If the Cypress sisters had a wrestling match, who would win?
Dana is not one to stick to protocol. She would tickle and Em would immediately lose.
What was it like filming in New Brunswick? Any NB recommendations?
Filming in New Brunswick was like being away at summer camp.We spent a lot of time hiking and going to the Bay of Fundy watching tides. Romy and I also did crafts for Hallowe’en because you can’t shoot a Syfy show at Hallowe’en and NOT make clay ghosts. It was really peaceful which was perfect considering that set was….not.
What can you tell us about the tiny producing powerhouse Samantha Levine?
AHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHAH Sam is one of my most favourite people to work with. She is very detail oriented but knows which battles to pick and which ones to drop. She’s the calm in the storm. I am the storm. She’s also very kind and compassionate and then she sneaks in a sense of humour and you think: Ah! The perfect package!
How did it feel stepping on set for the first time?
OH. Let’s talk about this. My first scene was lying in a bed asleep. Now, if you can swing it at your job, I highly recommend getting paid to take a nap. But it was great because I didn’t have the burden of doing the first scene of the show! I listened to my cast-mates do it and they were awesome and passionate and prepared so it was like a warm-up. It was also a tiny room to fit cast and crew so it was like we were all forced to smoosh together and that breaks down barriers pretty quickly! Friendly reminder: wear deodorant. Be cool.
Who made you laugh most during the shoot?
I’ve been a fan of Mark Little’s for years so to be in scenes with him was a dream. He would just start ad-libbing and I had my own free comedy show and I always hoped we’d go again so that I’d get to watch him for another take. If you don’t know his stand up please check him out!
Revival blends noir drama, horror and dark satire. How did you approach balancing these elements in your performance?
Luckily I didn’t think about it or I’d have panicked! I just tried to honour the human (or reviver) heart of whatever scene I was in and hopefully that translated to balancing each style.
What do you consider Dana’s best and worst traits?
Best: Freckles. Worst: A bit blind to other people’s experience until it’s too late?
Who is your fave Revival character? Why?
Em. She’s been through so much and gets to redefine herself and find a strength she never thought she had. Plus, freckles.
If you woke up as a Reviver tomorrow, what’s the first thing you’d do?
Check if I was still on my period. Really curious to know how that all works.
How long does it take to do Dana’s freckles?
4.7 seconds per freckle (average)
Any particularly fun or demented memories from set?
I brought my dog Wally to set one of the days and he was in the room next door to where we were shooting and he could hear me – I was in a very emotional state in that scene and he kept whimpering and trying to find me! Legend.
Also I brought my kids to set on the day we did the pilot episode (the barn attack) thinking that it would show them that it’s all fake. It backfired and my son had nightmares that Romy broke into our house and killed me with a scythe.
I’m just gonna stop bringing people to set, is the lesson here.
Is there anything you were apprehensive about in taking on this role/project?
I think the scope of what we were trying to achieve in the time we had felt daunting. Luckily everyone always came prepared and ready to put their best foot forward and that really kept me going. Like we were all in it together: cast and crew.
Do you secretly wish you could play a Reviver?
Nope. I don’t want to have to wear prosthetics please and thank you. And to those who do have to do that (Brandon Oakes), thank you for your sacrifices.
Have there been any stand out emotional moments this season?
YES. The last episode. Obviously without giving anything away, we had a script but we ran out of time and had to pivot and basically make the climax up as we went along (at least that’s what it felt like to me) but the result felt raw and exposed and powerful and electric. And my scene-mate leaves their heart on the dancefloor every time and was totally committed to the chaos so we got to experience the electricity together. I loved it I loved it I loved it.
What draws you to science fiction? And will we get to see Director Mel for Revival at some point?
I grew up on Space Balls, Buffy, Star Trek and Weird Science. I love to escape to other worlds and other possibilities, playing by different rules.
For now I serve the story best by figuring out who Dana and this world are. The executive producer in me thinks that the more brilliant people (including directors) we bring on to collaborate, the better the show will be. I cherish everything Amanda Row and Samir Rehem brought to the show and want to keep being inspired by other directors.