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By Suzanne

Interview with Melissa O’Neil, Jodelle Ferland, Roger Cross, Alex Mallari, Jr. and Executive Producer Joe Mallozzi of "Dark Matter" on Syfy 8/24/15

Due to a technical glitch, I wasn't able to attend this call, but I'm glad to get the transcript here for you. It's a great show, and I really love it. The season finale was great! I hope it comes back for a second season. It better! We need to find out what happened in the finale and why.

NBC UNIVERSAL
Moderator: Gary Morgenstein
August 24, 2015 2:00 p.m. ET

Operator: This is conference #: 17355882  Good afternoon. My name is Alisa, and I will be your conference operator. At this time, I would like to welcome everyone to the Dark Matter Conference Call. All lines have been placed on mute to prevent any background noise.

After the speakers’ remarks, there will be a question-and-answer session. If you would like to ask a question during this time, please press star then the number one on your telephone keypad. If you would like to withdraw your question, please press the pound key.

Thank you. Gary Morgenstein from Syfy, you may begin.

Gary Morgenstein: Welcome, everyone. Our terrific series, “Dark Matter,” is ending its first season this Friday, August 28, with two episodes back-to-back at 9 to 10 o’clock. And to talk about Season One, we have executive producer, Joe Mallozzi, and stars Melissa O’Neil, Jodelle Ferland, Roger Cross and Alex Mallari, Jr. Welcome, everyone.

Female: Thank you.

Roger Cross: Hello. Thank you. Howdy.

Gary Morgenstein: Alisa will you put forward the first reporter, please?

Operator: Your first question comes from the line of Jamie Ruby with SciFi Vision. Your line is open.

Jamie Ruby: Hi, guys. Thanks so much for doing the call today. It’s great to talk to you all.

Female: Thank you.

Roger Cross: Nice to talk to you as well.

Male: Yes.

Jamie Ruby: Great. So, first, I got to say, I really love the finale, the last two episodes. I was completely, completely shocked, especially by Six. But we won’t get into that.

I hope – I hope we can find out what happens, though. That’s my – that’s my main concern. But, my first question was – is about Five. Jodelle, your character is kind of been on the outside, I guess, in a way, of the team throughout this season and you’ve (gotten) more …

Jodelle Ferland: Yes.

Jamie Ruby: … kind of accepted into the group. Can you talk about her journey and then kind of the rest of you about how your characters have changed their perspective on her?

Jodelle Ferland: I loved being able to show the differences in Five’s character throughout the series, because at first, I think people really underestimate her, she is the little one, she looks like she’s just a kid in the group that doesn’t really fit in. It’s very clear that she stands out you know? I mean, not only does she …

Jamie Ruby: Yes.

Jodelle Ferland: … have the colorful hair and the quirky clothing, but she’s just different. She doesn’t seem like the, you know, the tough crew like everybody else, but throughout the series, you get to see that she has a lot of skills and she has quite a lot to contribute to the crew that you might not realize she had in the beginning and she gets much stronger and she really puts herself out there and shows that she belongs there.

Roger Cross: I think she’s the real manipulator.

Alex Mallari, Jr.: She did wipe the memories.

Roger Cross: She did.

Jodelle Ferland: Hey.

Alex Mallari, Jr.: To save you.

Roger Cross: Well, that’s what she tells us right now.

Jamie Ruby: Can you kind of each talk a bit about your – like changing opinions or characters changing opinions of Five?

Roger Cross: Of Five? Well you know I think Six will kind of feel like he has to protect her. But you know he starts slowly you know realizing that, “Wait a sec – she’s smart.” I think there’s a comment – I mean, it was pretty subtle too that Joe wrote in there where when they're coming off of the ship and then she goes, “Oh, I would have just re-programmed it.”

And all of a sudden the bells go off and he’s like, “I didn’t know you knew how to program” kind of thing. And it’s kind of like, she you know throws in things and also – and you’re like, “Well, maybe she’s not as helpless as she appears.”

And – but it – but it – it’s – it was fun, as she said, to watch her go through that growth and development.

Jamie Ruby: OK. Great.

Melissa O’Neil: Does it?

Alex Mallari, Jr.: Hello?

(Crosstalk)

Gary Morgenstein: To the next reporter, please?

Operator: Your next question comes from the line of Kurt Wagner with T.V. Show Patrol. Your line is open.

Kurt Wagner: Hi, guys. That was a good finale. I’m not sure how much we want to get – I would love to ask some questions for after the – after the episodes aired this Friday. So …

Roger Cross: OK.

Kurt Wagner: … let me know if that’s all right. (When) for Roger – for Roger – OK, go ahead.

Alex Mallari, Jr.: I was waiting for that one.

Kurt Wagner: All right. So, for Roger.

Roger Cross: Yes.

Kurt Wagner: When did Joe tell you, or when did you find out that you were kind of the – I don’t know if it’s a bad guy. We’ll just call it the mole.

Roger Cross: You know it was one of those things where we were trying to figure it out the entire time. And I do believe we have a recording of – we actually shot – that was the last thing we shot on the last day of the shoot. And he hadn’t told us to that point.

And we literally found out on the last day. We had our speculations and you know he did a lot – he did some tricky misdirection now, didn’t we, Mr. Mallozzi?

Joseph Mallozzi: No.

Roger Cross: You were – yes, people go in for like fittings and things like that just so you know that throws off the trail and all sorts of things like that. But interestingly enough, most of us had figured it out, but then, because of all the things that were happening, we all went away, he said, “No, maybe not.” (Got it) again, it wasn’t until the last day, when I watched how he shot the last one, I went, “OK, it’s me. See you.” And that he went through the whole process and things like that and sure enough, yes, it was me.

And so, literally, it was the last day that we found out.

Kurt Wagner: And were you happy to be that guy?

