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Jamie Lee Curtis Interview – ‘Scream Queens’ and the Horror Genre

By
Fred Topel
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Jamie Lee Curtis Interview on Scream Queens
Jamie Lee Curtis as Dean Cathy Munsch in ‘Scream Queens’ (Photo © 2015 Fox Broadcasting Co.)

Horror movie icon Jamie Lee Curtis stars as Dean Cathy Munsch in Fox’s much anticipated new series Scream Queens premiering on September 22, 2015. The series, which comes from Ryan Murphy (American Horror Story, Glee), Brad Falchuk, and Ian Brennan, is a blend of horror, comedy, and mystery. At the 2015 San Diego Comic-Con Curtis added to that description, saying Scream Queens isn’t what you’d expect and will keep the audience on their toes as they attempt to figure out each character.

“It is a wild ride and it has no reflection on a classic horror trope. It is wickedly funny and deeply dark, and a little violent and super fashion-y. Everything you think about a character does not add up. You think you know Dean Munsch and then by the end of the episode you’re [questioning that],” explained Curtis. “It is not a classic horror trope at all.”

Curtis’ co-stars include Emma Roberts, Lea Michele, Abigail Breslin, Oliver Hudson, Keke Palmer, and Nick Jonas, with Michele and Roberts describing Curtis as the group’s den mother, their protector, and incredibly supportive. Curtis returned the compliments, saying, “I’m 56 years old. I have a 28-year-old daughter and a 19-year-old son who’s walking around Comic-Con dressed as Trafalgar Law from One Piece. Believe me, I’m going to nest with my little birds.

The first scene I have is with Emma Roberts in my office, and that was the first scene we shot. It’s a six-page dialogue scene ping-pong match between the two of us. And I’m telling you, it was like, ‘Hi, I’m Jamie.’ ‘I’m Emma.’ Sit down and it’s like, ‘Okay, let’s shoot this.’ And it was like, ‘Okay, boom, let’s hit it!’ And this girl starts hitting ping pong balls at me and I’m like, ‘Whoa, damn! I better pay attention here.’ No warm-up. She is firing aces at me and I’m thinking, ‘I really got to be on my game here.’ 7:15 in the morning in New Orleans on the first day, and that’s how it’s been with every one of them.”

“Each of these girls has inhabited these people. They’ve eaten them. They are just…it’s like garlic breath. They are just giving it back to you every second. It’s really extraordinary. I think it just is a testament to a professionalism that young people actually do have that we kind of take for granted. I think it really speaks to Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan who have created this sort of triumvirate of talent that are very clear. ‘We will give it to you. You need to give it back.’ Therefore it means give it back, know your sh*t, and deliver it. And that’s how I’ve had an experience with every one of these girls.”

Reflecting on her career and on the genre that launched it, Curtis expressed a three-decades-long fondness for horror fans who’ve supported her since she was 19. “I’ve always tried to maintain the idea that we’re all trying to get our footing in show business. I don’t care who you are. When you start out young, you try to get your footing in the business. And for me I landed on a mountaintop at 20. What supported me was a genre that I didn’t particularly like.

I’m not a horror film fan, but the genre supported my work,” explained Curtis. “For as long as I’ve been working, I understand that without them I wouldn’t have a career and I’m grateful. I’m grateful to this unbelievably loyal, devoted fan base – gentle fan base. And so for me, it’s a return to them and it’s like going home again. It’s like coming home to your very big crazy, loud, fun extended family who loves you. That’s how I feel.”

Watch the full interview with Jamie Lee Curtis from Scream Queens:

Douglas Booth and Bella Heathcote ‘Pride & Prejudice & Zombies’ Interview

By
Fred Topel
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Douglas Booth and Bella Heathcote Pride & Prejudice & Zombies Interview
Douglas Booth and Bella Heathcote at the 2015 San Diego Comic Con (Photos by Richard Chavez / Showbiz Junkies)

Bella Heathcote (Dark Shadows) and Douglas Booth (Romeo and Juliet) star in Screen Gems’ Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, based on the novel by Seth Grahame-Smith and Jane Austen. Grahame-Smith took Austen’s classic tale and inserted zombies, twisting the dramatic romance into a horror period piece. Heathcote and Booth were among the P&P&Z cast members who took part in a panel at the 2015 San Diego Comic Con, discussing the genre-bending film that’s heading to theaters on February 5, 2016. In addition to participating in the panel in front of thousands of Comic Con attendees, Heathcote and Booth teamed up for roundtable interviews to talk more about their characters, zombies, and action scenes.

