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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.)



Grace Gummer Interview: ‘Mr. Robot’ Season 2

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

Grace Gummer says that prior to being cast in USA Network’s critically acclaimed Mr. Robot she was a big fan of the series and is now proud to be a part of the award-winning drama. Gummer and her Mr. Robot co-stars Rami Malek, Christian Slater, Portia Doubleday, and Carly Chaikin participated in the 2016 San Diego Comic Con where the show proved to be a huge draw for those fortunate enough to have a ticket to the sold-out convention. Along with taking part in a Q&A with fans, the Mr. Robot cast also sat down for roundtable interviews, with Gummer acknowledging that it’s a rare thing as an actor to be able to join the cast of a series she knows and loves.

Mr. Robot is currently airing its second season on Wednesday nights at 10pm ET/PT.

Grace Gummer Interview:

Is your mom a fan of the show?

Grace Gummer: “Yeah, my parents both have watched the show and are super excited about. You know, all my friends and my family are super supportive of me and what I do. I think that this show more than any other show is important to watch. I think it’s a rarity on TV right now. I think it speaks to a pervasive modern mode of the distress in society that we kind of need.”

The morning ritual that’s shown in the series – how long does it take to film and how specific is the staging of it?

Grace Gummer: “That didn’t take so long because I do my morning ritual… Like, I just did what I do and also what Dom would do. Dom wears a lot more makeup than me, so it definitely was a longer process.”

I hope your real bathroom is much nicer.

Grace Gummer: “Yeah, it is. [Laughing] But, it’s sort of weird to do your makeup into a camera and have the camera be the mirror. You can’t really see yourself so you’re just pretending that you see yourself.”

Can you talk about the training your character, Dominique, had for her job? What’s her background?

Grace Gummer: “I think all FBI Cyber Crime Agents are very tech savvy and must know their computer very well. I don’t.”

Was that tough for to play?

Grace Gummer: “No, I didn’t have to do a lot of that for the part. What I did do was I spent some time with some female agents who work in the Cyber Crime Division at a downtown field office in New York, and they were really helpful for me to hang out with and to just see they’re normal people. They’re normal woman who have lives and families, and they go out at night and some of them carry their gun in their purse and some of them don’t. I did some gun training, which was weird. But yeah, it’s been really fun.”

At what point might Dom encounter Elliot?

Grace Gummer: “I think our storylines – all of us have our own storylines and some of them intersect and some of them don’t. What’s cool about my character is that mine doesn’t revolve around any other character or around any other man, which is true of all the other women in the show which is what I love. My character and my storyline is completely independent of everyone else’s which is cool.”

Were you given the whole arc of the season before you started?

Grace Gummer: “We were given all 10 scripts before we started.”

Could you have done it otherwise if you were piecing it together week-by-week?

Grace Gummer: “You know, that’s a good question. I sort of don’t know of any other way of doing it with this show. I was actually really happy to be informed about everything that came before. We shot it like a movie. Usually when I work on a movie I don’t like to know what’s going to happen later in case that will inform my performance, but with this the material is so heavy you need that information to know what you’re doing.”

How has it been having writer/series creator Sam Esmail there also directing each episode, given the specificity of the dialogue?

Grace Gummer: “I can’t imagine doing every episode week to week with someone different there every episode. I think that because of the way we were shooting and because of the amount of words and material and just emotional storylines, I think that he was like our bible. He knew everything and whenever we were lost or couldn’t remember what happened next or what we had already shot, he knew everything right away. Sam lives and breathes this show. He cares so much and that feeling, that care is pervasive throughout the entire set. It really drives everyone to do their best work and to really care about the show which I think is what you see.”

Watch the full Grace Gummer interview:

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

Kat Graham Interview: ‘The Vampire Diaries’ Final Season and Her Hopes for Bonnie

By
Rebecca Murray
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Vampire Diaries star Kat Graham
Kat Graham from ‘The Vampire Diaries’ at Comic Con 2016 (Photo © Richard Chavez / Showbiz Junkies)

The CW’s The Vampire Diaries is drawing to an end with the series’ eighth season set to premiere on October 21, 2016. The cast of the popular show made one last trip to the San Diego Comic-Con in support of the upcoming season and in addition to participating in a panel that featured a Q&A with fans, Kat Graham and the rest of the cast sat down for roundtable interviews. Graham told us she has high hopes that her character, Bonnie, will go out in the most incredible way as a strong, powerful, and heroic woman.