Roger Cross: You know I don’t know if happy is the word. I enjoy it. I love it. I think it’s going to be a lot of fun to mess with in the upcoming season if they happen. Right? But, yes, I think it’s great. And I think his motivation for doing things are there you know? And I think he thinks he is doing the right thing and we’ll see if it’s the right thing or not, if we get that chance to show you people.

Kurt Wagner: All right. Great. And then for Joe, how will this play out with all the other stuff we’ve learned about Six? I’m sure you have a plan. I’m still trying to wrap my head around that. Is that going to be twisty?

Joseph Mallozzi: Well you know like I said, from the very beginning, I, you know, we knew who the mole was going to be. And you know as we built from – as on Episode 8 onwards, which kind of dropped subtle little clues. So, I mean, again, I’m you know I hesitate to you know what to reveal, but clues are there. I mean, one clue that I’m curious that the fans will pick up on is the identity of the guy.

Basically, in the very last shot, Six is walking down the quarter and he’s flanked by you know eagle eyed observers will recognize the familiar face of the guy flanking him. And basically, that’s sort of a clue to exactly you know exactly what he’s doing, why you’re (tutoring) them in, and hopefully, we’ll get the chance to you know be the magicians revealing that explained basically the whys and the hows and you know we’ve got a lot of great story ideas for Season Two. Hopefully we’ll get the chance to tell them.

Kurt Wagner: I think I know who that guy is, and I’m glad I saved all the episodes on my DVR, so I can …

Roger Cross: Sure.

(Crosstalk)

Roger Cross: I think we’re going to have a bunch of that. I knew we’re going to have people going back, going “Where is that?” kind of checking it out.

Jodelle Ferland: Yes, for sure.

Male: One time …

Jodelle Ferland: This is the kind of series that once you’re done, you watch it again.

Roger Cross: You have to.

Curtis Wagner: Right. All right, we’ll, I’ll get back in. I got some more, but I’ll get back in. Go ahead. All right.

Operator: Your next question comes from the line of Tom Gardner with threeifbyspace. Your line is open.

Roger Cross: No hugs, Tom. No hugs, no hugs.

Tom Gardiner: (Sonar).

Melissa O’Neil: Hi, Tom.

(Crosstalk)

Tom Gardiner: Well, no hugs, I have no questions. I’m sorry.

(Crosstalk)

Roger Cross: All right, one hug, one hug. All right.

Tom Gardiner: Well, these questions are going on the idea that Season Two is coming. I’m just going to assume Season Two’s coming, so we should all…

(Crosstalk)

Roger Cross: I like it.

Tom Gardiner: Anyway, identity has always been a essential theme in Dark Matter. And then, so far, people have been turning out to not be who we or they thought they were, like, One isn’t really Jace Corso, Two wasn’t – was anybody including herself thought she would be.

And now we’ve got a traitor in the midst. That has the crew, not being who they thought or said they were, is this going to continue in this Season Two with more people possibly turning up as not who they thought they were, or thinks that they were, and how it’s going to affect the ship dynamics?

Joseph Mallozzi: Well, obviously, yes, obviously, at the end of that – of Season One, the ship dynamics are somewhat in disarray, not just you know because of the obvious you know (upending) the fact that basically, they're all headed to a intergalactic supermax.

But the fact that you know we spent the entire first season of these you know this fractured family ultimately coming together and then it falling apart like basically, that’s you know the you know the whole point of that last scene at the end of Episode 12 where Two comes in and we have that really nice bonding moment where you know the entire crew is sitting there and enjoying drinks and laughing.

And then you do that kind of like, (faith) you know the (resolve) and you know it’s basically empty and you’ve got a sense of foreboding and then it all comes apart,

And so, I mean, basically you know you know I – what can I say? I mean, basically, if we do get – do a Season Two, plenty of twists and turns, (arching) developments, revelations about these characters’ pasts. I mean you know in addition to you may find out more about these individuals, we’ll be you know moved – you know moving forward as well. You know.

One of the things I mentioned in a recent interview is that you know because the focus was s much on the characters and their back stories, we didn’t much word-building in Season One which is something that basically you know we’re going to be doing a lot more of and you know hopefully in Season Two.

So, I mean you know in Season Two, if it happens you’re going to expect everything you loved in Season One and much, much more.

Tom Gardiner: Wonderful. I got to apologize to you, Melissa, because I have a question for everyone except you.

Melissa O’Neil: That’s OK.

Tom Gardiner: That is for obvious reasons. When we hear that it’s for obvious reasons, I want to know who’s the best singer? And also, who thinks they’re the best singer that might not necessary be?

Jodelle Ferland: I think – we all think Melissa is the best singer. So …

(Crosstalk)

Alex Mallari, Jr.: Melissa and then Roger is a nice second.

Roger Cross: Alex, you’re right there, brother. It’s – we do this – for some reasons from Day 1, I think it’s a very odd group of us, but we all seemed to know the same songs. And we kind of mic-absent singalong that kind of (inaudible) these crazy and going – they're just laughing and having too much fun. Like, stop. And we’re like, what? We’re just…

(Crosstalk)

Melissa O’Neil: Alex, Roger and I all really love like ‘90s, like soul and R&B and stuff.

Alex Mallari, Jr.: Yes.

Melissa O’Neil: You know ’90s music video.

Roger Cross: That would be fun. We should do that. All right.

Alex Mallari, Jr.: On the Raza.

Melissa O’Neil: Yes, but not affiliated to space.

(Crosstalk)

Roger Cross: We’re still trying to get Jodelle to sing, but she keeps refusing. I don’t know why.

Jodelle Ferland: One day. One day, I’m just going to belt out into song and you’ll all be shocked.

Roger Cross: I think it probably will be true. OK.

Alex Mallari, Jr.: Keeping the cameras on.

Tom Gardiner: All right, well …

Roger Cross: Musical episode.

