We Love TV!
This is just an unofficial fan page, we have no connection
to any shows or networks.
Please click here to vote for our site!
By
Suzanne

Interview with Bruce Miller and Summer Glau of "Alphas" on
Syfy
10/17/12
It was really great to speak with these two. I wasn't
sure if I would like "Alphas" or not at first, but it has
really been a wonderful scifi show, and so it was so nice to
be able to convey that to Miller. Summer Glau is one of my
favorite actresses, and she has been on so many of my
favorite shows, so it was also fabulous to speak with her.
They were both very kind and modest.
NBC UNIVERSAL
Moderator: Stephen Cox
October 17, 2012
1:00 pm CT
Operator: Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for standing by
and welcome to the Syfy Alphas conference call. During the
presentation all participants will remain in a listen only
mode. Afterwards, we will conduct a question and answer
session.
At that time if you have a question please press the 1
followed by the 4 on your telephones. If at any time you
need to reach an operator please press the star followed by
the 0. As a reminder, today’s call is being recorded,
Wednesday, October 17, 2012.
I would now like to turn the call over to Mr. Stephen Cox.
Please go ahead sir.
Stephen Cox: Hi everyone. Thanks for joining us today. We’re
very, very excited to have Summer Glau and Bruce Miller on
the phone to take your questions regarding next Monday’s
season finale of Alphas. Alphas airs at 8:00 on Syfy. Make
sure to tune in. And we’re really excited to get to your
questions.
Thanks for joining us Bruce and Summer.
Summer Glau: Thank you.
Bruce Miller: Thanks for having us here.
Stephen Cox: We can take the first question.
Operator: Perfect. Ladies and gentlemen, once again as a
reminder, to register a question please press the star or
the 1 followed by the 4 on your telephone. our first
question comes from the line of Jamie Ruby. Please proceed
with your question.
Jamie Ruby: Hi guys. Thanks so much for doing the call.
Bruce Miller: Oh, you’re welcome.
Jamie Ruby: So I have a question for each of you. I’ll ask
Summer first. You’ve played so many great characters on so
many great series, a lot of them my favorites. What was it
specifically though about Skylar that was so fascinating and
that attracted to you to the role?
Summer Glau: There’s - the first thing that attracted me
about Skylar was the fact that she was a mother. I’ve talked
to Bruce about this before too. It was really exciting for
me. I hadn’t - I had not played a mother before.
And one of the most challenging things about Skylar is that
she is a mother but it doesn’t come naturally to her. She -
in my mind, in the back story that I’ve created, she’s been
on her own for a long time. And she’s used to just fending
for herself.
And then when it comes to her child she’s very conflicted
because she has all of these new feelings that she’s
probably never experienced before about loving something so
much more than she loves herself. And caring for something
and protecting someone else and making unselfish decisions.
And for me as an actor it just was a very, very fertile
story line for me creatively.
Jamie Ruby: Okay, thanks. And Bruce, can you talk a second
kind of about what’s the - what happened with Rosen last
week? He’s gone - has he gone too far? I mean can he come
back from what he’s done?
Bruce Miller: Sure. Before I move onto that I just wanted
to, you know, kind of comment on what you asked Summer.
I think the character - because I inherited the character
from last year and the reason we wanted so much to bring her
back was just because there’s that conflict between someone
who’s very self sufficient but not selfish and has to kind
of, you know, battle those two parts of her personality in
being a mother is really, really interesting.
I mean especially in terms of all of this where parents you
really have to - it’s so hard to be a parent and be a kind
of a - be a person in the world who can take care of
themselves but also have to take care of somebody else.
In terms of what Rosen did last week, well I don’t know, can
we ever come back from the bad things that we do? I always
think that we can. I mean most of the time you meet people
on television and the terrible things that they’ve done are
all in the past.
And we meet them when they’re kind of on the other side. I
thought it would be very interesting to see them - to see
someone who’s going through the darkest part of their life
probably up until now and see how they actually go through
it and see how they come out the other side.
And we certainly have you, you know, you sound like a fan of
sci-fi. You can probably list 300 characters who have done
darker things than what Rosen’s been going through but they
all happened before the story starts. We’re just actually
getting to see it...
Jamie Ruby: Right.
Bruce Miller: ...happen. So can he come back? Absolutely.
And to see someone like David...
Jamie Ruby: Well that’s good to hear.
Bruce Miller: To see someone like David go through it is
really what’s interesting. We just wanted to kind of play it
real. I mean here’s a guy who finally made a connection with
his daughter and then lost her again and how shattering that
would be.
I guess my parenthood is showing. Everything is about
mothers and children this week.
Jamie Ruby: All right. Thanks so much both of you.
Summer Glau: Thank you.
Operator: Our next question comes from the line of (Tim
Holkland) of TVOvermind. Please proceed with your question.
Tim Holkland: Hi. It’s very nice to speak with you today.
Bruce Miller: Thank you.
Summer Glau: Thank you.
Tim Holkland: I have a question for both of you. First for
Bruce, assuming Summer would be rolling I would love it if
she could become a full fledged regular cast member net
season. Is there any chance of that happening?
And shy of that would you ever consider perhaps making her
and Zoe the focus of an Alphas based Web series?
Bruce Miller: Yes, yes and yes. I mean as much as - I mean,
you know, Summer was - I mean that speaking from...
Summer Glau: Excellent question (Tim).
Bruce Miller: ...our point of view, Summer was an absolute
pleasure to have on the show as...
Summer Glau: Thank you.
Bruce Miller: ...you know, she already knows that I love
working with her. But as a character seeing that character
on TV was so fantastic. And also getting to see a, you know,
someone who has played many tough characters, to get to see
a different side of that actress was great.
But I agree. I think she was spectacular and I would love to
have her as - on the show as much as we could possibly have.
And as far as a Web series goes it’s not really my
department to make those decisions but I would certainly
love that.
I’d love the act - the very young, the very talented actor
who plays Skylar’s daughter Zoe who strangely is named
Skyler in real life, is just wonderful and the two of them
together were terrific.
And we - one of the toughest jobs we had in the editing room
was deciding which moments to cut from that because they
were so terrific together the whole time. So it would be
nice to have someplace to do longer stories about the two of
them.
I mean I think it was really one of the coolest
relationships in the whole series was the idea of someone
like Skylar trying to raise a child that dynamic and you’re
right, you could build a whole show around it. So absolutely
yes, yes, yes.
Tim Holkland: That’s good news. And for some...
Bruce Miller: Summer now you’re saying no?
Summer Glau: What did you say?
Bruce Miller: Now you say no.
Summer Glau: I’m hired? No. Hey (Tim), are you still there?
Tim Holkland: Yeah. Okay, so a question for you. I did get
to meet you one time in an autograph signing line. And when
Erin Way did one of these conference calls I mentioned it
and what a positive experience, a pleasant experience it was
and asked her if she had gotten to work with you.
And she had remarkably kind and complimentary things to say
about you. So I was just wondering if you could share a
little bit about your experience working with her and also
working with young Skyler Wexler, what that’s been like.
Summer Glau: Well I’ll start with Erin who has been such a -
she’s been such a blessing for me.
You know, I love working with girls and finding friendships
through work because, you know, we’re all on set for quite a
while every day and it makes the experience so much more
than just work when you really get to make friends.
And actually I’m going to yoga with Azita after this and I’m
seeing Erin this weekend. So obviously I love them quite a
bit.
And Erin one night while we were sitting and we were working
overnight, we were sitting in an elevator talking and we
realized that we had had very similar upbringings so we just
o- we kept swapping stories about our childhoods and
realized, you know, how much we had in common.
So I respect her immensely as a person and I think she’s a
phenomenal actress. And working with all of the girls on the
show I think has made me better and it’s just been a
wonderful experience. And then as far as my little Skyler,
she’s my pen pal.
We email every week back and forth and she sends me things
online. We’re very close. I remember, just as an example,
you know, I - when I first started on the show I was working
with Sky. And then when I came back this season I was mostly
working with Sky.
