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Goran Visnjic, Matt Lanter and Malcolm Barrett Interview on ‘Timeless,’ a New NBC Time Travel Series

By
Carrie Chavez
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Timeless cast Goran Visnjic, Matt Lanter, and Malcolm Barrett
Goran Visnjic, Malcolm Barrett, and Matt Lanter fropm ‘Timeless’ at Comic Con 2016 (Photo by: Mark Davis/NBC)

The cast of NBC’s Timeless was just beginning production on their second episode of the series when they appeared at the 2016 San Diego Comic Con to discuss the sci-fi action/drama. Goran Visnjic, Matt Lanter, and Malcolm Barrett joined the the show’s creators Eric Kripke (Supernatural) and Shawn Ryan (The Shield) for a panel to talk about the series which will be part of NBC’s primetime lineup beginning October 3, 2016. Visnjic, Lanter, and Barrett also sat down for interviews in which they provided details on their characters and why they were drawn to Timeless in the first place.

The Plot: Timeless is an action-adventure series in which a mysterious criminal steals a secret state-of-the-art time machine, intent on destroying America as we know it by changing the past. Our only hope is an unexpected team: Rufus (Barrett), a scientist; Wyatt (Lanter), a soldier; and Lucy (Abigail Spencer), a history professor, all of who must use the machine’s prototype to travel back in time to critical events. While they must make every effort not to affect the past themselves, they must also stay one step ahead of Flynn (Višnjić), a dangerous fugitive. But can this handpicked team uncover the mystery behind it all and end his destruction before it’s too late?

Goran Visnjic, Matt Lanter, and Malcolm Barrett Interview:

What attracted you to the series?

Goran Visnjic: “In my case, first I read the script. It was really quick phone call – I live out of town so I was driving to town and I got a call from Shawn and Eric, ‘Would you please it? We need an answer kind of quickly.’ I knew who they are and I’m like, ‘A time travel script from these two?’ So I hurried up and I parked the car and started reading it. I called my agent and I was like, ‘This sounds really cool but I would need to know some details. Can we meet?’ We met and we spoke, and it was kind of for me to trust them a lot because the pilot I had literally one scene. And now during the second episode that we’re shooting, the Abraham Lincoln assassination, I’m seeing all these things that they said they’re going to do and it’s still the same scale as the pilot. We’re doing a replica of Ford’s Theatre.”


Matt Lanter: “It’s practically built out.”

Goran Visnjic: “If you see The Shield and if you see Supernatural, imagine that the creators of these two shows are doing a script about time travel. Let your imagination run, and that’s what we have here. And we have a nice budget, too. I don’t want for this to sound egotistical or something, but I think we’re here to stay at least to give an audience a big chunk of episodes that they can be, ‘Wow, we got something really good.’ It’s not like they’re going to pull the plug out after five or six episodes.”

You are only two episodes deep in this but it seems like there’s a secondary mission to restore the timeline after the pilot episode. What is the motivation for your character: pursue the mission and get the guy who’s destroying the timeline or restore the timeline to what it was?

Matt Lanter: “I think each of us sort of have different motivations. I think naturally Lucy the historian wants to strictly preserve history but we see very quickly that there are now personal ramifications that now happen because of small changes. For myself, we find out in the pilot that his wife has died and I think it’s obviously not too bold to say that that’s going to come into play, which is a direct contrast to who he is. He’s mission-oriented. That’s what he’s done for a long time now. He’s extremely mission-oriented and that’s what he’s used to. I think when you have a character that’s battling with himself or herself against a thing that he believes in, that’s when interesting things happen. It’s happening for each of us.”

How much do you already know about your character’s backstory?

Malcolm Barrett: “We have tidbits of our characters. We all do our work and we know who we are, but we’re all sort of hiding something. Some of the things we know, some of the things as actors we kind of don’t know about each other and kind of do, so we’re all are people that have motivations that aren’t necessarily on the surface. We all are hiding things from each other.

I’m sort of working for this company that built the time machine, and that company has all these big inner workings that are going on with it that the rest of the characters don’t necessarily know and I may have some ideas about. So we’re all sort of keeping secrets from each other. That’s the other part of the story is us having early secrets and learning to trust each other and finding out which things are going to affect us the most.”

Do you have a favorite criminal you hope is featured in an episode of the series?

Matt Lanter: “I hope they interact with Bonnie and Clyde.”

Malcolm Barrett: “D.B. Cooper, and they’ve closed that case now. They’ve closed the case on D.B. Cooper so that’d be interesting.”

Watch the full interview with Goran Visnjic, Malcolm Barrett, and Matt Lanter as well as our interview with co-showrunners, writers and executive producers Eric Kripke and Shawn Ryan:





Channing Tatum is a Merman…’Splash’ Update with a Twist

By
Rebecca Murray
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Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan
Channing Tatum and Jenna Tatum (Photo © Richard Chavez)

Disney’s definitely moving forward on the Splash remake but they are apparently taking their cue from Ghostbusters and switching up the sex of the lead characters. In the original 1984 romantic comedy starring Tom Hanks and Daryl Hannah it was Hannah who played the fish out of water with Hanks playing the man who falls for the mermaid who saved his life 20 years earlier. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Channing Tatum will take over the role of the mermaid – now a merman – while his 22 Jump Street co-star Jillian Bell will play the role originated by Hanks.