Tom Gardiner: … Melissa, I’ve got a question for you. The question for you I had is, since we all know it’s your first television series experience, what was the most interesting, surprising or disappointing thing you might have learned from this?

Melissa O’Neil: I’m sorry. Something broke up. Was – what was that?

Roger Cross: Who was it for? You asked for Melissa?

Tom Gardiner: That’s – but yes, that’s just a question for Melissa. I just said, we all know it’s her first television series project. And I was wondering what’s the most interesting or surprising thing you might have learned from this experience?

Melissa O’Neil: My goodness. The most surprising – you know what? I didn’t expect to come out with a whole lot – I’m such a hippie. I didn’t expect to come out with so many new friends.

And I’ve been hanging out, like my entire summer has just kind of been filled with our – some crew members and like 80 people and my stunt double and it’s cool, I’ve created this new posse in Toronto and aside from learning a whole ton and learning a different way to kind of tell a story, I’ve made so many new friends. Like lifelong ones you know?

So, I’m excited to see my other comrades soon. I hope …

Alex Mallari, Jr.: Yes. Miss you.

Jodelle Ferland: We miss you.

(Crosstalk)

Tom Gardiner: If I could sneak in one more, I’d like to know how you guys are most like and most unlike your characters?

Alex Mallari, Jr.: I’m not like Four at all. Yes, he’s too serious for my liking.

Roger Cross: What do you mean? You’re not serious? OK.

Alex Mallari, Jr.: That’s what I said. I’m not like Four at all. He’s – I mean…

(Crosstalk)

Alex Mallari, Jr.: …about Four is I can kick ass and …

Roger Cross: That was pretty much it. I like to kill people, so that’s you know I’m kidding.

Jodelle Ferland: I think I’m most like Five because of her quirkiness and her weirdness, because I just kind of consider myself a really weird person and I’m proud of my awkwardness and strangeness. And I think I’m like Five in that way. You know she’s pretty different and quirky. And I really like her because of that.

I mean, I don’t know how I feel about her sense of style. I tend to wear you know one or two colors at once instead of all of them. But, hey, I love dressing like that on the set, it’s a lot of fun because that’s not normally how I would go outside, but I love being able to play Five and be completely different than I normally am except for the quirkiness, as I said, but yes you know other than the colors and all of the pink, we’re pretty similar.

Roger Cross: Melissa’s real bossy in person.

Melissa O’Neil: Yes. Yes, of course. I don’t know. I think that I share the same kind of comfort in my own skin as Two, but I don’t know, I can be pretty forthcoming about my thoughts.

Roger Cross: It doesn’t like…

(Crosstalk)

Melissa O’Neil: But I’m ….

Alex Mallari, Jr.: You’re not a biosynthetic organism, are you?

Melissa O’Neil: What’s that?

Roger Cross: Yes, she is.

Alex Mallari, Jr.: You’re not a biosynthetic organism, are you?

Melissa O’Neil: I – no. I am not a biosynthetic organism. I don’t think, but maybe there’s going to be like a bum-bum-bum moment at some point in my life. I have no idea. But no, not to my knowledge.

Tom Gardiner: Thank you, guys. I appreciate your time,

Gary Morgenstein: Thanks, Tom.

Roger Cross: Thank you, Tom.

Jodelle Ferland: Thank you.

Operator: Your next question comes from the line of Mary Powers with T.V. Geek Talk. Your line is open.

Mary Powers: Hey, there.

Jodelle Ferland: Hi.,

Roger Cross: Hello.

Alex Mallari, Jr.: Hi, Mary.

Mary Powers: Hey. I just wanted to say I screened the finale right before this call, which was a bad idea because my head is about to explode to explode now. I can’t believe you did that to Roger.

(Crosstalk)

Roger Cross: I told …

Mary Powers: But anyway …

Roger Cross: … you that would happen. Remember – I think I might have said it to you, that you know stuff coming in the end that you were going to “What?

Mary Powers: Yes.

Roger Cross: (You still).

Mary Powers: That was an understatement. Yes.

Roger Cross: That was – OK.

Jodelle Ferland: We tried to warn you.

Roger Cross: Yes.

Mary Powers: But, OK. I can’t publish any of that until after the finale, some of the questions that were just asked. So, I’m going to pretend like, we don’t know that yet and I wanted to ask each of you, non-formally, of course, if you could describe the finale. In five words or less, to the fans, to get them very excited. What would you say?

Because I would published something for them before Friday, because most of the stuff you can’t yet…

(Crosstalk)

Roger Cross: I’m going to say, unpredictable.

Mary Powers: OK.

Melissa O’Neil: OK. My five words are – OK, I counted – it will blow your mind.

Roger Cross: I like it.

Melissa O’Neil: That’s what I got for you.

Jodelle Ferland: No, I mean, those are pretty good ones. I – yes, I would say along the same lines that you know unpredictable, you’re not going to know what happened. Basically, expect the unexpected, because you’re not going to – you’re not going to be able to figure it out. You’re not.

Mary Powers: Yes.

Alex Mallari, Jr.: On what the galactic authority…

(Crosstalk)

Mary Powers: I’m like that (quest) with Joe?

Joseph Mallozzi: My God. As of right now …

Roger Cross: The writer came out the – this writer’s got to save us.

Jodelle Ferland: Yes.

Joseph Mallozzi: Up to now, I don’t know. Everything comes undone. I don’t know.

Alex Mallari, Jr.: … everything comes undone. That’s four…

(Crosstalk)

Roger Cross: It’s less than 5. Add Friday. How’s that? Everything comes undone Friday.

Joseph Mallozzi: Yes.

Alex Mallari, Jr.: Yes.

Mary Powers: Hey, your eagle's eye’s going to be on Twitter like tweeting with the fans and so forth, or do you plan to?

Melissa O’Neil: I plan to. I think we should start talking about that. That would be fun.

(Crosstalk)

Mary Powers: And you’d better ne on there, Roger, too, if you can too, because that will be a huge fan we got.