And then there was a period of time where she wasn’t there
and I was shooting without her. And I had fun with everybody
else and it was great but I remember the day she came back.
I just felt - I felt so happy. And being onset with her was
just - it was a really special experience for me.
It’s the first time that I’ve really bonded with a young,
young actor like that before. And I just - I remember how
nice it was reuniting with her and how much it meant to me.
And I hope to do it again. I adore her.
Tim Holkland: It sounds like you’ve grown very close with
her.
Summer Glau: I am.
Tim Holkland: Thank you.
Summer Glau: She’s beautiful.
Tim Holkland: Thank you so much.
Summer Glau: Thanks (Tim).
Bruce Miller: Thank you.
Operator: Our next question comes from the line of Mike
Gencarelli of www.MediaMikes.com. Please proceed with your
question.
Mike Gencarelli: Hey guys. Thanks so much for the time.
Summer Glau: Hey Mike.
Bruce Miller: Thank you Mike.
Mike Gencarelli: Hey. Summer, I’ve got a quick question. You
know, when originally you were a guest star on Alphas last
season I mean did you ever think that it was ever going to
be on this scale that it’s kind of developed now through
this season?
Summer Glau: I was hopefully. I always - I just try to - I
tried to...
Mike Gencarelli: Did we lose you?
Operator: Ladies and gentlemen please standby. We will
continue in just a moment. Pardon me for the interruption
Mr. Cox. Pardon me Mr. Cox. Are you on the line? Pardon me
ladies and gentlemen, we can now resume the call. Mr.
Gencarelli could you please re-pose your question?
Mike Gencarelli: Of course. Absolutely.
Summer Glau: I’m so sorry everyone.
Mike Gencarelli: Thank you so much.
Summer Glau: I’m sorry Mike.
Mike Gencarelli: No worries. S It’s cool. So I’ll just say
the question again. So when you originally were, you know, a
guest star in Alphas last season did you ever think that it
was going to be on this scale now through this season?
Summer Glau: Well I was hopeful. I don’t know when I - my
last job but I love doing TV and I really like sticking with
a character and getting to watch them evolve and contribute
to a story line that continues week after week. So I was
hopeful.
And this season I’ve been so blessed to come back as much as
I have. And I have love when Skyler’s gone and I would be
very excited to come back again next season.
Mike Gencarelli: Now and a quick follow up. You know, after
working on series like Firefly and Terminator and, you know,
and Alphas I guess, what really draws you back to, you know,
the sci-fi genre?
Summer Glau: I’ve always found in sci-fi that the roles for
women are really exciting and dynamic and outside the box.
And, you know, in the finale of Alphas is a perfect example.
I remember in - Bruce was there too. We were sitting and
discussing a scene that involved every - all the girls.
And I was sitting there looking at the girls and it was so
cool to get to do a scene that involved all of us. And I was
looking at the girls and we were all four different and our
characters are I feel complicated and fleshed out and
dynamic and just it made me realize, you know, I’m really
happy to be here.
I’m really happy to be in a story that creates this
opportunity for all four of us actresses.
Mike Gencarelli: That’s really awesome.
Summer Glau: That’s why I keep...
Mike Gencarelli: That’s great.
Summer Glau: ...coming back to it. You know, I just - I go
for the character that I like.
Mike Gencarelli: Sure. You know, and I really like how Zoe
on the show asked you if you were a Terminator last week -
in this week’s episode. I thought that was pretty funny.
Summer Glau: I know. I looked at her and I’m like she
doesn’t even know what she’s asking.
Mike Gencarelli: All right, well thank you so much. I
appreciate it.
Summer Glau: Thanks Mike.
Mike Gencarelli: Take care.
Operator: Our next question comes from the line of Suzanne
Lanoue of the TV MegaSite. Please proceed with your
question.
Suzanne Lanoue: Hi guys. Thanks for taking our questions
today.
Summer Glau: Hi.
Bruce Miller: Thank you.