The original Splash was directed by Ron Howard and produced by Brian Grazer, and both Howard and Grazer are on board the remake as producers. There’s no word yet on a director for the remake which has Marja-Lewis Ryan as screenwriter. 1984’s Splash made $69 million domestically during its theatrical run. In addition to Hanks and Hannah, the cast included Eugene Levy, John Candy, and Dody Goodman.

Bell’s additional credits include Fist Fight, Office Christmas Party, Workaholics, The Night Before, Goosebumps, Eastbound & Down, and Partners. Tatum is currently working on the Kingsman sequel, Kingsman: The Golden Circle, with Colin Firth, Julianne Moore, and Taron Egerton.

Grant Gustin Interview on ‘The Flash’ Season 3’s Flashpoint Storyline and Crossovers

By
Fred Topel
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The Flash star Grant Gustin
Grant Gustin from ‘The Flash’ at Comic Con 2016 (Photo © Richard Chavez)

The CW’s The Flash finished up season two with a massive twist that changed everything we know about the show’s main characters. Season three will center around the Flashpoint storyline from the comics, something series star Grant Gustin read up on when he was initially cast as Barry Allen/The Flash.

During our interview at the 2016 San Diego Comic Con, Gustin talked about how the third season will find Barry as the only person aware of the old timeline and how Barry will react to the return of his mom and dad. Gustin also revealed he’ll definitely be involved in crossover episodes and that we’ll be seeing multiple speedsters this upcoming season.

Grant Gustin Interview:

How does the Flashpoint storyline get underway for you?

Grant Gustin: “First of all, Barry’s parents are alive. Nora and Henry are obviously alive, which was the whole reason that this was done. It is very much it’s own thing though. One of the first things I did when I was cast two and half, almost three years ago now which is crazy was watch Flashpoint Paradox just because everyone talked about. So I knew what the storyline was before I got our script. And, it’s pretty different. Obviously we can’t have Superman or Batman or Wonder Woman running around in the first episode. I wish we could but apparently we can’t. So it was pretty different. They do a good job of kind of throwing little nods to Flashpoint Paradox and what the storylines were for Flashpoint in the comics using characters that have existed on the show for the first two years. The things that are changed now were done pretty well as far as what has existed for the past two years and how they’ve changed kind of in a parallel way to what’s in the comics. But, it’s very much its own thing, for sure.”

Barry was a little angry in the previous seasons. Is he over that in season 3?

Grant Gustin: “It’s been a roller coaster as far as him finding peace. Every time he thinks he’s found some peace, everything gets flipped on its head again. So, I don’t know. When we see him in Flashpoint it’s like he did this for a reason and with it we’ve aged Nora Allen who plays Michelle to look 16 years older as if they’ve been together for all of these years. But Barry knows what the other timeline was so you see him with this absolute appreciation for the fact that both of his parents are alive and he’s living with him. They don’t know that the timeline was different and they’re trying to get him to move out because he’s like 27 years old. [Laughing] He just kind of wants to live with them because he hasn’t had them for all of these years. It’s pretty funny.”

So Barry has two sets of memories now?

Grant Gustin: “Yeah. And I did just say this at another table so it’s already out there but I don’t know if I was supposed to but he’s the only one that knows about the other timeline, but he does start to forget. Only the timeline he’s in – all of the other memories are changing. Like, he starts to get memories in Flashpoint with his parents that he never had. They’re brand new memories but they’re replacing memories that he had with his West family memories.”

How does this affect the other shows?

Grant Gustin: “It does, I can tell you that much. I don’t know how it’s affecting Legends or Supergirl. I know one thing on Arrow that’s being affected directly. I don’t know if I’m allowed to say, but it is affecting the other shows.”

Will we see any of the characters from Arrow on The Flash?

Grant Gustin: “I can’t remember in the first episode if we do but the crossovers there’s going to be way more this season than there have been in the last two, for sure. I signed on for four. I’m doing at least four episodes on other shows.”

Does that make it more fun for you that you get to go to other shows?

Grant Gustin: “It is fun. I think this year since we have a little bit of foresight we’re planning it a little bit better. We’re taking it where when the Supergirl crossover is happening, I think Flash gets two days off because you know you’re shooting two episodes of television at one time. We shoot 23 episodes of The Flash in nine and a half months, but now technically my season is 27 episodes which is kind of crazy.”

How will the Flashpoint storyline change up the villain structure for this season?

Grant Gustin: “I don’t know yet moving forward, but pretty heavily in the first two episodes. I mean you saw Barry goes back, stops Reverse Flash, saves his mom, so obviously Barry’s got Reverse Flash now so that kind of changes things. He’s got the upperhand on him now. He’s got that son of a bitch locked up somewhere now.”

Does he have any guilt about changing the timeline or is he just happy?

Grant Gustin: “You know, I think he’s trying to not think about it when we first season. He doesn’t even have to try that hard, honestly, because he’s got both of his parents. It was a selfish decision but he’s a little bit blind to that right now because he’s got his family. But, he – like I said – will start to realize he’s forgetting things which will start to weigh heavily on him. He will get some life lessons from another Speedster who is maybe going to give him some, ‘Maybe don’t do this sh*it,’ kind of advice.”

How’s having Tom Felton in the cast?

Grant Gustin: “Dude, it’s great. I worked one day with him, one scene, and he binged this show when he got cast so he was gushing in a really sweet, genuine way that I wasn’t expecting at all. I mean obviously we were all going to gush to him because we’re all Harry Potter fans – except for Candice! I found out today she’s never read or seen any of the movies. She chose to say that in her interview with all of us and we were all kind of like, ‘What?!’ Yeah, no, but we all gushed at him, he gushed back. We were just saying the other day that this has to stop at a certain point. We’re going to have to move on with our lives and work together. But, he’s lovely and a great actor and really professional so it’s really nice to have him.”