Roger Cross: OK. I’m terrible at trying to tweet while I watch shows. But for this finale, OK, I will say right now, I will joint you guys at the – I am working Friday. So, I – depends on the time I wrap and get home, I should be done in time for the – by the time it ends.

Mary Powers: OK, great. OK. Awesome. Look forward to it, and it’s going to be amazing. I’m curious to see the fans’ reaction, but great job and hope we get a Season Two decision very soon.

Roger Cross: Yes.

Mary Powers: Thank you.

Joseph Mallozzi: Thanks, Mary.

Jodelle Ferland: Thanks.

Roger Cross: Thank you, Mary.

Melissa O’Neil: Thank you.

Operator: Your next question comes from the line of Tim Holquinn with Screen Fad. Your line is open.

Tim Holquinn: Hi, guys.

Gary Morgenstein: Hey.

Melissa O’Neil: Hi, hello.

Tim Holquinn: Hey, let me compliment you on the excellent first season and finale episodes. It’s really been one of my favorite on Syfy in a while.

Roger Cross: Thank you.

Gary Morgenstein: Awesome.

Alex Mallari, Jr.: And amazing to hear.

Tim Holquinn: First, for Melissa, sort of along the lines of a previous question, being that Dar Matter is your first foray into T.V. drama, I think you must be very happy with the outstanding work you’ve turned in as the leader of this crew of talented veterans genre cast mates.

Can you a little bit about your – can you talk a bit about your feelings on the work you did throughout this first season now that you’ve probably seen the finished product?

Melissa O’Neil: Wow. Watching the show is a very interesting experience because I think that while I’m watching, it’s this interesting struggle between being really wrapped in the story and enjoying it as a viewer, and on the other side, of that being a performer who’s got – who has really strong opinions about the work that I’m doing and I’m learning a lot from watching it, and I’m learning things that I like and that I didn’t like and things I would like to – I’d love to have a second go at trying to convey in terms of who she is as a person.

So, yes, I really enjoyed everything. It’s been so much fun to see everybody else doing their own steps, but as for my – as for my own steps that I’m doing, it’s always interesting watching yourself. And I think that interesting is the right word, because I’m making a very concerted effort to make sure that I’m not labeling how I feel about what it is and just to use it as a learning experience you know?

Roger Cross: But that never changes. I don’t think – it’s been around a year ago, it’s been around a long time. And it never changes, watching yourself that your always you know certain things you agree with and certain things you like and you don’t like. So …

Melissa O’Neil: Yes.

Tim Holquinn: Well, Melissa, you’ve definitely held your own and turned in a strong performance.

Melissa O’Neil: Thank you very much.

Tim Holquinn: For the rest of this – thank you. For the rest of you, are there any specific past roles or personal relationships or life experiences that you find yourself drawing upon or especially in forming your individual roles this time?

Roger Cross: Everything. It’s true, like it all goes to you know you’ve drawn all of these life experiences that you’ve had an you – because we have to interpret what we think we see we’re going through and so, wherever it comes from, whether it be personal experience or something you watched or things like that, you drawing whatever you can and the more experiences you have you know the more – the easier it is to draw on these tools.

Melissa O’Neil: Yes, I agree with that. I mean you know when you’re – when you’re acting, your character is going to go through all different kinds of experiences and there might not be one thing that you went through that you can relate to every single thing that your character is going through. So, every time that something happens to your character, you’d have to try and think of something that’s happened to you that’s similar that you can – you can use to interpret that.

Roger Cross: And if not, you make it up.

Melissa O’Neil: No, it’s true.

Tim Holquinn: All right. Thanks. If I have more questions, I’d get in line. Thank you.

Operator: Your next question comes from the line of Jamie Ruby with SciFi Vision. Your line is open.

Jamie Ruby: Hi again. So, my question is, there’s been a lot of technology and stuff on the show. So, what is – has been your favorite thing that they’ve put on the show that, like, what would you want if you can have in real – in real life? That you’ve learned about?

Roger Cross: That’s for anthropoids.

Female: Yes.

(Crosstalk).

Roger Cross: That would be awesome.

Alex Mallari, Jr.: Yes.

Jodelle Ferland: They freak me out a little. I have to – I have to admit. But I would try it, it’d be cool, yes.

Roger Cross: It’d be awesome. You can …

Melissa O’Neil: Yes, I’ll wait – I’ll wait for the prototype to come and go and then I’d get in there I’m like, (basically) you know transfer that technology.

Roger Cross: Much like the iPhones. Much like the iPhones.

Jodelle Ferland: (Definitely) even work to buy some stuff like that. I don’t want to get…

(Crosstalk)

Alex Mallari, Jr.: And FDO. FDO would do me a really…

(Crosstalk)

Jodelle Ferland: Yes, FDO, yes.

Melissa O’Neil: Actually, knew where you could go.

Jodelle Ferland: If we’re just talking technology here, I just wanted the (ship). I’m going to take the (ship). The Raza’s mine.

Alex Mallari: Season Two?

Roger Cross: There we go. She’s plotting her takeover of the Raza.

Jamie Ruby: Yes. And then, do you each have a favorite part of the physical set of the ship?

Alex Mallari, Jr.: I love the bridge.

Melissa O’Neil: I like the corridors.

Roger Cross: The corridors are cool. I like it. It was pretty cool.

Melissa O’Neil: The corridors (are the hallways). They’re so great. They just look so industrial and grimy and like, I feel like in those areas, that’s where you can really see that we’ve got a beater for a ship. You know? It’s not like …

Roger Cross: Yes.

Melissa O’Neil: … we’re flying around in some Cadillac. Like this is a weathered ship and it’s utilitarian and I think that the corridors really showed that off the bat.

Roger Cross: Except when you’re bare feet in this – you know?

Melissa O’Neil: Yes. But that’s OK, (changed before) you know is there (certain timeline).