Bella Heathcote and Douglas Booth Interview:

Had you ever wanted to do the straight version of Pride and Prejudice?

Douglas Booth: “Being British, I’ve done a few of those before straight. Like, I’ve been in a BBC adaptation of Great Expectations. I played Pip in that, so I’ve done that. I’ve done period before so it was kind of exciting to try and do something and turn itself on its head, something a little different.”

Bella Heathcote: “For me, I loved it because it holds true what I love most about Pride and Prejudice which is the relationship, particularly the two love stories. And then I’ve just got the added bonus of actually being able to fight and be empowered in that way. So it was better than doing the straight version.”

How did you train?

Bella Heathcote: “There was a fair bit of a boot camp situation happening. We did Kung Fu. We had weapons training. It was a lot of choreographed fight training with the girls. It was great fun.”

Are you good at it?

Douglas Booth: “She was great at it. You should see. When you posted a picture on Instagram with your leg [high] up here. Don’t piss her off. She’ll kick you in the chin.”

Bella Heathcote: “I got really into it. I’m a very anxious person so I just channeled all that into fight training for four months before the film, so it was actually very helpful for me.”

How was your training, Douglas?

Douglas Booth: “I was all right. I was good. I didn’t get to do as much fighting as the girls. The girls definitely have the main kickass moments. You come and save me quite a few times, but I loved it. For me, I love horse riding. I’ve ridden since I was a kid so my favorite parts was getting back on a horse. I always love those parts.”

Tell us about your characters.

Douglas Booth: “I play Charles Bingley. He does fight. Everyone in this world has to learn to be able to survive. It’s a dangerous place, but the girls are sent away to China to learn Shaolin fighting. The Bennet girls are known throughout the land, as it were, for being this extremely tight unit of tough babes. The fighting focuses on that side of things. My part’s more our love story. I just get caught up in the fighting as well. I kill a few zombies.”

Bella Heathcote and Douglas Booth Pride & Prejudice & Zombies Interview
Ellie Bamber (Lydia), Bella Heathcote (Jane), Lily James (Elizabeth), Millie Brady (Mary) and Suki Waterhouse (Kitty) in Screen Gems’ ‘Pride and Prejudice and Zombies’ (Photo © 2015 CTMG, Inc)

Besides fighting zombies, are there other differences between your characters and the original characters?

Douglas Booth: “Of course, what we brought to them ourselves as people. What I love about this is it’s not a zombie movie where some person’s getting chased from A to B. What’s fascinating, interesting is how this amazing, enduring love story, tale that we know, Pride and Prejudice, how will that hold up amid the most bizarre circumstances? A zombie apocalypse, a plague. How will Mrs. Bennet go about marrying off her daughters? They’ve got different problems. It’s not necessarily about dowry. It’s things like they went for their training in China but the conventional thing to do is to go to Japan. So some people look down on them for that. There’s all these different things, different kind of quirks. It’s different and interesting for that.”

What kind of zombies do we see? Are they slow or fast or practical effects?

Bella Heathcote: “There’s actually different grades of zombies. So there’s like the neo-zombie who have just started to turn, and they can still completely be a part of society without anyone knowing. And then as they degenerate, they become fairly gruesome and I feel like they get faster. Don’t you feel like they get faster and faster as they get scarier?”

Douglas Booth: “Yeah, I think the interesting thing is that initially you can get bitten and you can conceal it and they can live amongst [us] knowing fully well they’re a zombie without wanting to reveal it because as soon as you reveal it, you’re probably going to be put to death because there’s no coming back. So, you get people trying to live. Sometimes you’re not quite sure who is a zombie and as they develop, they have three or four different stages of deterioration and it gets pretty gross. We have this amazing Oscar-winning prosthetics guy who did all the stuff on The Iron Lady with Meryl Streep. He came in and did some amazing work. He has a whole team. He created some really cool stuff.”

Are you, like the rest of the world, in zombie mode with The Walking Dead?