Suzanne Lanoue: Hey. Bruce, I just wanted to ask you, the
show - I’ve always watched the show but it seems better now,
not that it was never good, but there is more action and
there is just sort of crystallized almost if you will. Was
there a conscious decision to sort of improve the who in the
last season?
Bruce Miller: Well I think you’re always trying to improve,
you know everything that you work on.
Suzanne Lanoue: Right.
Bruce Miller: But, you know, the first season of shows it
was really difficult. The show was finding its legs and
finding what works and what doesn’t work. And on any show,
especially a show that only gets 13 episodes kind of in the
first year, it takes a while for a show to grow into itself.
And I think this year we just got - they had such - they had
o- they put such great story lines in place last year that
we were really the benefit of that this year, moving ahead
that they had done a lot of the hard, heavy lifting of
setting up the world and setting up, you know, characters
like Summer and like, you know, all of the people who
existed on our team that we were able to bear the, you know,
we were able to move forward with those characters and move
them in really interesting places because they had already
set them up.
So I’m glad you - I’m glad it’s getting better. We try. You
know everybody tries from the cast up and down through the
crew and through everybody on the creative side to make it
absolutely, you know, fantastic every week.
And so I think that - we’re just hoping to keep it moving
forward and getting more interesting and having the
characters kind of lead us to interesting places.
Suzanne Lanoue: Thank you. And Summer, you’ve been in so
many great science fiction shows and you said that you
really find the characters great. Do you like enjoy the
action that your characters get to do?
Summer Glau: Absolutely. Coming from being a dancer it was a
great way for me to transition into being an actress was -
to rules where I got to really be expressive through my
physical self. And it was just a comfortable way for me to
start experimenting with how to get my character across.
So, you know, when I started in Firefly first and actually
the character that we had a very hard time communicating
with the rest of the cast and so I found it really
interesting playing with her physicality. And then, you know
over the years I have been fortunate to get to play a lot of
really kick ass girls.
And what I like about Skylar is it’s something that I’ve
talked to the writers about is that, you know I’m trying to
find new ways as making Skylar part of the team and an
effective part of the team without being the physical
character.
Suzanne Lanoue: Right.
Summer Glau: It’s hard for me. I do get jealous sometimes
when I don’t get to throw any punches but it’s been a good
practice for me because Skylar’s a badass in a different
way. So I enjoy it and it’s good for me and, you know, who
knows, maybe next season she can throw down a little bit.
But she always has a good spot on the team because she can
build stuff.
Suzanne Lanoue: Yeah.
Summer Glau: Yeah, so...
Suzanne Lanoue: So is there anything you can tell us without
giving too much away about how Skylar helps the team thwart
the bad guys’ plans or tries to?
Summer Glau: Well she definitely integrates into the team
more than she has in the past. I think it’s, you know, where
Skylar left off in this last episode I think it was a
humbling and scary experience for her to realize that she’s
not always in control and she was taken advantage of and she
needed help.
And that she got that help from the other Alphas is a
vulnerable position for her. But I think it’s a transition
because now she sees that she does need help and that it can
be beneficial to her to be a part of a team.
And I really, really enjoy - in the finale you’re going to
get to see her very awkwardly at times, become part of a
team which is something that I’ve been wanting her to do for
a while.
Suzanne Lanoue: Great. Well I look forward to seeing it.
Thank you both.
Summer Glau: Thank you.
Bruce Miller: Thank you.
Operator: Our next question comes from the line of Tony
Terlato of SciFi talk. Please proceed with your question.
Tony Terlato: Hi both of you. It’s a pleasure to talk to
you. I just wanted to ask as far as the finale, I kind of
talked about the role that John Pyper-Ferguson’s character
plays in the finale and even the series. And also what he’s
like as an actor.
Bruce Miller: Well I guess Summer I’ll start with this. John
is a wonderful actor. He’s terrific, generous and just, you
know, optimistic and sunny personality, terrific. He makes
everything we do turn out better and more interesting.
And he really makes the best kind of adversary because he’s
the adversary - or at least I feel like he often seems to be
on the right side of the argument which is really the more
interesting adversary. I always like Alan Rickman in Die
Hard better than the other people. But he’s been terrific.