How many other speedsters are we going to see?

Grant Gustin: “One, two, three, four others other than me so far – and we’re in the middle of our second episode.”

Will we see the return of the Rogues or anything like that?

Grant Gustin: “Not early on, I don’t think. We’re seeing a lot of new meta-humans. The first year was everyone showing up because of the particle accelerator explosion. The second year was Zoom bringing them through the breach. This year meta-humans are showing up for a completely different reason. So we’re meeting a lot of new ones initially. But, I’m hoping…I imagine we will see [them]. There would have to be a reason. Maybe it’s just because I hope it happens but I want to see Captain Cold again. I know we killed him on Legends but time travel and Flashpoint so who knows what’s going to happen. I would guess that we’ll see the Rogues again.”

Watch the Grant Gustin interview:

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



Vanessa Hudgens Interview on ‘Powerless,’ Superheroes, and Comedy

By
Fred Topel
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Vanessa Hudgens stars in Powerless
Christina Kirk, Alan Tudyk, Vanessa Hudgens and Danny Pudi star in ‘Powerless’ (Photo Credit: NBCUniversal)
Vanessa Hudgens says that when audiences tune in to check out the pilot episode of NBC’s Powerless set in the DC Comics universe, they’ll get to see superheroes Crimson Fox and Jack O’Lantern in action. But while superheroes will show up, the comedy series is actually about real people left to deal with the mess created after superheroes perform their heroic actions. Hudgens plays a claims adjuster who helps put the city back together in the aftermath of epic superhero battles.

The series marks the first DC Comics-inspired TV comedy and will air later this year or early 2017 on NBC.

Vanessa Hudgens Interview:

What was it about this show that drew you in?

Vanessa Hudgens: “I never really thought about doing TV. When I started entertaining the idea I was like I’d want to do something that was a comedy, something that’s lighthearted, makes people laugh because those are the type of shows that I love. My favorite shows are Parks and Recreation and The Office, which are both NBC workplace comedies. So, I knew that they know what they’re doing and the fact that this was falling under the same umbrella was like it’s going to be something that I would like to watch which means I should probably do it.”


When you get a call about being in a superhero universe show but find out you’re not going to be wearing a cape, what was your reaction?

Vanessa Hudgens: “Well, for me it was always pitched first as a work space comedy which I love. But the fact that it’s taking on a whole new perspective in the world of superheroes I thought was so smart because whenever you see superheroes in a film, all the spotlight is on them entirely. They have super epic battles in the middle of the city, and they just leave the city in rubble. Like, what happens afterwards? What is the aftermath of that? That’s what we get to explore. We get to be the people living in the world full of superheroes and villains, picking up after them because we work for an insurance company and trying to find our own strength as a person living in a world full of these people who are bigger than life, which makes you feel even smaller.”

How much mythology did you have to know about superheroes and special powers?

Vanessa Hudgens: “I mean, I definitely have a lot of work cut out ahead of me. My character is the head of claims so she is dealing with the superheroes on a daily basis – not them personally, but their actions and how it affects other people. I did not grow up a big comic book person. I was the girl in the dance studio doing ballet and not reading comics, so I definitely have some homework cut out for me.”

Can you tell what it was about your character that really caught your eye?

Vanessa Hudgens: “It’s really funny because when I first read the script my character was way more timid, very observant, kind of meek. We did our table read and I think they thought why are we making her play this character when she is like this other part of her that I don’t necessarily see personally but I guess is the feisty side, the side that’s got a bit more grit than balls, and so they wrote that in. It changed drastically from what it was originally to where it is now. I just love her because she’s kind of standing for the fact that you don’t need superpowers to be a powerful person. She’s figuring her way out through life, stumbling through but you get to see her do it with like a bunch of really funny people as well.”

So in claims, how tough is your character on the damage these people cause?

Vanessa Hudgens: “I like approving claims. I want to help people, that’s the thing. My character, Emily, she feels like she’s making her way in making the world a better place one claim at a time. When Alan Tudyk’s character comes in, the new boss, he tries to smush that down and to get us to approve less claims. We end up battling it out in a little office rivalry.”

How did you feel about going off script with these other comedians?

Vanessa Hudgens: “It’s very new for me. Comedy isn’t something that I’ve done a lot of, and all these guys are comedians. They’re so funny and so smart. So, I don’t know. I put my feet in the water. I dipped in there a little bit. I’m sure it’s going to continue to happen more and more. But it’s great when you have people who are so clever right there next to you.”

How much of the actual superhero action will audiences get to see?

Vanessa Hudgens: “The superheroes are definitely there. They’re not the focus. But, our pilot opens up with a super battle so you definitely get some action.”

Who makes you laugh the most on the set?

Vanessa Hudgens: “I don’t know. Danny [Pudi] cracks me up. He’s got twin boys but he himself is like a big kid.”

They’ve announced the High School Musical 4. Would you like to be involved to pass the torch?

Vanessa Hudgens: [Laughing] “I did my thing. Let them do theirs.”

Watch the Vanessa Hudgens interview:

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




‘Preacher’: Dominic Cooper, Ruth Negga, John Gilgun, and Graham McTavish Interview

By
Fred Topel
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Preacher Cast Joseph Gilgun, Dominic Cooper, and Ruth Negga
Joseph Gilgun as Cassidy, Dominic Cooper as Jesse Custer, and Ruth Negga as Tulip O’Hare in ‘Preacher’ (Photo Credit: Matthias Clamer/AMC)

AMC’s Preacher‘s first season is over and it appears as though season two will now move the story closer in line to the beginning of the comics. It seems this first season was pretty much a prequel to the source material, with the finale of season one literally clearing the story of all supporting characters so the series’ second season can focus on Jesse Custer (Dominic Cooper), Cassidy (Joseph Gilgun), and Tulip’s (Ruth Negga) road trip to find God. Preacher‘s an acquired taste but for those who stuck around for the entire first season, the payoff – although a bit uneven – was huge as basically a reset button was pushed that forces the threesome to hit the road since Annville, Texas no longer exists.

Just a week prior to Preacher‘s season one finale, cast members Dominic Cooper, Ruth Negga, Joseph Gilgun, and Graham McTavish (‘The Cowboy’) took part in a press conference at the San Diego Comic Con to talk about their characters and the series.

Dominic Cooper on who Jesse Custer is:

Dominic Cooper: “He wants to improve a place that he cares a lot about. He’s a man desperate to change himself, to make himself a better person. He feels guilty about what he did to his father and he thinks he’s the chosen one. And he’s coming around to that idea very quickly. At first he didn’t want anything to do with it but it seems like it’s absorbing into the very fabric of who he is. He thinks he can still do good things with it. The truth is power on that scale is very dangerous. The fact that he’s not yet realized it says a lot about him. The fact that he’s capable of having this entity inhabit him and remain there, most people who it’s happened to have exploded, the fact that he can harness it means to me that he’s half evil, half good.”

Ruth Negga on playing Tulip:

Ruth Negga: “I suppose what attracted me to her is what repels most people, these unapologetic tendencies. For me, they’re not really aggressive, or just for the sake of violence. I think it’s an armor of sorts to protect herself. But also she has really quite a pure sense of justice. I think that that’s quite evident throughout the series. When she says to the kids at the party, ‘He was a really bad man.’ It’s not just to excuse her behavior. I think she really believes that. And also she rehabilitates Cassidy. For her, she can’t bear the idea that there’s so much injustice in society. It obviously stems from her childhood, you see in the flashbacks. There’s a personal quest there.

In terms of women of color, it’s a relief to play someone like her but I also find when I’m watching, it’s a relief to see someone like her. So it’s very important for me because I think for so long, we’ve been complacent about there not being enough people of color, in fact, the whole world reflected in our arts and culture. That conversation needs to keep happening because I think there’s so much more we can do.”


Dominic on Jesse’s journey throughout season one:

Dominic Cooper: “Actually watching it, it’s quite different from how I imagined. I’m much less sympathetic towards [Eugene] and I wonder why these people stand by him. He’s vile, what he ends up doing. I think he is in a place of reflection and I think he has established that he’s no good with this power. He’s not the one who should harness it and use it. I think now he knows that the next part of the journey together with these people that he’s known and that he loves in search of answers, because actually he demands and thinks that God owes them all answers. That’s what he’s searching for by the end. He began as a quite heavy, depressed, stuck in his past and I think you start to see him come out of the fog of that. He has a purpose which he probably never had before.”

Ruth Negga: “What’s interesting is I think that in running away from his past and trying to find himself, I think he was actually running away from himself. I think that’s the kind of journey that he seems to have gone on is that he realizes that maybe you can’t outrun your true nature. Maybe that’s the battle. I think that’s how I see it unfolding.”

Joseph on Cassidy’s relationship with Jesse:

Joseph Gilgun: “I think Cassidy sees a little bit of himself in Jesse. Jesse’s someone who’s seeking redemption. I think all the characters are and I think Cassidy sees this guy, he’s an old vampire so how old is he? 190 I think he is? He’s probably sick of it but I think more than anything it’s just going to be interesting to watch that unfold. He’s got time. For the first time in a long while, this is his opportunity to settle and feel wanted and needed.

Graham McTavish on The Cowboy’s future:

Graham McTavish: “I’m a huge fan of the books so I knew everything about the books before I even started it. The idea of becoming this, it’s like an iconic character that I loved when I was reading them. So I do know, yes. I know his ultimate journey which is a very, very interesting one. I look forward to playing that but I have felt a little lonely, sad, and isolated in my 19th century world with my horse. And the horse doesn’t last. He’s dead in a few minutes. They asked, ‘Can he ride?’ Did I need to really ride because you kill my horse within five minutes? It was interesting, and in fact I’ve only just gotten to know these people. I’m in isolation, some strange quarantine out in the desert. I look forward to hopefully seeing more of them.

I think there’s an interesting theme for many of the characters, this struggling to suppress possibly their true natures, or certainly a great deal of their true natures. Trying to keep the darkness I suppose that we all carry around us, trying to keep that in check. It is very interesting to explore that.”

Graham on the most surprising thing about The Cowboy:

Graham McTavish: “I really love my guns, but I guess I was really surprised about how heavy they were. They’re actually a lot heavier than you think when you have to hold them, so that was a shock. But I got over that and continued. I love the fact that he’s trying to be a good family man. That’s really what I love at the beginning of that story. Why he becomes who he becomes, that’s what’s really interesting about him. Then the levels to which he goes to, there are some shocking things, shocking things. I think it’s interesting. It’s very rare that you read something – I have a very high tolerance for a lot of stuff – when you read something in a script and you’re shocked. You go, ‘I’ve got to do that.’ That’s what I find so interesting, the fine edge that the show walks and will continue to walk.”




Corey Hawkins Interview: ’24: Legacy’ and Stepping Into Big Shoes

By
Rebecca Murray
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24 Legacy star Corey Hawkins
Corey Hawkins from ’24: Legacy’ at Comic Con 2016 (Photo © Richard Chavez)

Fox is bringing back the 24 premise of 24 episodes representing one hour each in a day in the life of Jack Bauer (played in eight seasons by Kiefer Sutherland) with the upcoming limited series, 24: Legacy. However, instead of 24 one-hour episodes, the 24 sequel/spin-off will consist of 12 one-hour real-time episodes. Taking over the lead role in the new limited series is Corey Hawkins, with Jimmy Smits and Miranda Otto in supporting roles.

Fox has given 24: Legacy the prime spot following the 2017 Super Bowl on Sunday, February 5, 2017 as the launch date for the limited series.

Hawkins, Smits, and Otto made the trek to San Diego for the sold-out 2016 Comic Con to take part in a Q&A with fans. They also sat down for interviews in which series star Hawkins told us how he became involved in 24: Legacy after being a fan of the original 24 series for years.

The Plot: The series chronicles an adrenaline-fueled race against the clock to stop a devastating terrorist attack on United States soil – in the same real-time format that has propelled this genre-defining series.

Corey Hawkins Interview:

How did you get involved in 24: Legacy?

Corey Hawkins: “To my knowledge, and they could just be lying, but it was offered to me. I was in Vietnam shooting King Kong and we got a call from the Fox camp. I remember Skyping with Howard [Gordon] and with Manny [Coto]. They had asked if I was interested in playing the character. I’m sitting there, and I’m like, ‘Am I being punked right now? What’s going on?’ You know what I mean? Because it felt surreal because I’m such a 24 fan and always was a 24 fan, grew up watching it and with the DVD box sets and all that stuff. Then I read the script. They sent me the script, and they were like, ‘Do you want to do it?’ They didn’t think I’d say yes for whatever reason.

I read the script and I started getting goosebumps because that first episode, his life just goes like this, it just gets turned on its head. It gave me goosebumps. It felt like the original 24 but just with new characters. It didn’t feel like a reboot. It felt like a new edition of it and it was cool. I had to say yes. I literally got off the plane from Vietnam and went straight into the read-through for it at Fox. Everybody, from the first line, ‘The following…’ it was great.”

Were you worried at all about taking on this project that is so beloved and filling those big shoes?

Corey Hawkins: “It is a huge franchise to step into, but I kind of like being an underdog, man. That’s kind of like when I said yes to playing Dr. Dre, it was kind of like should I do this? These are huge shoes to fill. But I like when people underestimate me a little bit so I can show what I can do, I guess. It’s definitely overwhelming, but I’m working with a great team, and I’m working with a great group of guys. It feels right.”

24 was great for diversity in the supporting characters, but did it mean a lot to you that they were going in a diverse direction for the protagonist of 24: Legacy?

Corey Hawkins: “Personally, obviously, it means a lot to me. Growing up, for me personally, I didn’t really get the opportunity to see an American hero that looked like me on screen, a full complex character with a beautiful family. I never got to see that, and a character with flaws. That’s the thing that meant a lot stepping into this because he’s such a well-rounded guy. It’s not all bad, it’s not all good. There’s so many things about this young man that will come to bear and come to light over the course of this season…his demons, his good qualities. Obviously being African-American and speaking to that was something that’s important to me.”

Watch the Corey Hawkins interview:





David Boreanaz and Emily Deschanel Interview on Bones’ Final Season

By
Fred Topel
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Bones stars David Boreanaz and Emily Deschanel
David Boreanaz and Emily Deschanel from ‘Bones’ at Comic Con 2016 (Photo © Richard Chavez)

Unfortunately, Bones fans have to say goodbye to Booth and Brennan and the rest of the Bones gang. Fortunately, Fox gave the series a 12th and final season to wrap up storylines while providing viewers with a few more hours worth of entertainment. On what could be described as a farewell tour, the Bones cast appeared at the 2016 San Diego Comic Con where they thanked fans for their support while taking part in a Q&A. The stars of the series, including David Boreanaz and Emily Deschanel, also participated in interviews to talk about what’s in store for the upcoming final season of the popular series.

David Boreanaz and Emily Deschanel Interview:

How do you feel going into the last season? Is your heart beating faster than usual starting up your final season?

Emily Deschanel: “I’m directing the first episode so my heart is definitely beating a little bit more, and this is the first time I’m directing. So, I’m excited about that but I also have tasks to focus on which is helpful. But coming here, you can’t help but think how this is our last Comic-Con, at least for Bones – or at least in this incarnation of Bones. You never know what could happen. It’s hard not to look back a bit on the show and where we’ve come and what we’ve been through and what we’ve experienced in this amazing journey. I feel so lucky for our fans. So, yeah, it’s exciting. We’ll be sad; we’ll go through the gamut of emotions in the next few months when we film the 12 episodes.”

David directed the season 11 finale and you’re directing the season 12 premiere, so did you discuss how to make those episodes really connect?

Emily Deschanel: “We have only talked a little bit about that but I’ve been watching his episode which he did an amazing job of. I really hope they replay it. I don’t know what happened on the East Coast but on the West Coast, the [Republican National] Convention postponed it and then it didn’t start at the beginning of the episode, it started 40 minutes in…”


David Boreanaz: “That’s a confusing episode.”