Douglas Booth: “I’ve never been a massive zombie follower myself which is why this was a really interesting experience to do. I love Austen and it’s amazing to see this mixed, to see this twist. Bring it because I’m not the biggest fan of just a zombie movie where people are just being ravaged, killed, this, that, just for the sake of horror. That’s not my type of film. Some people love it which is great, but this has a real story to it, has a bit more of a heart.”

Bella Heathcote: “I agree with that. You actually care about the characters and you want them to be okay for a whole other reason other than just for the sake of survival.”

Douglas Booth: “And also care about the zombies as well. It’s pretty sh*t. People talk about zombie movies and zombies. All it is really is it could happen to us. It’s a plague. It sends someone into a certain thing. Look what’s happening in the world right now. There’s so many great humanitarian issues about people getting a sort of plague and what happens if this just doesn’t kill them, they turn crazed and they start attacking the population. Zombie movies can be set in reality too as well.”

Why do love and war, even zombie war, go so nicely together?

Douglas Booth: “Because war is all about loss and when you’re in love, you’re terrified to lose it I suppose.”

Bella Heathcote: “If it’s your last day on earth, what’s most important to you? It’s your relationships. It’s not all the other stuff. When those circumstances are set, when there’s war, what is important becomes really clear.”

More on Pride & Prejudice & Zombies: Lily James and Sam Riley Interview

First Look: The Flash’s New Suit for Season Two

By
Rebecca Murray
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First Look at The Flash's New Suit for Season 2
Grant Gustin as Barry Allen/The Flash (Photo: Jordon Nuttall / The CW © 2015 The CW Network, LLC. All rights reserved.)

You have to look closely to see the tiny changes made to The Flash costume for season two of The CW series. The network’s just unveiled this first photo from the upcoming season featuring series star Grant Gustin in his new Flash suit. Season two is set to kick off on Tuesday, October 6, 2015 at 8pm ET/PT.

In addition to Gustin, The Flash stars Candice Patton as Iris West, Danielle Panabaker as Caitlin Snow, Carlos Valdes as Cisco Ramon, Tom Cavanagh as Reverse-Flash, and Jesse L. Martin as Detective West. Masters of Sex‘s Teddy Sears joins the cast in season two as Jay Garrick and
The Messengers’ Shantel VanSanten will play Patty Spivot.


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Carol Burnett to Receive SAG’s Life Achievement Award

By
Rebecca Murray
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Carol Burnett SAG Award Winner
Carol Burnett (Photo: Randee St. Nicholas / © 2010 Mabel Cat, Inc., provided by SAG-AFTRA)

The Screen Actors Guild has announced actress/singer/author Carol Burnett will receive the group’s Life Achievement Award during the 2016 SAG Awards. The Life Achievement Award is the guild’s highest honor and Burnett will take the stage on January 30, 2016 to accept the honor at the 22nd Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards.

The honor is bestowed on an actor who demonstrates the “finest ideals of the acting profession,” according to SAG. Making the announcement, SAG-AFTRA President Ken Howard stated, “Carol Burnett is a creative dynamo and a comedic genius. She embodies the generosity and courage that the greatest actors use in creating enduring and memorable characters. From her heartbreakingly hilarious Starlet O’Hara to the adorably inept Eunice and alarmingly funny Miss Hannigan, Carol has delighted and inspired millions of viewers and thousands of comedic actors. She took risks as a performer and through her courage, encouraged fellow actors to try new things and always, always reach for the sky. Her innate love of actors led to the creation of an ensemble cast that made The Carol Burnett Show a masterpiece of variety programming.”

The SAG Life Achievement Award is just the latest honor for the beloved actress who has received a Peabody Award, Emmys, a Tony, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, a Kennedy Center Honor, and the Mark Twain Prize for Humor. Burnett’s a member of the Television Hall of Fame and the California Museum’s Hall of Fame, and has an intersection near Hollywood High School named in her honor.

The 22nd Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards will air live on TNT and TBS.

 

Danielle Panabaker Interview: ‘The Flash’ Season 2 and Killer Frost

By
Fred Topel
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Danielle Panabaker Interview on The Flash Season 2
Danielle Panabaker at the 2015 San Diego Comic-Con (Photo by Richard Chavez / Showbiz Junkies)

Danielle Panabaker confessed that she’s been yelled at before for giving too much away about upcoming episodes of The CW’s The Flash, so she was very careful how she answered questions during roundtables interviews at the 2015 San Diego Comic-Con. One thing she could discuss was becoming Killer Frost since it had already been teased in the season one finale. Fans got a very brief look at her costume, and Panabaker said she’s looking forward to the ultimate transition to playing the super-villain.