Jodelle Ferland: I really love the bridge as well, because there’s …

Roger Cross: The bridge is cool.

Jodelle Ferland: … a lot to look at. There are so many buttons and it fun to hang out and …

Alex Mallari, Jr.: So, many places to sleep.

Melissa O’Neil: So many places to sleep…

Roger Cross: We’ve got a pretty cool – we’ve got a pretty cool screen in the – in the commissary, too.

Alex Mallari, Jr.: Yes.

Roger Cross: The screen that never matches up and drives Jodelle crazy.

Jodelle Ferland: Stupid fish.

Melissa O’Neil: My gosh.

Melissa O’Neil: Well, I’m Nemo.

Jamie Ruby: All right. Thanks, guys.

Roger Cross: All right. Thank you.

Jodelle Ferland: Thank you.

Operator: Your next question comes from the line of Kammie Settle with scifi4me.com. Your line is open.

Kammie Settle: Hi, guys. Thanks for the press call today.

Roger Cross: Thank you.

Melissa O’Neil: Hi, Kammie.

Kammie Settle: I love the last two episodes. I can’t wait to see them again on television when they air. Of course, the season finale was certainly a surprise. I actually am sorry, Jodelle, but I really thought maybe you were the culprit.

Jodelle Ferland: You know what? So did I sometimes. We kind of went back and forth with our series and you know there was a little bit there when I was like, “No you know what?” But it’s me, but I didn’t last very long.

Kammie Settle: Yes, I know. I got over pretty fast, too.

Jodelle Ferland: Yes.

Kammie Settle: But my question goes to Joseph Mallozzi. You’ve worked with so many of these actors before – while some of the actors before that we saw like David Hewlett and Torri Higginson in some guest roles, and so, it’s kind of a two-part question.

Did you have those people in mind when you created those roles or when you even created the series, and then also, will we see some more guest stars in the – in the next season?

Roger Cross: Hello?

Kammie Settle: Hello.

Roger Cross: No, kidding.

Kammie Settle: Sorry.

Roger Cross: Joe?

Kammie Settle: This phone never rings then all of a sudden it does ring.

Roger Cross: Have we lost Joe?

Melissa O’Neil: Yes, is he done?

Roger Cross: Joe? Yes.

Jodelle Ferland: No, Joe.

Roger Cross: All right.

(Crosstalk)

Kammie Settle: OK. Well, we’ll go to – can I go to another question?

Roger Cross: Yes.

Kammie Settle: OK. And, sorry, this is just kind of a backup question for Jodelle. I was – we’re actually surprised to see that you didn’t say that you like the air vents. I hope they gave you some kneepads for those.

Jodelle Ferland: You know? I wasn’t really sure what to expect when I thought that I was crawling through all those vents. I thought that’ll be fun. And then …

Melissa O’Neil: Yes.

Jodelle Ferland: … and then I actually got in there and I was like, “I might have been a little bit wrong.”

Melissa O’Neil: Yes, not so much.

Jodelle Ferland: I – you know those sorts of things are always a fun experience. I can’t say that you know if I had a little bit of free time I would go find some vents to crawl through, but it’s definitely worth it. When I watched it afterwards, I thought, “Wow, that looks really cool. I’m glad that I – that I did that.

But, yes, it’s never as much fun if you think it’s going to be. But I still enjoyed doing it just because you know it’s cool to be like the you know Five is so sneaky and she’s always crawling everywhere and it’s cool to be that kind of character. But, yes, I don’t think I’ll be crawling through any vents in my spare time any time soon.

Kammie Settle: Fair enough. OK, I’ll get back in line for some more questions. Thanks, guys.

Roger Cross: All right, thank you.

Alex Mallari, Jr.: Thank you.

Alex Mallari, Jr.: Joe just disappeared.

Melissa O’Neil: I know. We lost him.

Roger Cross: He’s lost in the nether. He’s furiously trying to tap back in.

Operator: Your next question …

Melissa O’Neil: We may need him.

Operator: … comes from the line of Tom Gardiner with threeifbyspace. Your line is open.

Roger Cross: Tom.

Jodelle Ferland: Hello.

Tom Gardiner: Hello. I just had a Dr. Who moment I wanted to ask Jodelle about. Maybe it was just me, but I know you’re a big fan of Dr. Who. I’ve been for …

Jodelle Ferland: Yes.

Tom Gardiner: … 40 years or so, and there’s a great techno babble line that was repeated a bunch in Dr. Who in the classic series. It was “reverse the polarity of the neutron flow.” It’s kind of (a meme of) these days.

Back in Episode 10, you had what I said – when I heard this line, that’s exactly what it did. It brought me to when you try and wire up the android to the (ball core) and you said, “If I don’t adjust the inverter to minimize harmonic distortion, we’ll get pulsating torque and the whole thing will fry.”

Am I the only one that made this association? Because when I heard that, I was like, “She’s got her Dr. Who moment here.”

Jodelle Ferland: You know what? I didn’t even think of that, but I was so glad you mentioned it, because that makes me really happy. I love like random Dr. Who references, even if it was an accident.

So that was …

Roger Cross: And if Joe was here, he could tell you if it was an accident.

Jodelle Ferland: Yes. I never know with Joe. There are some things that seem like they're reference to something. And I’m never sure if he did on purpose or not.

Roger Cross: He’s clever like that. He (locates) from his favorite shows.

(Crosstalk)

Tom Gardiner: Well, I just wanted to know if I was crazy or not, at least on that point. I you know (what there are points). Thank you.

Jodelle Ferland: Well, I am going to find out, though. So, thank you.

Tom Gardiner: Please do, yes. Thanks.

Jodelle Ferland: Great. Thanks.

Operator: Your next question comes from the line of Kurt Wagner with T.V. Show Patrol. Your line is open.