Emily Deschanel: “Don’t get me started!”

David Boreanaz: “The type of episode that is, you don’t want to go 40 minutes into. All of a sudden you just see a bad dream. Like, ‘What the hell is that?’ It’s just like a horror film.”

Emily Deschanel: “I kept thinking, ‘What are people thinking of this episode when they just come into it?’ It will make no sense coming 40 minutes in.”

David Boreanaz: “None. Zero.”

Emily Deschanel: “David did an amazing job so I’ve been studying his episode like a very good student and I’ve talked to all the crew and our cinematographer and gaffer – we have a new gaffer – to make sure that the look is very similar to what David did. Obviously it’s a continuation of the same story, so the story is very cohesive.”

David Boreanaz: “But there’s a lot of surprises though.”

Emily Deschanel: “There’s a lot of twists and turns.”

David Boreanaz: “Yeah, there are. It’s going to be good.”

It’s not like a two-parter, is it?

Emily Deschanel: “No, but it’s like a continuation of the season finale because it happens right after. Even in the way we talk about the days in this episode, we start on day three which is from his episode. It’s just a continuation of the same story. It’s a really fun episode I’m excited to direct. Lots of twists and turns.”

When you’re directing an episode and reading the script, do you look at your characters different than you do as an actor? Do you see different things in your character?

Emily Deschanel: “You’ve directed more than I have.”

David Boreanaz: “Yeah. I mean, given the circumstances of where the characters are in the story. You obviously kind of dive into it that way. For me, I just read the script over and over and over again, get a sense of where the characters are, and then relate it to if I can create a vision for them in order to see where my vision was going. So they kind of work hand-in-hand.”

Emily Deschanel: “It’s seeing the bigger picture more, too. I’ve experienced just prepping, you’re seeing things. You’re going to know the episode intimately so much more than we do when we film it because I’ll know all the scenes I’m not in as well as if I were doing everything with it. You just have to know every aspect of it and the broader picture of the story, so you think in that way. You think about it more, so you think about that in terms of your performance too. [Joking] But, then you have to work with difficult actors…”

What does Zack coming back mean for your characters?

David Boreanaz: “Booth’s relationship with Zack was always…he just kind of of bothered Booth. Booth kind of looked through that and didn’t want to deal with him. He’s a genius so they just came from two different worlds.”

Emily Deschanel: “But so did Booth and Brennan. He was even farther.”

David Boreanaz: “For Booth’s character, I think he’d be more interested in Brennan’s looks. I’m just saying, you had the whole package. That’s it. I do think that with Zack, we may see something in the first episode of this new season where maybe there’s a leap of faith from a character to give him some sense of identity. It’s kind of fun to see what happens with that. For me, for Booth’s character, I’ll see how that evolves. I don’t really feel like I have any with his character.”

Emily Deschanel: “There’s even dialogue about them not being friends before. It will be interesting how that goes. My character, he was my protege. I loved him and then he betrayed us, but at the same time we have such affection and such sadness. And then there’s betrayal again for what he’s done. He kidnaps me and is very likely killing these other people. So there’s a mix of emotions from the cast and the characters. It’s not just one emotion. There’s so many different things going on. It’s nice to see somebody that you care for and you haven’t seen for a long time, but at the same time there’s great betrayal and confusion so it’s a lot. Every emotion you can think of.”

Brennan is such a role model to young girls. What advice do you have for young women leaving college and getting started in the world?

Emily Deschanel: “Well, the best compliment that I have heard is young girls saying they want to become a scientist because of this show. There’s a lot of strong female intelligent characters on this show and that’s one reason why I wanted to do the show. I say keep studying and keep working hard. There’s no limit. Really, there isn’t a limit to what girls can achieve and I love that more girls and young women are going into sciences and math areas of study.”

Watch the Emily Deschanel and David Boreanaz interview:





Tom Ellis and Tricia Helfer Interview on ‘Lucifer’ Season 2 and the Devil’s Mom

By
Rebecca Murray
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Lucifer stars Tom Ellis and Tricia Helfer
Tom Ellis and Tricia Helfer from ‘Lucifer’ at the 2016 Comic-Con (Photos © Richard Chavez)

How popular is Fox’s Lucifer? So popular that the 2016 San Diego Comic-Con press room for the supernatural action/comedy/drama was standing room only, with not a single empty chair to be found. In fact, when series star Tom Ellis (‘Lucifer Morningstar’) and series newcomer Tricia Helfer (who plays the Devil’s mom) came to our table to be interviewed, only one chair was available for the two stars. I now have the distinction of having given up my chair to the mother of the Devil, something not many people can claim.

Lucifer will return for a second season on September 19, 2016 and will introduce Helfer as the mother of Amenadiel (D.B. Woodside) and Lucifer who has just escaped from a cell in Hell. Paired up together to discuss the series, Ellis and Helfer talked about what viewers can expect from the new season and from the introduction of this pivotal character.

Tom Ellis and Tricia Helfer Interview:

How is the dynamic going to work between Lucifer and his mom?

Tom Ellis: “Well, I mean from the start even with our celestial characters in this show, we’ve tried to work under the notion of making it relatable, making it like a real family. There’s a lot of other things that go on within that family. But, so there’s some unresolved stuff between mom and her sons. But at the heart of it, she’s still their mom. We’ve not experienced that in the show yet where Lucifer experiences real love – unconditional love – which is a bit of a curveball for him.”