“Obviously, I’m extremely enthusiastic about becoming Killer Frost and I want it to happen yesterday,” said Panabaker. “But, it’s going to be exciting to see that journey, to see how it happens.”

Panabaker said the wig, the makeup, and the costume went through many changes before they found just the right look for Killer Frost. “It was exciting as an actor because it’s a truly transformative look,” explained Panabaker. “The first costume that she built was an actual one-piece like a jumpsuit, very Catwoman-esque. Then one week, I showed up for a fitting and she’s like, ‘I scrapped it. We’re starting from scratch. It needs to be sexier.’ I was like, ‘Okay, great.’ So, it was an evolution.”

The change into Killer Frost will mean Panabaker will be called upon to participate in more action scenes. “I asked them about that,” said Panabaker when asked if she’s ready to start training. “I’m desperate to get out there and fight with the boys. Not when it’s raining…but any other time.”

And while she’s more than ready to take on fight training, she’s not quite as enthusiastic about the effects used when Grant Gustin as The Flash runs out of the room. The look is done with air jets blowing and Panabaker admits she used to take the brunt of the air blows. “They think it’s funny when my hair blows back. But you know what? We have a great special effects team and as the season progressed, they got really good. In the beginning, they were like blowing my hair in my face. Hair’s messed up, makeup’s messed up, it takes a while to reset. So we perfected the art of having them very glamorously blow it back.”

Watch the full interview with Danielle Panabaker on The Flash season two:





‘The Bastard Executioner’ Debuts Two New Clips

By
Rebecca Murray
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The Bastard Executioner New Clips
Lee Jones stars in ‘The Bastard Executioner (Photo credit: Ollie Upton / FX)

FX’s new dramatic action series The Bastard Executioner premiered its first official trailer online after Comic-Con, and now the network’s released two clips from the series. The series comes from Sons of Anarchy‘s Kurt Sutter and is set to join the network’s lineup this fall.

Sutter, director Paris Barclay, Brian Grazer, and Francie Calfo executive produce.

Lee Jones leads the cast that includes True Blood‘s Stephen Moyer, Sons of Anarchy‘s Katey Sagal, Flora Spencer-Longhurst, Darren Evans, Danny Sapani, Timothy V. Murphy, Sarah White, Sarah Sweeney, Elen Rhys, Ethan Griffiths, and Sutter. The Americans‘ Matthew Rhys guest stars.

The Bastard Executioner Plot: ‘A period drama, The Bastard Executioner tells the story of a warrior knight in King Edward I’s charge who is broken by the ravages of war and vows to lay down his sword. But when that violence finds him again he is forced to pick up the bloodiest sword of all.”

Watch the clips:

‘Limitless’ – Jake McDorman and Hill Harper Interview

By
Rebecca Murray
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Limitless - Jake McDorman and Hill Harper Interview
Jake McDorman and Hill Harper at the 2015 San Diego Comic-Con (Photo by Richard Chavez / Showbiz Junkies)

Jake McDorman says that what initially drew him to CBS’s Limitless was the fact that the people involved with the feature film, including Bradley Cooper, were involved with the TV series. “If it was something like, ‘Oh, we’re going to remake that movie into series,’ it would have been a little bit of a different situation. I think looking at it saying, ‘Wow, there’s been this great world that’s been created with the film, now the same exact people all the way to Bradley Cooper acting in it,’ everyone now transposing into television with hours and hours of TV in this expanded universe is one of the first things that I was attracted to. Also, Marc Webb directing was awesome,” explained McDorman during our interview at the 2015 San Diego Comic-Con.

“I think originally it was supposed to be Neil Burger who directed the movie, so it was down to a T the exact same creative team from the film. And then at the last minute they swapped for Marc which is great – (500) Days of Summer and both Spider-Mans. It’s great. So there’s the creative aspect which puts it in a category you can trust,” added McDorman.

Hill Harper says all you have to do is look at the pedigree of the show to know it’s something worthy of checking out.