Kat Graham Interview:

So what can we expect this final season from Bonnie?

Kat Graham: “That’s a great question. I should ask that question to Julie (Plec). I haven’t asked that question yet.”

What would you like to see happen?

Kat Graham: “Well, listen, there’s so many things. I don’t know if you guys ever read any stuff online and stuff like that, but I do read a lot of what the fans say. I think that they understand the character very well, and there’s some really cool ideas for the character. Listen, I don’t necessarily believe that the traditional happy ending is the best ending. I’m somebody who likes to see the biggest, most incredible way for characters to go out. I mean, as somebody who watches a lot of television and is a fan of a lot of television I just hope that this character is able to have the strongest outcome for her character.

I always saw this character as a hero. This is a very heroic (character). Kind of started off a little mousey, somebody that came into her own, and I really want her to fully embrace that by the end. I don’t want her to go backwards. So, anything that she’s been harboring on embracing, I hope that that just drives the monster truck through whatever ideal that is. So, that’s my hope for the character, and that can be in a different form. I don’t know what that looks like on paper or who that’s with, or what instance that manifests itself into. But my hope is that this character is always a hero.”

How instrumental will Bonnie be in helping Damon and Enzo get back?

Kat Graham: “I think very instrumental. That’s my opinion, mind you that might not happen. The process has begun. They’re going out to find them. They’re very proactive to see what’s happening to try and bring them back to them, but there’s something of what (Michael) Malarkey said earlier of a mind control that has happened. We haven’t ever explored that. You’d think after eight years we’d kind of done everything, but we actually haven’t explored (this).

We’ve explored compulsion, but this is a different kind of control over the mind that has taken Damon and Enzo. We have to figure that out, how to unlock that and how to bring them back.”

Do you think Elena has to come back?

Kat Graham: “Yeah, girl, get your ass back in Mystic Falls! Figure this out. Yes, of course.”

Will we see Bonnie reach the pinnacle of her powers as a witch this season?

Kat Graham: “That would be amazing. I hope to God, yes. That’s a brilliant, amazing question. You know one of the reasons I fell in love with this character is I’ve always been a girl that was always a fun of superpowers, like female superpowers. But even just like a regular person with powers, not necessarily a witch having a broom power. Remember that movie Power? I really love that movie and I love where regular people have something special about them because I believe that’s how we all feel. We all feel like we’re regular people; some days I feel less than regular. And we all want to feel like we have even more control and power than maybe we have in our lives.

When I saw Bonnie developing this incredible power and this kind of control and being able to levitate things, it just was so exciting for me because I know what it’s like to feel powerless. I’m hoping that we see this kind of massive moment for this character because she’s struggled with having them, losing them, getting a little bit back, and then involved in the dark magic. It’s always been her struggle. It has never come easy for her. It wasn’t just something that she didn’t have to develop. I’m hoping that she finally comes into that. That would be really awesome.”

What is driving her this season?

Kat Graham: “Well, I think you have to have some sort of selfish objective or else nobody’s going to care. ‘Oh, she’s just doing it for her friends.’ No one wants to hear that; that’s giving your power away. ‘Oh, she’s just doing it for love.’ She needs a man to feel powerful? Honey, you’re not going to tell me that. That’s not going to be my motivation.

For Bonnie, for a character that has lost everything and basically everyone in her life, she has to get her power back, right? So she’s not going to be giving it away. She’s not going to be necessarily sacrificing. Everything has to come back to you as people, right? We have to get it back to us, because if we make it about other people no one is going to be interested in it.”