Tricia Helfer: “It definitely has, as mother’s do, has a tendency to bring out a side of their children that they don’t show sometimes to other people and how they relate to each other. There’s also going to be where you have a personal relationship, individual relationship with each one of your children as well. Meanwhile, still having a family one as well. So, it’s a fun dynamic to work with.

I worked with Tom first and I hadn’t even met D.B. because he wasn’t up there yet. I think it was good because the first time I had a scene with him was him alone – him and I. We had a scene alone together for the first time as opposed to, ‘Oh, it’s the family scene.’ Instead, we kind of got to work on our individual relationships first before we had a group scene.”

Tom Ellis: “Before group therapy.”

When do we first see Lucifer’s mom?

Tricia Helfer: “In the first episode, yeah. But you definitely get to know…I mean, it’s not teased throughout the entire season who she is, is she there. We do get to meet her in the first episode and you really get to understand who she is and what she wants in the second episode.”

Tom Ellis: “Or so she says…”

The scripts are sharp. Do you just react that you can’t believe what you’re getting to say every single episode?

Tom Ellis: “Yeah. I mean, our writing team are amazing and I think one of the things I love about it is that they really love the show as well. I think certainly writing the character of Lucifer for them from the start was a bit of a muse as a writer. It’s like, ‘Oh my god, I’ve got this opportunity to have a character say what he wants to who he wants,’ and all of these gifts, basically. So, the standard of the writing on the show has been something that we wanted to keep from the pilot. The original pilot script, the original character that was realized by Tom Kapinos who writes these characters so brilliantly, we wanted to keep that voice heard. Our writers have just latched onto it and run with it, really. The show has really evolved.

When we’re at work, it’s not always as scripted. We throw stuff in when it feels right. It’s a very sort of collective sense of creativity.”

Can you talk about working with D.B. Woodside?

Tom Ellis: “Hate him! Hate him, hate him. [Laughing] No, he’s great. We have a lot of fun. We do love each other dearly off screen. It is fun to have spats with people when they’re your mates. But not just D.B. – the rest of the cast we are a bit of a family and we all really like each other and that really helps. We have a lot of fun doing the show. The show doesn’t take itself too seriously, which I think is a big saving grace. And as a group, and within the crew, we take our work seriously but we don’t take ourselves too seriously. It’s a great place to go and be creative.”

Tricia Helfer: “And coming in second season is sometimes very daunting to join a show because it’s already a well-oiled machine. You just don’t know how you’re going to fit in, but I was immediately embraced, immediately felt to feel comfortable. And then you’re past all that and you can just focus on the work. It was a real pleasure for me to come into the show.”

Tom Ellis: “It was a pleasure for us to have you.”

What do you think about the show’s big fan base?

Tom Ellis: “Obviously, when you do anything like this you want people to watch it. You want people to respond to it, and you hope they respond in a positive way because it doesn’t always happen like that. Believe me! I think there was a slightly nervous element, certainly from my side of things, about how it would be received because I knew the name of the show might get in the way of people’s feelings about it. But I think the nicest thing is that when people have watched it, they’ve gone, ‘Oh my god, I can’t believe it’s this funny.’ And it’s like, ‘I didn’t expect it to be that. I was expecting something that’s ominous and dark.’ And we have elements of that but, like I said, the humor was always the real attractive thing for me in the first place.

I wanted to do something that’s fun. We could tell a story that does resonant at times, but it’s still fun and it’s entertaining for everyone. That’s been our objective from the start. And so the fans catching on and going for that is just [great]. And coming to Comic Con last year was amazing. It was the first time I’d ever been and the show hadn’t aired and they screened the pilot and people were laughing in the right places!”

Watch the full Tom Ellis and Tricia Helfer interview:





Wentworth Miller Interview: ‘Prison Break,’ Tattoos, and Michael’s Son

By
Rebecca Murray
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Prison Break Star Wentworth Miller
Wentworth Miller from ‘Prison Break’ at Comic Con 2016 (Photo © Richard Chavez)

Fox’s much anticipated new Prison Break limited series reunites key cast members from the original series including Wentworth Miller, Dominic Purcell, Sarah Wayne Callies, and Robert Knepper. The cast was on hand at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con to present a panel in which they answered questions from fans of show. They also participated in roundtable interviews to further discuss the new series which will air in 2017.

During our interview, Miller discussed getting back into his Prison Break character, Michael’s son, the new tattoos he’ll be sporting, the new prison, and why both he and Dominic Purcell agreed it was the right time to revisit the brothers in a series.

Wentworth Miller Interview:

Given the definitive ending you gave Michael Scofield in the wrap-up movie The Final Break, did you ever expect you’d play him again?

Wentworth Miller: “I hadn’t given it much thought, but when I was reunited with Dominic on the set of The Flash, playing two different characters completely, we had such a good time. It was out of that conversation that we started to wonder, is there more story to tell? How is that justified? Could we do it in a way that was cool and satisfying? Then went to Fox, and it turns out they’d been having a similar conversation on their end. The timing was right, as it turned out.”

Did the timing coincide with Captain Cold’s death on Legends of Tomorrow?

Wentworth Miller: [Laughing] “I’m not sure that the two were connected, but we did have to work with the Legends hiatus. That was our one window in which to crank out these episodes. So we did everything we could in the time allowed.”

How easy was it for you to get back into that character?