“Bradley Cooper’s a huge star who doesn’t have to be involved. That’s a good indication. He decides that he’s not only going to executive produce but also be in the show as his character. That shows you that they’re shooting for top, top, top quality. It’s not just like there can be some projects where some star throws their name on it and says, ‘Send me some tweets that I’m going to copy and paste about it.’ Clearly, that’s not the case in this situation. So everybody is reaching for something great and you can tell by watching is pilot it is so good. Jennifer Carpenter is fantastic. [Jake’s] fantastic. Every character is great. The director is great. The cinematography is great. We hope people are going to watch it but at least we can be proud of what we throw on the screen.”

McDorman says Limitless doesn’t recreate the movie but instead expands on the universe of the 2011 film. It also presented challenges to him as an actor that he couldn’t resist. “Bradley’s pitch to me was, ‘Dude, as an actor, this was one of my favorite things I’ve had to do.’ To play two characters, the duality of who you are before you encounter this pill and who you become after you take this pill,” said McDorman. “It’s a real journey. It seems like it was for him and for anybody who steps into the role.”

McDorman describes playing what feels like two separate characters as part of the fun of the project. “I think they really wanted to get that there would be a similarity between how anyone acts on NZT. No matter your background, whoever you are, when you take that drug, you have a certain level of enlightenment,” explained McDorman. “These are all the notes that Bradley gave me from when he did the movie. You stand up straighter, you talk deliberately. No gesture is wasted, it all has a purpose and there’s a lot of eye contact. Without NZT you can just have fun with it – slouch, be a totally different guy. Someone compared Brian off of NZT is like The Dude in The Big Lebowski, which I thought was awesome. It was challenging but in the best way, and that’s what you hope out of anything that you do that it’s a healthy, creative challenge. You don’t want to just coast through it.”

Watch the full interview for more on Limitless with Jake McDorman and Hill Harper:

Also, director Marc Webb and executive producers Craig Sweeny, Alex Kurtzman, and Heather Kadin discuss the series, the world of the film, and adapting that story for a network show:





‘Legends of Tomorrow’ – Wentworth Miller Interview on Captain Cold’s Heroic Side

By
Fred Topel
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Wentworth Miller Interview on 'Legends of Tomorrow'
Wentworth Miller at the 2015 San Diego Comic-Con (Photo by Richard Chavez / Showbiz Junkies)

Wentworth Miller says he finds the shades of grey characters the most interesting which is why he’s enjoyed taking on Leonard Snart/Captain Cold first in The CW’s The Flash and now in Legends of Tomorrow. “What I love about Snart is that Snart is Snart 24/7. He’s never not Captain Cold so if you ask him who he is, he’ll tell you. There is honesty and authenticity there. Whereas you have some other characters running around in masks who are wrestling with secret selves and hidden identities who, if you ask them who they are they might in fact lie to you which is not quite heroic in the traditional sense,” explained Miller during our 2015 San Diego Comic-Con roundtable interview. “I think there is something in Snart that is kind of admirable and in alignment. It’s always in alignment with himself and I really respect that.”

Legends of Tomorrow finds villains teaming up, but Miller says that won’t necessarily mean they’ll all of a sudden get along. “Well, my hope is that it’s not easy at all. There’s lots of conflict, fireworks, and Captain Cold is used to calling the shots. He’s used to ‘the guy,’ and now that has to change,” said Miller. “I think that will be a problem for him and therein is hopefully some great drama.”

“Hopefully they’re not going to get along. It is a bunch of heroes and villains who have to work together toward a common goal, which is to take on this mega-villain. But that doesn’t mean they’re going to be a happy family in route. As an audience member, I don’t want to tune in to watch a show where everybody is getting along. That doesn’t sound particularly interesting to me. I think the purpose of Snart and Heat Wave and Katie’s character is to sort of keep things edgy and interesting.”

Miller admits he thought he would be in a couple of episodes of The Flash and never anticipated he’d be playing Snart/Captain Cold in a spin-off series. “I had no idea of this potential,” acknowledged Miller. “It was just a guest star at Greg Berlanti’s invitation, and I have a lot of respect for him and what he’s achieved in this business and so of course I was intrigued and said yes. And the fact that it’s become what it’s become and now there’s this show and there’s a doll that’s really cute, it’s extraordinary.”

Miller’s actually only played the character four times and shooting on Legends of Tomorrow – other than the teaser trailer – hasn’t yet begun. Nevertheless, he already has a good idea of Snart’s personality. “I think he’s got his pride, and I think he does what he does well. There are reasons why he does what he does and we’ll find out more about that. But I don’t see him ever becoming a full-on good guy which the other characters potentially speak to. I think we’ve seen The Flash try and speak to Stark’s sense of honor, such as it is,” explained Miller. “But my hope is that he stays a baddie even though he’s pursuing positive things.”

Speaking of pursuing positive things, Heat Wave (played by Miller’s Prison Break co-star Dominic Purcell) isn’t likely to turn into a hero anytime soon. Asked if he believes Captain Cold will be his brother’s keeper, Miller responded, “I feel like at this point, Captain Cold is the one person that Heat Wave potentially listens to some of the time. Heat Wave, I think of as a full-on baddie. I’m not sure there is anything redeeming there. Maybe I’ll be surprised. So as Snart gradually moves toward more heroic aspects, I think his relationship with Heat Wave could become more problematic because I don’t see Heat Wave taking the same journey.”

Watch the full interview with Wentworth Miller on Legends of Tomorrow:





‘Gotham’ Season 2: Robin Lord Taylor Interview on Penguin’s Position of Power

By
Rebecca Murray
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Robin Lord Taylor Interview on Gotham Season 2
Robin Lord Taylor at the 2015 San Diego Comic-Con (Photo by Richard Chavez / Showbiz Junkies)

Robin Lord Taylor says that in season two of Fox’s Gotham the relationship between Oswald Cobblepot/The Penguin has turned from potential friendship (at least from Oswald’s perspective) between the two characters on opposite sides of the law to Oswald hurt by Jim’s actions and no longer believing they can be friends. “I think that because of what went down in the finale, the fact that Jim was up until the last second was just going to let Oswald die, you know like he did in the hospital chained to a radiator… I think he was actually really personally hurt by that, so the honeymoon is over. I think it’s just much more cold and calculated,” explained Taylor during our roundtable interviews at the 2015 San Diego Comic-Con. “We shot the first episode and I have a really good moment with Jim in that first episode, and, yeah, it’s much more challenged, there’s much more at stake. And also Oswald is not the simpering person he was in the first season.”

With the death of so many of Gotham’s mob bosses in season one, Penguin’s position will shift in season two. “He’s running the show. He set out to accomplish that in the first season and got it,” said Taylor. “He’s the king of Gotham, in terms of the underworld at the moment. Falcone’s gone, obviously, Maroni is dead. Fish is out of the picture. We’ll see how long he holds onto it.”

Penguin’s new power position will be challenged in the upcoming season, according to Taylor. “Well, I can’t give away too much but we’re introducing some new characters this season that let’s just say they have contrary ideas to Oswald. They really come to blows. It’s really going to be insane,” revealed Taylor.

Season two’s Penguin will not be pushed around or made to feel like a second-class villain. He’s on the path to becoming a major villain, and season two helps set up Penguin’s ultimate position. “It’s like establishing himself as a person of power in Gotham City. That was the first step toward becoming a superhero villain. Also, not to tease too much, but some stuff is going to happen to him in this season in particular which is just…it’s going to get a lot darker for him. As if he wasn’t ruthless before, there’s really no sympathy left inside of him. That’s one of the changes from this next season.”

Asked if there’s anyone he’s really looking forward to working with in season two, Taylor said, “Well, I mean, it’s probably been pretty obvious. We had that one little scene in season one, but Mr. Cory Michael Smith who I’m personally a big fan of – we had so much fun shooting that tiny thing. I have a feeling their lives are going to intersect in a major way this next season. I’m thrilled about it.

And that also being said, we know that Barbara has taken a turn to the dark side, and so I personally would like – I know nothing about what’s going to happen, but I really want her and Oswald to get together not romantically per se because nothing would piss off Jim more than that. After he sold me out at the end of last season I just want to get him!”

Watch the interview with Robin Lord Taylor on Gotham season two:





Josh Holloway and Sarah Wayne Callies ‘Colony’ Interview

By
Rebecca Murray
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Josh Holloway and Sarah Wayne Callies Colony Interview
Josh Holloway and Sarah Wayne Callies at the 2015 San Diego Comic-Con (Photos by Richard Chavez / Showbiz Junkies)

USA Network’s Colony will make its debut this October with Lost‘s Josh Holloway and The Walking Dead‘s Sarah Wayne Callies in starring roles. The sci-fi action drama takes place in the near future in Los Angeles after an invasion. Callies and Holloway play a married couple whose middle son went missing during the invasion and who will stop at nothing to try and get him back.