Watch the Kat Graham interview:





Kelly Overton Interview: ‘Van Helsing’ and Her Love of Vampires

By
Rebecca Murray
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Van Helsing star Kelly Overton
Kelly Overton from ‘Van Helsing’ at Comic Con 2016 (Photo © Richard Chavez / Showbiz Junkies)

Van Helsing star Kelly Overton (True Blood) said that her character in Syfy’s Van Helsing actually bites vampires to turn them back into humans. It’s an interesting twist which Overton says did not require her to wear special vampire-biting fangs. “I don’t have vampire teeth,” said Overton, laughing. “I just fricking bite them. There’s this thing that happens inside that I imagine happens to vampires, and I want to (bite them). It’s this primal urge, like I want to bite them. I think we kind of explore that more in the future, the details of how all those mechanics work. Yeah, I’m just kind of like a chick who bites back.”

Overton was with her Van Helsing cast mates at the 2016 San Diego Comic Con where she talked to reporters about her starring role in the upcoming series. Syfy just announced they will premiere Van Helsing on Friday, September 23, 2016 at 10pm ET/PT, and the network also released the following synopsis for season one:

“In a twist on the classic vampire adventure tale, Van Helsing revolves around unlikely heroine Vanessa Helsing (Overton), who unexpectedly discovers that she holds the key to humanity’s survival: her own blood! Gifted with not only an immunity to vampires, Vanessa is also capable of taking out her bloodthirsty foes by turning them into humans with her bite. Now both prey and predator, Vanessa sinks her teeth into her role as humanity’s leader – and secret weapon – in their resistance against the vampires that plagued their world.”

Kelly Overton Interview:

What was the appeal of Van Helsing?

Kelly Overton: “I got the script and my agent was, ‘You’ve got to read this. It’s right up your alley.’ He was right. It was this beautiful combination of passions of my life. I mean, it was the vampire genre and that’s something that’s been in my life since I was young. I was obsessed with vampires as a kid. And the athletic aspect to the role, the athleticism that it required. I come from a really athletic background so that aspect of it is like if I get to act and be athletic, do my thing physically like that, it’s kind of a double whammy for me. And we didn’t see this much in the footage we showed but Vanessa is a mom. She has a daughter and I have a daughter. She wakes up from being in a coma for three years and she finds the world’s gone to shit. There’s all these people who want her for different reasons but all she cares about is her daughter. Where’s her daughter? Could she have survived? She has to find out. That becomes her main mission becomes finding her daughter.


I loved that. It was something I could really resonate with and get passionate about. I just thought it was a really cool journey that she goes on, this self-discovery. I loved that it happens with the audience. The audience and her are discovering it at the same time. I loved that.”

Why have you had a lifelong love of vampires?

Kelly Overton: “That’s a great question, I think. I keep asking myself that and so do other people. The best answer at this time that I could come up with is this idea of being immortal, of conquering death… I mean, we’re all and tied into true love, and then loving somebody so much that you want to spend eternity with them I think innately is kind of in our hearts as humans, that we all want those things. I think that’s why the genre does so well and that’s why as a kid I thought it was really awesome. And you can fly!”

Are you more of a Bram Stoker’s Dracula than Lost Boys type of person?

Kelly Overton: “No, no, no, no, no. I love Lost Boys. Love Lost Boys! Even Fright Night, and Anne Rice – I was obsessed with Anne Rice growing up. I would recite Interview with a Vampire in the graveyard with my boyfriend. I totally did that.”

Can you talk about your physical training for the role?

Kelly Overton: “Because I’ve done a secession of physical roles from Tekken to True Blood, it’s part of my job to stay fit and to get in the gym and do my thing. So, boxing and MMA. One of the things that was really fun for me was I focused on body building, more body building moves like dead lifts and just getting stronger and having more muscle mass which was really fun. Yeah, I love that. Like I said, being able to use that athletic part of me and those two passions at the same time was like…I love it.”

Coming into the role what did you think of Van Helsing as a female instead of the typical male that we see?

Kelly Overton: “I thought it was cool. I thought there were so many things that they were flipping, that they were turning the genre on its head, from having Neil LaBute who’s this prolific playwright do a vampire show – a TV vampire show. That was kind of like, ‘What?!’ Having Van Helsing be a woman, having her be someone who bites vampires and turns them human. There were so many things that were new and kind of the flip, which I thought was really cool. As far as her being a woman, you know did I feel like… It’s a totally new show, you know? It’s not like I was wearing the hat and the crossbow and was trying to be Van Helsing but as a woman. I thought it was great.”

You didn’t feel any extra weight because of the history of the character?

Kelly Overton: “At times I felt the responsibility to represent as a female and do that justice. But the more I didn’t focus on that and the more I tried to do the best job I could do as an actor, I knew that was my best shot at even succeeding at that. I tried to take that pressure off of myself.”

Watch the full Kelly Overton interview:





Misha Collins Interview: ‘Supernatural’ Season 12

By
Rebecca Murray
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Supernatural star Misha Collins
Misha Collins from ‘Supernatural’ at Comic Con 2016 (Photo © Richard Chavez / Showbiz Junkies)

Season 12 of The CW’s Supernatural introduces Rick Springfield as Lucifer and brings Mary Winchester (played by Samantha Smith) back to life. Mary and Lucifer are going to drive the season 12 story, and Misha Collins (‘Castiel’) says the hunt for Lucifer will be front and center for his character. During our interview at the 2016 San Diego Comic-Con, Collins also teased a storyline involving Mary Winchester and Castiel that he’d love to see come into play this season.

The CW’s set an October 13, 2016 premiere date for Supernatural season 12.

Misha Collins Interview:

What can we expect from this coming season?

Misha Collins: “I’m sure that people mentioned it but we’re going more intimate, more family this season. We’re not dealing with the politics of heaven so much, from my character’s perspective. It’s more about the human scale, which I’m excited about. I think it’s good that we keep shifting the emphasis because it gives us new material to focus on and gives us something different to do.”

Do you ever lose track of whose side you’re on or what Castiel’s doing?

Misha Collins: “There were moments last season when I had to pay very careful attention to what was going on. Like when I was playing Lucifer who had occupied Castiel’s body who was pretending to be Castiel to other people, that was a little bit hard to keep a handle on. That was a pretty challenging moment for me. So, yeah, there’s moments when you have to make double sure you know what’s going on. But more or less I think we keep the thread most of the time. Sometimes we occasionally shoot episodes out of order and that makes it a little bit harder because, ‘Wait a minute…I got it.'”

What was the joke you made during the Supernatural panel about having some connection with Mary Winchester?

Misha Collins: “Well, Sam (Smith) and I have been shooting some scenes together and we’ve been joking behind the scenes that there’s a budding romance between Cas and Sam. I keep standing too close to her, or things like that, when we’re shooting. So far I don’t think the writers have picked up on that very obvious storyline choice but hopefully, they will.”

How will Castiel’s story arc change this season?

Misha Collins: “Well, so far in the beginning of the season Cas is on a mission to hunt down Lucifer and he’s got a very sort of single-track mind and he’s kind of militant in his approach to solving that problem. Where we go I can’t tell you because I don’t know.”

Have you shot any scenes with Rick Springfield who is playing Lucifer?

Misha Collins: “No, I haven’t. He arrived Friday when I wasn’t shooting.”

How much have they told you about this season?

Misha Collins: “Well, in the beginning of the season we see more than we see later on. Like we get a longer lead in the beginning because the writers have been working over hiatus so they build up sort of a library of material. We kind of catch up to that throughout the season, so the advance notice that we get narrows as the season goes on. But right now I’ve seen an outline through episode eight. That’s the biggest lead time that we get. By the time we’re shooting the end of the season, I probably have the outline for the final episode maybe a month before we shoot it.”

Do you have a preference for knowing that much ahead or not?

Misha Collins: “Oh, like knowing.”

Watch the full Misha Collins interview:





Janet Montgomery and Shane West Interview: ‘Salem’ Season 3 and Hell on Earth

By
Rebecca Murray
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Salem stars Shane West and Janet Montgomery
Shane West and Janet Montgomery from ‘Salem’ at Comic Con 2016.

The third season of WGN America’s creepy yet riveting horror series Salem will premiere during Halloween week, with Janet Montgomery and Shane West back in starring roles. Montgomery (‘Mary Sibley’) and West (‘John Alden’) were among the Salem cast members who appeared at the 2016 San Diego Comic Con to talk about the series and the upcoming season during a Q&A with fans. They also paired up for interviews in support of season three, discussing what viewers can expect and how the show will take an even darker tone.

Janet Montgomery and Shane West Interview:

Is this next season going to deal a lot with the child and maybe recover the family unit?

Shane West: “Still dealing with the child.”

Janet Montgomery: “I think the idea of the family unit is squashed at the end of season two. I think really season three is all about surviving on your own because you really don’t know who you can trust and who is still alive out there.”

Does it get even darker?

Shane West: “Oh yeah.”

Janet Montgomery: “Yes. I think it gets even darker and the world gets bigger. The whole concept of the season is hell on earth and I think that’s why it becomes such a frightening place. The characters will now have these relationships with each other, the either don’t know that that person is still alive or they just can’t trust that person. It becomes a sort of interesting dog-eat-dog world.”

Shane West: “It’s kind of everyone against each other. The witches sects are split. The devil, our son, is basically bringing hell to earth to really take over humanity rather than just trying to keep witchcraft alive. There’s a lot of internal fights as well between the good guys and the bad guys, if you put it that way. Oliver (Bell), who plays our son, plays the devil this year and really just knocked it out of the park. Helluva job this year, and he killed it.”

Janet Montgomery: “We got really lucky to have actually managed to cast someone who looks a lot like you and is a great actor. He’s grown with the show. He had a lot of responsibility this coming season and he is amazing.”

Why do you think we’re still fascinated by that time period and witches?

Janet Montgomery: “I think, especially that period in history, there’s so little we actually know and it was such an interesting time because of the whole new world, people coming in, people didn’t know what Native Americans were, we didn’t know about all the countries of the world, and so I think there’s a certain amount of fear and unknown about that.”

Shane West: “You don’t know what’s around you – wildlife, wild animals. People fighting constantly. And that’s where I think a lot of superstition, witchcraft, anything was definitely believable back then because it was the fear of the unknown.”

Janet Montgomery: “And I think witches are still appealable because everyone loves magic. I think there’s something quite sexy about witches as well. There’s some connection to the earth and moon, and I think people find that interesting.”

How has life on the set evolved from season one to season three?

Janet Montgomery: “We all joke around a lot more now. I used to be really serious all the time, and now I go around laughing a lot which is really nice. Because we all know our parts so well, we know the world that I feel like we get to have jokes in between takes.”

Shane West: “Absolutely. And I think that comes with practice, it comes with thankfully fans watching the show to keep us going. Season one was for me, and I’ve done TV series including this one where it’s always been tough because you’re trying to figure out what you are, how everyone is, and trying to put everyone together. And I think we had more of a serious environment in season one in just trying to get things down.”

Janet Montgomery: “You don’t know what it’s going to look like, if the show’s good, if people are going to like it, so there’s a lot more pressure the first season. And then the third season you get to really have fun with it.”

Shane West: “You start to hope you can have scenes with…Like, she and I get to work together all the time, but you hope to have scenes with other people that you realize you never had. I guess that gives away something, but there’s a main character that I don’t even work with this coming year which is just a weird feeling to think that I didn’t even have a walk-by – or they walked by. Nothing.”

Janet Montgomery: “Me too!”

Shane West: “You had that too?”

Janet Montgomery: “I wonder if it’s the same character.”

(They whisper the name to each other.)

Shane West: “Yes! Exact same character. Okay. So we have the same character. That’s great. We see them on the set every day, but we just never had them in a scene.”

It seems like you’re going to encounter characters who appeared dead. Who would be the hardest to face if they would come back?

Janet Montgomery: “Who do I think is dead though? I don’t think Mary really thinks anyone is dead because she’s dead and then she comes back. I don’t think she’d be surprised at anyone. I think she’d be probably frightened to see Lucy Lawless again because she’s a much more powerful witch. She doesn’t even really know what in the end happened with her.”