Kurt Wagner: All right. Well, I had some questions for Joe, but since he’s gone, I have a question for all of you. I was out of town last week, so I watched Friday’s episode and the next two today, so, I’m not sure where this was. I think it was Friday’s episode where the guys are all locked up and the women basically saved the day.

Roger Cross: Yes.

Kurt Wagner: This show has been really great about the women you know sort of – not necessarily just being in charge of or taking control or whatever, but really asserting themselves and showing what they can do. And I wanted the gals to talk a little bit about why that was important. I mean, I mean, even Jodelle’s character who everyone’s constantly saying can’t contribute because she’s a kid, contributed almost every episode.

And so you know just sort of talk about that gal power, the female power and what it meant for you to be able to play strong female characters.

Melissa O’Neil: I had a really interesting conversation with someone about this the other day, about the whole gender equality and fighting for that in television and in film and how there’s like a shift happening right now.

You’re seeing a lot of “strong female characters” and it is you know it’s incredible and Joe does make a point to make that distinction and you know it’s incredible that even our android, who saves the day oftentimes is played by a female actress.

But, something of interest you know is that gender equality is going to happen when we stop talking about them with that pronoun, like needing to qualify the strong character by the fact that they are female you know?

I think – I think one of the most impressive things about Five’s character, Jodelle – that Jodelle plays is not because she is a woman, but she does all the things that she does and she has these incredible brave moments despite the fact they would think, because of her youth, she will have some kind of emotional immaturity you know? That’s more impressive to me than any gender qualification that’s going on.

And that is the end of my gender rant.

(Crosstalk)

Roger Cross: You know I’m not speaking – I’m not speaking for Joe or anything like that, but you know what I like about it? He kind of like have that underdog thing.

Melissa O’Neil: Yes.

Roger Cross: And I think it’s kind of like you know when you expect someone to not do something, they can do it. And underestimating people because of physical appearances or whatever it is. It’s you know – or because they might have to face even you know mental disability or something like that, that they can do something.

You know I was recently at a charity thing and you know some of these people that are – people we considered not capable of things, they can do some amazing things, and I think he likes showing that the underdog can do things.

And he makes in a way, too, that’s believable, because you know what she does with – through her mind, for example, saving them, the android when they're on the space station and everything else like that. You know it’s not something that like she’s jumping off and all of a sudden kicking their butts or whatever. And Melissa kicking butt. Now we know she’s really not human. No, I’m kidding.

But he likes the underdog thing.

Kurt Wagner: Jodelle, do you have anything to add?

Jodelle Ferland: Yes, I mean, I do love that every character on the show has their strong points, whether or not they're a male or female. You know everybody is really equal on the crew. And everybody kind of saves the day at some point you know? It’s not the sort of show where the women need saving and can’t do anything and save themselves. But everybody is really strong on the – no the ship in their own way.

And that was one of the things that I loved about the writing is that each character is unique and have their own talents.

Kurt Wagner: Great.

Roger Cross: By the way, I think – I believe we have Joe back on. Joe?

Joseph Mallozzi: You know I have – hey, I have been back for a while, but for some reason, no one could hear me talk. And I got to say, these guys actually formulated responses that were quite eloquent and that’s much better than I could have done, so you know that worked out much better.

Alex Mallari, Jr.: He was hiding in the vents.

Roger Cross: He was, yes. He was hiding. I like that.

Kurt Wagner: All right. So, Joe, since you’re back is it all right if I ask this question for you? I’m going to do it anyway, I guess. You talked about focusing on character a lot in the first season. And you had a lot of slow you know the – there is a slow build to the reveal and finding out who people were and everything.

Now, I remember a little show you did not too long ago where you got a lot of crap for that, for taking a (while), you know, and focusing on characters. Also, I love that it show, “Stargate Universe.” But I wanted to ask if you got any blowback from anyone about doing that here, or if you, you know, if you’re the – if you’re (had to) fight for anything in this.

Joseph Mallozzi: No, not really. I see one of the great things about this show from a creative standpoint is that Jay Firestone, executive producer who put the deal together and got the show on the air, and Space Challenger in Canada pretty much let us tell us the story that we wanted to tell, and frankly you know as I’ve said over and over, I’ve been sitting on this show with the show idea, these stories for like years now.

So you know it would – I just appreciated the fact that I was able to sort of essentially just convey my vision on the page and then you know once that’s done you know I can’t say enough about you know these amazing cast and crew.

I mean you know it’s on the page and you know you read the script and you know a script can be really great but at the end of the day you know it’s the performances and it’s the delivery and you know I couldn't ask for a better task.

If you come in and you know bringing these characters to life with an – that’s sort of like you know the show progresses, they you know these characters really become their own and they add so much to the character that you see things in the characters and the relationships that maybe didn’t see when you were first started writing and so you make adjustments as you go along and you know that’s one of the things I would look forward to doing in Season Two.

Just because of the incredible job our cast did, bringing these characters to life and fashioning them into sort of you know truly deep individuals, it’s just given us so much farther for Season Two and I hope we get the chance to tell those stories.

Kurt Wagner: All right. Well, I love seeing you with Ivan on Periscope but what gave you the idea to do Periscope after – on Friday?

Joseph Mallozzi: That was Syfy U.K. Actually, someone from Syfy U.K. asked if I would be interested, and so, I was like “Sure” and you know we did it for one of these Syfy U.K. broadcasts and it was delightfully awkward, but fun.

And then I decided, “Well, I would follow through.” I mean, I didn’t get you know I’ve been you know live-tweeting almost every week and I wasn’t able to live tweet last week, but I’ll be live-tweeting this week and you know hopefully, I can have time to do a – say, East Coast and West Coast periscope and possibly one for the – for U.K. viewers as well on – next Monday.

Kurt Wagner: All right. Well, great job with the show this season.

Joseph Mallozzi: Thank you.

Operator: Your next question comes from the line of Tim Holquinn with Screen Fad. And your line is open.