Paired up for interviews at the San Diego Comic-Con, Holloway said it was the storytelling that attracted him to Colony and made him want to be involved in another series.

“Ultimately, that’s what I look for as an artist is does it move me? Is it an involuntary choice? And that’s basically, I’m compelled to do something that moves me so much. I read the script and right away I was like, ‘Wow, okay. This is storytelling.’ I love the patience that they have of unfolding in a world where everything is in your face, instant, all the time. To have a story that’s paced and it unfolds is refreshing.”

“I thought it was a really courageous story to be telling,” explained Callies. “I think some of the best science fiction creates this whole exterior world in which we can examine our own culture. One of my favorite seasons of television was the first season of Battlestar Galactica. It was this treatise on the Patriot Act. It was absolutely brilliant. I think one of the questions that we’re asking in Colony is what’s the difference between a terrorist and a freedom fighter? And, at what point have you compromised so many of your ethics in service of your values that those values are worthless when you get there? There are quite literally no good guys and no bad guys in this world and I think that’s a level of moral complexity that I believe.

I think that’s honest, and I think to be looking at questions of what constitutes terrorism, what generates terrorism, what is it like to be an occupied United States, those are really interesting questions. Carlton [Cuse] and Ryan [Condal] are viciously smart, and so they’re not raising them in the pilot because they think they’re buzzwords and then they go away and we just run around with guns. They’re using this as an opportunity to ask complicated questions with more than one answer.”

“Yes, from varied perspectives,” added Holloway. “What would you do for your loved one? How far would you go? Who comes first?”

“Who comes first? That’s a good question,” said Callies.


Colony Season One Cast Photo
Alex Neustaedter, Isabella Crovetti-Cramp, Sarah Wayne Callies, and Josh Holloway in ‘Colony’ (Photo by Paul Drinkwater / USA Network)

Their answers led me to ask if the married couple they’re playing in the series will be on the same page in answering those questions. “No,” replied Callies, immediately and emphatically. “No,” responded Holloway, adding, “But what’s wonderful about this relationship is this is a couple who found true love. They’ve been together a long time. They’ve experienced this long-term relationship, marriage, children, the loss of a child. They’re damaged, they’re complex, and yet they’re fighting for their union because it’s true love. That’s weirdly sexy in a great way.”

“I think there’s another question, which is at what point does a divergent ideology in a marriage become an infidelity. Do you know what I mean? These are two people who believe very different things and are taking different courses of action,” explained Callies. “I haven’t read to the end of the season yet and we certainly haven’t shot it, but I think it’s possible that by the time they get to the end of that first season it’s going to be far worse than an affair. That kind of a dissidence in their philosophical approach.”

But Holloway’s not too sure about that. “I don’t know because their core love keeps bringing that back. At core, they’re together. They may have different ideas and different feeling about it, but they’re together. So, it’s tough. Tension’s great.”

Not knowing what’s coming up for his character is something Holloway’s used to after spending six seasons on Lost. “I prefer it that way,” revealed Holloway. “Just give me what’s going on now.”

“That’s life,” said Callies.

The Plot: Colony centers on one family’s struggle to survive and bring liberty back to the people of an occupied Los Angeles.  SAG winner Josh Holloway stars as former FBI agent Will Bowman and Satellite Award winner Sarah Wayne Callies stars as his wife, Katie, in the series which takes place in a dangerous world of divided ideologies.  While some choose to collaborate with the occupation and benefit from the new order, others rebel and suffer the consequences.

After being separated from their middle son during the invasion, Will and Katie are willing to do whatever is necessary to be reunited with him.  Thus, when the powerful Proxy Snyder (Peter Jacobson, “House”) offers Will a chance to get his son back if he will collaborate with the occupational government, Will and Katie find themselves faced with the toughest decision of their lives.  They will have to go beyond whatever they thought possible, risking their lives and their relationship to protect their family. 

Executive producers Carlton Cuse and Ryan Condal also discuss the series, the inspiration, the invasion, and why Colony is set in Los Angeles:





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