Shane West: “By opening up this season to include hell as a true entity, as a character on the call sheet, you’re almost not surprised to see who might be dead that might come back. I don’t think they could be. For a moment, for a weird moment, maybe Countess Marburg. I would say for John, Petrus because he did kill him. But Petrus continues to come back so there’s no real…I don’t know if it’s really a surprise. We’ve introduce so many wacky, enigmatic, and crazy characters that it’s just not a surprise anymore. It’s more entertaining. It’s more exciting.”

Are there any unlikely partnerships we’ll see in the next season?

Shane West: “I have a pretty unlikely partnership.”

Janet Montgomery: “Me too. By the end of the season Cotton and I end up living in the same house together, so that’s a very interesting [partnership]. We start working together but during that he doesn’t know if he can trust me. So, yeah, he knows now that I killed his father so I’ve manipulated Cotton so much it’s interesting to kind of see how he feels about the idea of working with me.”

Watch the full Shane West and Janet Montgomery interview:





Stephen Amell Interview: ‘Arrow’ Season 5, Flashpoint Impact, and a Meaner Season

By
Fred Topel
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Arrow star Stephen Amell
Stephen Amell from ‘Arrow’ at Comic Con 2016 (Photo © Richard Chavez / Showbiz Junkies)

During roundtable interviews at the 2016 San Diego Comic Con, Arrow star Stephen Amell provided insight into what the comic book-inspired series has in store for fans for season five. Amell said that this season will be meaner, more gritty, and get back to focusing on Oliver’s relationship with Star City. “That’s what we focus on this year. It feels good. It’s really amazing that we started with one show and now we have four, but Arrow has always been the most specific show. It’s a street-level crime-fighting make Star City better show, and it feels like we’re getting back to that this season.”

Arrow season five is set to premiere on The CW on October 5, 2016.

Stephen Amell Interview:

Can you talk about how the losses from last season will affect him this season and how that light he found last season will help him pushing forward?

Stephen Amell: “Well, you know the Oliver of season one was at one end. The Oliver beyond season two was at the other end. It’s very black and white: I’m willing to use lethal force and then I’m not. Obviously it doesn’t just come down to that, but at the end of season four we found a shade of grey and Oliver’s very much in that spot still. At the end of the pilot he has to admit that Malcolm’s right, that if he’s not willing to do whatever is necessary, then he shouldn’t even be out there at all. As a result, we have a shot in the pilot where I kill three people in one image, in one shot, and it’s because it is what it is. Are you in my way? Are you threatening my life? You gots to go.

I think that’s a more interesting character because it’s more dynamic. There are more colors to it.”

It sounds intense.

Stephen Amell: “We’re really going for it this year. This season is mean. I love the fact that The Flash and Supergirl and Legends can have their lighter moments, and I think it’s important to have that too, but Oliver is getting to that point where he’s getting to be a bit of a grizzled veteran. Just a little bit, not totally – he’s not a curmudgeon. But at the same time, he’s getting back to where we found him.”


How do you think magic impacted the overall feel of the show last season?

Stephen Amell: “It’s interesting. I thought Neal was wonderful and I loved working with him. I wish he was still around because he was such a joy on set. At the same time, the magic and all of that I feel like it was important but that it also taught the show a lesson which is I personally think we are better when we are a little bit more grounded.”

What else can we expect this season?

Stephen Amell: “This is probably the last year of the flashbacks which means that we have a lot to accomplish. Which means the impetus and the throughline of the flashbacks I think have a lot more urgency to them. Also, what happened at the end of The Flash season two. It affects Arrow.”

Can you talk about Cody Rhodes appearing in season five?

Stephen Amell: “Cody’s coming in this year. He’s going to play a villain in episode three. We’re going to fight. But one of the cool things about this year, too, and again I don’t think that this will be the last year of the show but at the same time this is the end of a chapter, so to speak. One of the things that we do this year that I think is very cool is that the villain, the big bad this year, was created by Oliver. It was created based off of Oliver’s actions in season one. I think that that’s a cool place to take the show.”

What kind of impact will the Flashpoint storyline in The Flash have on Arrow? Without spoiling anything, can you give us a general sense of the impact?