Tim Holquinn: Hi. Jodelle mentioned her character’s wardrobe a little while ago, and I’ve noticed that one of many impressions element to this show in my opinion, has been the awesomeness of the crew’s leather jackets and Jodelle’s colorful wardrobe.

Do you all have much influence or choice in the costumes your characters get to wear, or is that all done by the costume designer? And in advance that you’re given what your – what you end up wearing?

Jodelle Ferland: Well, they definitely have ideas of how they want the characters to look, and they’ve put a lot of thought into it and they're great in that way. But, I would say that we all had a little bit of input into the final product, What do you guys think?

Roger Cross: Yes, they gave us you know ideas and that’s what they had in mind and then especially in the first – before you know I got there and when it was in December, we talked about how – what we think our vision of it is. They gave us their thoughts of it, and you know what kind of styles we like and they showed us different things and, for me, personally, I’d like that they showed me, so I was like “Oh, that’s great.”

Then we tweaked a few things and you know there you go. We have the wardrobe and stuff. But they were great about you know getting your input.

Jodelle Ferland: Yes, I love their ideas for Five. So, there isn’t really a whole lot that I wanted to change there. You know I mean …

Roger Cross: Yes.

Jodelle Ferland: … maybe there are …

(Crosstalk)

Jodelle Ferland: … a couple of things that I had for input, but, yes, I love – I love how it turned out. You know they're always open to suggestions and if you said that you don’t like something or don’t feel comfortable and a certain amount of clothing, then they're definitely open to changing that. So, I think that all of us had some input into how our characters turned out.

Roger Cross: And then they got to pass it by Joe.

Joseph Mallozzi: I really like Roger’s coat, that long, black one. That was really cool.

Jodelle Ferland: I think everybody did.

Tim Holquinn: And I’m curious if any of you have any other upcoming projects you can tell us to look for while fans wait for the second season of “Dark Matter.”

Melissa O’Neil: Alex?

Roger Cross: I – well, Alex? No, we want Alex. Well, I get – I have – I have a movie – well, “Continuum” season, the final season of “Continuum” is coming out, as most of you probably know, September 11. I have a movie, “Lockdown” coming up. That’s going to be out soon. I’m doing some episodes of “Bones” and doing a bunch of other stuff. Movie or (orderly promo) and stuff. So, you’ll see me all over the place.

Male: As always.

Melissa O’Neil: Is he back?

Tim Holquinn: Yes. Anybody else?

Melissa O’Neil: I was just – I’ve got like my last few days of shooting on this show called “Rogue” that’s on DIRECTV, I played as packer girl. That’ll be out over – I think, over the holiday season. And a new TVC show called “This Life”, that’s a comedian show. And I just finished doing a video game, but I can’t talk too much about that yet.

Jodelle Ferland: So cool.

Roger Cross: Great.

Tim Holquinn: I’m sorry. Melissa, can you repeat the second project you talked about?

Melissa O’Neil: The second project is a new CBC showed called “This Life.”

Tim Holquinn: OK. Thank you.

(Crosstalk)

Melissa O’Neil: Which actually, is starring – is starring Torri Higginson, our “Dark Matter’s” Commander Truffault.

Tim Holquinn: All right. Is Jodelle – anything?

Jodelle Ferland: I’ve got a pretty chill summer, actually, since “Dark Matter” ended. And I definitely have a couple of things that I’m just you know waiting to hear more information on about when it will be released, which happens all the time. You film things and then you kind of wait to see when people actually get to watch it.

So, when I have more information on those, I’ll definitely be telling people about it. And I have a couple of things that I will be working with friends and things like that,

But, nothing here that I can give a lot of information on at the moment. But there’s always things in the works.

Tim Holquinn: OK. If I could squeeze one last, goofy kind of throwaway question in for Joe. I’m curious if any of – like you or if any of the writing staff are especially “Big Brother” fans. Because the finale episode really reminded me a lot in parts of the kind of general distress and mini alliances that show up so much in that show.

Joseph Mallozzi: Well, I want to show my age. I don’t watch “Big Brother”, but when I was a kid, I read a lot of Agatha Christie. And you know the finale is essentially “Ten Little Indians” where basically you know if you’ve got like a group of people and they start dropping one by one, and you know if there’s a sudden you know a dying realization that you know if there’s no outside force here, it’s one of them and then you know as sort of the mystery deepens, distrust grows and you see sort of alliances shift.

So, I mean, really, that’s you know where it’s sort of my inspiration comes, but you know? “Big Brothers”? Like good you know? It’s a good reference too, I guess.

Tim Holquinn: Well, thanks for that answer, Joe, I appreciate it. And thanks for doing such a great job, all of you, on this season.

Roger Cross: Thank you.

Joseph Mallozzi: Thank you so much.

Roger Cross: By the way, I love that book. “Ten Little Indians.” That was one of my favorites in school. Showing my…

(Crosstalk)

Joseph Mallozzi: Yes.

Operator: Your next question comes from the line of Jamie Ruby with SciFi Vision. Your line is open.

Jamie Ruby: Hi again. Well, I was going to ask out for people on the phone, it doesn’t work. So, can you – can you all talk about working with – while waiting in the next to last episode?

Roger Cross: Poor Wil. The airplanes killed us that day, Remember that, Joe?

Joseph Mallozzi: It was – you know as you quite (fembly) we’re – we are actually shooting by an airport. And the poor guy had to deliver this incredibly long monologue and you know he’d get into it and then you know 30 seconds in, the plane would buzz the area and we would have to like cut, and we’d have to start over again.

So, essentially, he ended up delivering the entire monologue in pieces, but he was like super professional and super focused and you know just a very nice guy to work with.

Roger Cross: Yes. He was.

Jodelle Ferland: OK. I was just going to say, I was really excited when I found out that we had – while waiting on the show, but I never got to meet him, and I was so sad. What actually – what happened is that I – nobody told me. Nobody thought that I – I guess everybody already thought that I knew. Nobody thought to let me know that he was on the show.