Wentworth Miller: “It was easy, thank goodness, because going right from Legends to Prison Break, I did not have time to go back and watch the original 81 episodes. I just had to trust that Michael Scofield was in me somewhere. My first day on set, there were a lot of extras, three different cameras swirling around, and there was a lot to distract but all I had to do was look through the bars and pay attention to Dominic. That was somewhere to anchor as he has been, as that relationship has been for a long time.”

Do you feel more of a sense of closure for Michael, or do you feel there’s still more story to tell in this case?

Wentworth Miller: “I feel like there could be more story. It really depends on is it worth telling? Is this something that can stand alongside the original, not feel like diminishing returns? I don’t think you can explore a character like Michael Scofield on the big screen. That can only be done on the TV. I have such love and respect for that character that when Paul Scheuring first came to me and said, ‘There’s more. Would you be interested?’ The answer is yes.”

How is the new prison in this new season compared to the prison in season one?

Wentworth Miller: “The new prison makes the original prison look like the Hilton. It is kill or be killed, danger around every corner. That is part of the excitement of the new series is that we’ve upped the stakes in every sense. In the original, the U.S. was our canvas. Our canvas is now global. The threat is international.”

Tone-wise and production-wise, what has changed and what has remained the same about Prison Break?

Wentworth Miller: “I can’t speak to how it’s all been put together because I haven’t seen it, but Paul Scheuring who wrote the pilot and got the whole thing started, I think has a very edgy, topical feature sensibility. I trust that that would be infused in these new episodes, and it was. I think what fans can look forward to is more of the same, more of what they loved the first time. Themes of family, brotherhood, loyalty, sacrifice but with some interesting new twists and turns that feel very, very present day.”

What is it about Michael Scofield that you respect so much?

Wentworth Miller: “Well, he certainly challenges me as an actor, physically, mentally, emotionally. Michael Scofield is a demanding part. He’s always MacGyvering something, being throttled or scurrying through a drain pipe. It’s a very active and proactive character. I like the fact that his struggle is human. He’s a good man trying to do good and in the process does some not-so-great things. I think that’s what makes him identifiable and relatable on a human level, while still also having a slightly comic book/superhero quality where he can endure certain things that your average person could not. It’s one of the things that the fans enjoy watching on screen is him go through these trials.”

How has your relationship with Dominic evolved?

Wentworth Miller: “We have a natural rhythm and chemistry at this point that just shows up organically in whatever relationship we’re meant to be playing on screen. It’s one of the things that serves us Captain Cold and Heatwave on Legends and The Flash. It’s certainly one of the things at the heart of the Prison Break experience.”

Can you tease a little bit about the new tattoos? What’s Michael’s relationship with his son going to be?

Wentworth Miller: “I have a new set of tattoos. They’re central to the story. They’re used in a different way than they were the first time around. That much I can say. As far as the son that Michael has never met, it’s a source of ongoing pain and longing and angst for him to know that his child is out there somewhere and he’s never even held his son in his arms. We do tease in interesting ways how Michael Scofield’s son is definitely Michael Scofield’s son.”

Are the tattoos less intensive than the full body work done in previous seasons?

Wentworth Miller: “I didn’t think so going in. I thought it would be easier this time around because there are less of them, but we have to apply them every day as opposed to the original series, it was one application per episode. It actually worked out to be just as intensive as a process.”

Watch the Wentworth Miller interview:




Carly Chaikin Interview on ‘Mr. Robot’ Season 2 and Playing Darlene

By
Fred Topel
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Mr. Robot star Carly Chaikin
Carly Chaikin from ‘Mr. Robot’ at Comic Con 2016 (Photo © Richard Chavez)

Mr. Robot, the critically acclaimed USA Network series starring Rami Malek, Carly Chaikin, Christian Slater, and Portia Doubleday, airs on Wednesdays at 10pm ET/PT. With Mr. Robot currently airing its second season, the cast of the Emmy-nominated dramatic series turned up at the 2016 San Diego Comic Con to discuss the show, and during our interview with Carly Chaikin she said she’s excited for people to get to see a lot more of Darlene and learn more about her story. “It hasn’t been easy for everything to be so militant in that way and taking control, and kind of navigating and almost wanting to go back to old behaviors. And now that we finished filming and I watched season one, it’s crazy to see how different I was that I forgot. I just recently watched it and totally forgot how it used to be because I’ve been living in this new world for so long. It’s been the amazing role for any dramatic actor that you could want, just being able to play all these different layers and masking things,” said Chaikin.


“We get to see so many different layers to her that we didn’t last season. There’s a big vulnerability and fear going on in there, but trying to mask it with having the confidence of we did the right thing,” explained Chaikin. “We’re all wearing masks and what we are trying to portray is different than how we actually feel. So, it’s been great to have all those layers to play with.”

Most actors on television shows don’t necessarily know their character’s arc far in advance, but with Mr. Robot the actors are in on the secrets and know what will ultimately be revealed well in advance. “Last season before we even started I knew that Elliot was my brother. I knew about Christian…we knew all that stuff. But we did get each script right before we’d start filming, and so this season block shooting and doing them all at once we were able to get all 10 scripts at once. Which I now don’t know how we would have done it without having all of that information because it so impacts things you might find out later which impacts who you are,” explained Chaikin. “If we don’t know that, it changes a lot.”

Watch the full Carly Chaikin interview for more on Darlene, her motivations, becoming a leader, and how she feels about Elliot:

[Interview by Fred Topel. Article written by Rebecca Murray.]

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