Stephen Amell: “No. [Laughing] What we do is we…first of all, it is explained in the early part of the season, not necessarily on our show. Then we subtly begin to introduce it and then maybe not so subtly.”

With the flashbacks coming to an end this season, do you have any lingering questions about those five years that you hope are answered?

Stephen Amell: “A lot. I made a list and I sent it to the producers. Like, when does he make his bow? Like, why does he have a beard? Why is he dressed as a castaway? Why is he dressed as though it’s been him and a volleyball for the past five years? Let’s answer these questions. We made a big list and we’re going to answer them.”

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




Melissa Benoist Interview on ‘Supergirl’ Season 2 and Superman’s Introduction

By
Fred Topel
-
Supergirl star Melissa Benoist
Melissa Benoist from ‘Supergirl’ at Comic Con (Photo © Richard Chavez / Showbiz Junkies)

Supergirl makes the switch from CBS to The CW with season two, joining the network’s roster of comic book-inspired superhero shows that includes Arrow, The Flash, and Legends of Tomorrow. The move is a natural fit for Supergirl and hopefully signals an increase in the amount of crossovers we’ll see taking place among the four series. During our roundtable interview with Supergirl star Melissa Benoist at this year’s San Diego Comic Con, she told us that the network switch hasn’t really affected the series, describing this season’s scripts as both vibrant and fun.

Melissa Benoist Interview:

There was a terrific scene in season one of Supergirl flying in to help a girl who was bullied. Will she still have time to have moments of kindness like that in season two with everything that’s going on?

Melissa Benoist: “If she didn’t, I would be worried. I think that’s a priority for her.”

Will Kara’s new job affect her ability to be Supergirl?

Melissa Benoist: “What I love on the show is that there’s a constant ebb and flow, and this movement of scales in Kara’s life. Maybe when she feels secure and extremely confident in the Supergirl side of her life, she doesn’t feel so great about her career or her relationship with Miss Grant. So I think there’s a constant symbiotic relationship that she’s always exploring.”


When they told you Superman (played by Tyler Hoechlin) was finally coming to the show, what was your reaction?

Melissa Benoist: “I think it’s about time. I think every interaction that Kara had with Clark last season never felt like it was enough for me. I always wanted them to actually be in person. They’re family, you know? It’s incredible that we get to see those two characters side-by-side.”

How are you finding the Supergirl world versus the Glee world?

Melissa Benoist: “It’s two totally different beasts. The Gleeks are incredible fans and still so supportive even years after the show’s been cancelled. But, I don’t know. It’s the same amount of love and support. It’s the same amount of positivity from both worlds, but Supergirl‘s been around a lot longer. I think there are many more devout fans who’ve been reading the comics their whole lives.”

Have you noticed any discernible difference switching networks?

Melissa Benoist: “No, I haven’t. You know, I think that we really kind of honed in on what we love about all these characters last season. I do think we’re gearing towards a younger audience now. The scripts I’ve read have felt more vibrant and rich and fun, and just we’re delving more into what we loved doing last year – all of the things that we really felt like hit. But I don’t think the tone has really changed too much.”

Chyler Leigh said the first two episodes of season two start off with a bang. Does that mean there are lots of stunts for you?

Melissa Benoist: “I’m sure I’ll be doing a number of stunts – some of them I might not be quite ready for.”

Did they tell you what was in the rocket?

Melissa Benoist: “Yeah, I know what’s in the rocket. I’m not telling any of you.”

Did you already know or did you have to wait to find out?

Melissa Benoist: “I waited until… I found out maybe a week before I got the script.”

Is whoever is in the rocket going to be taking on a mentor role, whoever it is?

Melissa Benoist: “That’s a good question that I can’t give you the answer to. That was a good question.”

What were your favorite things about the first season?

Melissa Benoist: “I think a lot of it has to do with the joy and the positivity and the brightness that the show found, and the humor. I think we just want to have more fun, and there are certain things that we have more fun doing than others. We like fighting together. I think we are a really good team and there’s going to be a lot more of that.”

Watch the full Melissa Benoist interview:

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




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