And I was just at home after work on the computer and I saw something on his Instagram or facebook and it was that small piece of the Dark Matter logo and he was saying that it was a hint of what he was working on. And I looked at it for a while, and I thought that looks really familiar.

Jamie Ruby: Really familiar.

Jodelle Ferland: And then I was like, “Wait a minute.” And I texted Joe right away and I was like, “Is Wil Wheaton on our show? Why didn’t you tell me?” And …

Joseph Mallozzi: I was in trouble.

Jodelle Ferland: … I’m very excited about it, but hopefully, I get to meet him someday in the future and let him know. I missed him, but I’m excited that he’s on our …
Jamie Ruby: It seems like he’ll be back if you guys come back hopefully. And then, lastly, I was curious. There’s been so many things especially in these last two episodes that were kind of shocking. What was everybody’s biggest surprise for them when they read the script?

(Crosstalk)

Roger Cross: There were a lot of surprises. Yes.

Jodelle Ferland: I mean, every episode had something that…

(Crosstalk)

Melissa O’Neil: Yes.

Jodelle Ferland: … that it seems like you know every time that we got another script, we just wanted the next one.

Melissa O’Neil: Yes.

Jodelle Ferland: Every …

Roger Cross: Yes, these last – yes, these last few episodes, especially just like – we were like what – yes.

Jodelle Ferland: Yes. Towards the end, we were just bothering Joe nonstop like, “Please, please, give us the next episode. Tell us what happened. You can’t do this to us.” But we never got anything out of him.

Roger Cross: Except for that grin that Joseph Mallozzi grin.

Jodelle Ferland: Yes. But that …

(Crosstalk)

Jodelle Ferland: … in a way.

Jamie Ruby: Well, I was yelling at my – while I watched on my iPad, when I watched the screener last night, the finale, like, “No, no what did he do?” And then we have to wait. So, we’d better find out. You really better get a second season, because I want to know how that (inaudible).

Roger Cross: There’s some Syfy folks lurking around to help us with that.

Jamie Ruby: Yes. All right. Well, thank you to all of you.

Roger Cross: Thank you.

Joseph Mallozzi: Thank you.

Operator: Your next question comes from the line of Kammie Settle with scifi4me.com. Your line is open.

Kammie Settle: Thanks. So, one thing that I thought was very interesting through the whole series, even though we found out some characters’ names, the crew of the Raza still refer to each other by their number. Can you just talk about that a little bit?

Jodelle Ferland: Yes. I think that …

(Crosstalk)

Roger Cross: Portia – I think Portia Lin said it best. “(Sky), don’t call me that. It’s not who I am anymore.” And I think we’re trying to be better than we were and this is our feeble attempt to putting the past behind us, in my opinion, but go ahead, guys.

Jodelle Ferland: Yes, I mean, we are waking up as new people and trying to make new memories and there’s no point just because a screen tells the crew what their names were, that they should automatically try to be those people again because they don’t have their memories and really, they are new people.

And, well, they have a chance to be – to be a new person with a new personality and make better choices. So, there’s no point in trying to be someone that you don’t even remember.

Kammie Settle: Yes. Well, I liked it. I just thought if you had any other insights on to it, I really prefer it that way.

Roger Cross: In fact, Joe – well, Joe, tell us.

Joseph Mallozzi: No, I mean, basically, just like you guys said, I mean, the – you know the people you were are not the people you are now when you’re looking to move forward. And even – I mean, in the case of Five, who, or Das, who was you know different, she’s called Five and she finds out her name, but, I mean you know even though she wasn’t a bad person before as Five, she is part of something.

So, essentially you know even she has a reason to keeping numerical designations. And you know just – thematically, it’s something that we – we’ve made a decision to continue on in sort of the episode titles. So, basically, very simply, Episode 1 through Episode 13, are our episodes. So, very easy to – very easy to track.

Kammie Settle: Right. So, Joe, this whole season was written in such a way that each of these characters, even though they need each other, there’s still a lot of tension and paranoia between them because of this unknown element, right?

And so, do you see that actually carrying on over into Season Two, or do you – do you see that smoothing out into kind of the different relationship for them?

Joseph Mallozzi: They start off somewhat fractured, and then over the course of Season One, the whole point is sort of them realizing it’s us against colonized space or the universe, and them coming together and then essentially, that being blown apart at the end of the season.

So, I mean, basically, Season Two asked a question, I mean, how can they come together and you know how can you forgive – you know, I mean, the most obvious is the character of Six, who you know presumably turned against them that you know they don’t – they don’t know why.

But you know in other ways, there’s you know the character of One or Two, who are sort of in that sort of relationship very late, and when things basically go south, she ends up siding with Three. So, I mean you know relationships are broken, and you know it’s going to take a lot for them to sort of you know get back together.

But again, I mean, as with Episode 1, they realize they really have no one else to rely on but each other.

Kammie Settle: Thank you.

Gary Morgenstein: Thanks. That’s all the time we have. Thank you all, everyone.

Joseph Mallozzi: Thank you, guys.

Gary Morgenstein: Thank you, everyone.

Roger Cross: Thank you.

Jodelle Ferland: Thank you.

(Crosstalk)

Melissa O’Neil: Thank you.

Gary Morgenstein: Take care.

Joseph Mallozzi: Take care. Bye-bye. Thanks again.

Roger Cross: All right, guys. Talk to you.

Jodelle Ferland: Bye, guys.

(Crosstalk)

Joseph Mallozzi: See you, guys.

Alex Mallari, Jr.: Miss you, guys. Love you guys.

(Crosstalk)

Jodelle Ferland: …talking to (you) hear your voices.

(Crosstalk)

Joseph Mallozzi: Bye.

Operator: This concludes today’s conference call. You may now disconnect.

END

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