The CW’s iZombie finished up season two with a game-changing finale that opened up the small group of people who actually knew zombies existed into a much larger group that can now help and support Liv Moore (played by Rose McIver). McIver and her iZombie co-stars once again presented a panel at Comic Con, talking about the upcoming third season and what that season two finale will mean for Liv and her friends moving forward. The iZombie gang also participated in roundtables at the San Diego Comic Con, providing a little more insight into how Liv will adjust to more people joining #TeamZombie and into a couple of brains we can look forward to seeing Liv munch on in season three.
The CW will return iZombie to the primetime lineup in early 2017.
Rose McIver Interview:
Are you excited now that the team has expanded and more people know what’s going on and will be on Liv’s side?
Rose McIver: “Yeah. I’m really curious to see the new dynamic with Clive and Liv now that he’s informed because I think a lot of the humor was derived from being out of the loop. But his character’s so rational and so logical that I think there’s going to be a really new and interesting humor that comes with him weighing in on her brains and how they’re going to work. So, I’m really excited about that.
I think it’s good for Liv to have the support. I feel like there’s a good council of people now that bring different ideas and advice. They’re kind of a stronger unit, yeah.”
Do you think the next season will shift away from the procedural mode? Will it change how she interacts with everybody?
Rose McIver: “I think there will still be a procedural element for sure. Liv will still eat brains and take on characteristics. I feel like so much of what I enjoy and what we enjoy about making the show kind of comes from it, but I think definitely the season arc stuff progressively has gotten bigger and bigger and more interwoven. I feel like what I know so far of season three there’s some very solid high stakes stuff that happens that carries throughout the season, so there will be more serialized elements as well.”
We didn’t get to visit Liv’s family in season two.
Rose McIver: “I know. I’m just as curious as you are. I want to know about her family life and her mother, but I also want to know (about her dad). We don’t know about her dad and I’m really curious. I’ve been plugging today just making dad choices, like, ‘I want Bill Murray. Get him. Clear his schedule.’ Let’s all fantasize on who would be a good Liv dad.”
Have you been told any of the brains that you’ll be eating this season?
Rose McIver: “I only learned today that I have to eat the brain of a dominatrix in an episode so I’ll be drawing upon a lot of research. I was actually thinking it’s going to be one of those things that’s like, ‘Delete browser history.’ You don’t want to be caught with that stuff! But it will be fun. It will be really good. I know that early on Major and I eat the brain of a father and his angsty teenage daughter. I’m the father, he’s the angsty teenage daughter. That is going to be a lot of fun. It’s the part Robert Buckley was born to play. He’s going to nail it. It’s going to be great.”
So you’ll actually do research on a playing a dominatrix?
Rose McIver: “Well, I haven’t yet because I’ve just been told this morning. It seemed a little hasty to be searching in between the tables. You can never prepare enough, you know?
I do try to research, absolutely. I have really limited time between episodes, like the turn-around is unbelievable. But absolutely on the weekends. I look things up or I talk to people on the phone who worked in different professions. I try to do what I can. There’s plenty out there.”
What kind of a recipe would you do for a dominatrix brain?
Rose McIver: “Good question. I feel like licorice whips or something. Licorice whips with little brains on the end. That’s a good question.”
Liv started out a loner because no one could commiserate with her, and now she has Major and this team. What’s it been like to play that embracing of a new family for her?
Rose McIver: “I feel like the start of season one, Liv was alone. She pushed everybody away. The start of season two in many ways Liv was alone and pushed people away. This is the first time we’re going into a season and there’s a support group. There’s definitely some confusion and if I were Clive, I’d be pissed off. It’s like there’s an open dialogue. She has people there looking out for her and so it kind of is a strong foundation for her to start this season from. I feel Liv doesn’t know what to make of Fillmore-Graves yet. I don’t think it’s black and white. It definitely seems very suspicious but she doesn’t know exactly what they entail. And they also have a lot of information that could be very useful to her. She’d be wise not to antagonize them entirely just yet. So I feel like having her little council around her that can help her make good decisions and not be too rash and impulsive, that’s great. It’s going to be a very different dynamic.”
Can you talk about actually filming the finale from last year because it was such a different episode from any of the ones that led up to it?
Rose McIver: “It was cold. It was really cold. We were wearing those sweatsuits and you’d sit outside and it was like freezing. You step inside and you had the sweatsuits and this stuff pulled over your head that was so hot and sweaty, and it was plastic-y. We just dripped with sweat on the inside. It was quite physically taxing, the whole thing. There was a lot of stunt components. We had Rob Thomas which was so much fun. He was such a trooper. He was there as late as all of us the last couple of days working with all the stunt people.
It was really good. Right at the end of the season everybody’s very exhausted but there’s definitely a strong comradery around there as well where it’s like that last day of school feeling. We had a really great time. It was pretty full-on and long days.”
We hear you’re pretty good working with the rats.
Rose McIver: “Oh, yeah, I’m the rat handler. I’m actually not even in the show; I’m Rahul (Kohli’s) hired rat handler who’s taken over the job from him because he just can’t stand them. I’m not a rat fetishist; I don’t love them. But, I don’t have a huge problem. They’re actually much cleaner than a lot of animals so I’m all right.”
Have you ever actually eaten brains?
Rose McIver: “No. I’m weirdly squeamish. I was a vegetarian for a long time and I have the palate of a child. I feel like brains are a bit much, even for me.”
Watch the full Rose McIver interview:
