bromance, if anything.”

While he’s in prison is he going to contemplate the sins of his past?

Joseph Morgan: “I think so. You know, I think in giving himself up as he did so bloody heroically, he maybe atoned for some of the sins of his past. Hopefully there’s a chance for redemption.”


What went through your mind when you read the script for the season three finale? Did you know what was coming?

Joseph Morgan: “Not exactly what was coming, but I knew there was going to be a lose for the Mikaelsons. I knew that we weren’t going to emerge from it (winners). Season two we defeated Dahlia and we kind of came out of it on top. I knew that season three ultimately was going to end with the fall of the Mikaelsons and then there was going to be this time jump. But, I was really excited. I love grandstanding so the whole kind of trial sequence and reading those speeches and Claire (Holt) coming back and everything was pretty exciting.”

How will Klaus react to missing five years of Hope’s life?

Joseph Morgan: “Probably angrily, I would say. The one thing he can hold in his heart is that he kept her safe by doing that which I guess a lot of fathers do things for the good of their children but at the expense of the relationship with their children. So I think this is maybe just that on a grander scale. The interesting thing to me will be how Hope reacts to him when they finally meet again. I’m really excited to shoot those scenes.”

What’s going on with the rest of the siblings? They were kind of fragmented. Will they get a chance to come back together?

Joseph Morgan: “I hope so. I like to believe there’s always a chance for the Mikaelsons. They have this philosophy of family above all and so I think there’s always going to be a chance, but there’s always going to be drama there as well.”

Are there any new characters that Klaus will be interacting with?

Joseph Morgan: “Oh, yeah, of course. Every season there’s new characters that come in. A friend of mine, Neil Jackson, just got cast as a character called Alistair who’s a vampire in the show. I haven’t worked with him since 2002. We did a film together in Morocco in the desert so it’ll be interesting to work with him again. It’s lovely to see people come in and out. The show tends to maintain a fairly high standard of actors coming in and it’s fun to play with these guys. So yeah, Klaus gets to interact with a lot of these guys.”

What’s his mindset when we meet him again? What’s he thinking? What’s he want to do?

Joseph Morgan: “You know, it’s interesting because in the first episode especially I would say he’s fairly withdrawn. I mean, my goal is for him to have his walls up and for us to not quite know what’s going on with him. I think Marcel’s holding all the cards and he’s lording over Klaus and I feel like Klaus is keeping his cards close to his chest. He’s waiting for an opportunity. He’s like a snake or a coiled spring, I feel. I’m hoping to maintain that the first few episodes at least.”

What can you kind of tease as far as romances in the upcoming season?

Joseph Morgan: “I don’t know. I can’t tease anything. I’ve read the first two scripts and Klaus is a prisoner. But honestly further than that I don’t know.”

Can you talk about the loss of Cami and how that affected Klaus?

Joseph Morgan: “It’s interesting. We took a long time to get there with Klaus and Cami and then it felt like just as we were arriving at something it was snatched away, which I think was a beautiful touch of drama. For me personally, I’m not sure that Klaus deserves happiness and love yet, so I feel like that’s perhaps a good thing. Also I feel like in order for us to maintain the level of drama there needs to be tragedy in the show, and so naturally the characters that we feel the most for – and that our characters feel the most for – are killed off and taken away. We also want to maintain the level of threat, just like Vicki Donovan being killed in the beginning of Vampire Diaries. It’s important to snatch people away when you least expect it and that informs the other characters’ emotions and how they see the world. There’s a lot of anger in Klaus because of what happened to Cami and he’s reminded of that.”

How dangerous is he now?

Joseph Morgan: “You’re going to find out in episode one how dangerous he is?”

(Interview by Carrie Chavez. Article by Rebecca Murray.)



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