And I thin that when you have someone like David Strathairn
and the rest of the team, if you’re going to have a foil on
someone who they’re opposing you can’t just have a cardboard
cutout. You have to someone with the acting ability and the
depth that John Pyper-Ferguson brings to it.
And also the - honestly the sympathy that he can engender in
the audience, he’s got to bring something to the table. If
he just wants to destroy the world that’s, you know, who
wakes up in the morning and wants to destroy the world? I
mean that doesn’t really seem very logical.
So - and also to play that kind of character, his character,
you know, has lived a very long time and I think that he
brings a grace and a wisdom to that - to everything about
that role. Everything from the way he dresses to the way he
reads the newspaper, to the way he sits.
There’s kind of a nostalgia in the whole way he plays the
character that is just lovely. I don’t - Summer, I don’t
even know if you got a chance to work directly with John.
Summer Glau: I had one scene with him and it was...
Bruce Miller: Oh yeah. And that was a great scene. Yeah.
Summer Glau: I enjoyed it. He’s...
Bruce Miller: Yeah.
Summer Glau: ...so charismatic and I mean I find his
character so fascinating. And what you were saying about the
fact that he’s, you know, he’s hundreds of years old, he has
a way of conveying it with a grace and a charisma that I’m
really fascinated by.
And I didn’t have very many lines with him but he definitely
- I cannot picture anyone else in the role because he does
it so beautifully. He’s very powerful. He has a, you know,
this quiet intensity. And the way that he plays the
character it’s so compelling because yeah, it’s not black
and white.
So you can almost understand his side of the story, you can
almost see why he does the things that he does. And he’s
just very - he’s a very, very dynamic actor. I hope to get
to watch him more and be around him more because he’s
really, really fun.
Tony Terlato: All right. Thank you. Both of you.
Summer Glau: Thanks.
Bruce Miller: Thank you Tony.
Operator: Our next question comes from the line of (Jane
Jaquil) of San Antonio Express News. Please proceed with
your question.
Summer Glau: Hey (Jane).
Jane Jaquil: Whenever I just even mention your name online
here in San Antonio I get huge hits - thousands and
thousands. You really have a huge fan base in your hometown.
But I was just wondering if you could get us all caught up.
It sounds like you might be returning to Alphas. But are
there any other projects that you have coming up?
Summer Glau: Well I just finished a Christmas movie. That’s
the only other thing that I have that is about to come out.
And also Knights of Badassdom. So I have Knights of
Badassdom and Help for the Holidays which is going to be on
the Hallmark Channel during the 12 Days of Christmas.
So that was really, really fun. Yeah. I definitely (enjoyed)
that one.
Jane Jaquil: And do you enjoy doing something like that?
That’s a little different from sci-fi.
Summer Glau: It was very different for me. It was really -
it was fun. I’ve always wanted to do one and when it came -
I actually was sent the script when I was shooting the last
episode of Alphas up in Toronto and I read it and I thought,
you know, it’s Christmas in August and we shot it in Simi
Valley and it was 110 degrees.
Jane Jaquil: Oh my gosh.
Summer Glau: So I got to...
Bruce Miller: And you played an elf if I’m not giving
anything away. Is that...
Summer Glau: I did. I did. Actually I play an elf. It was
really fun. It was good for me.
Jane Jaquil: Okay. And do you still come home to San
Antonio? Do you still have your house in (Bernie)?
Summer Glau: Absolutely. I’m planning on coming home
hopefully next month. My parents are going to come out here
for Thanksgiving but I’m hoping to come home before then.
It’s been too long. How’s the weather?
Jane Jaquil: And one more...
Summer Glau: Is it super hot?
Jane Jaquil: Well - excuse me?
Summer Glau: Is it super hot right now?
Jane Jaquil: It’s like 80ish. It’s still hot as for in,
you know, for me. I prefer it to be a little more fall like.
But hopefully - when are you coming back? Are you coming
back in November or...
Summer Glau: Probably the beginning of November.
Jane Jaquil: It’s usually pretty good. It’s usually pretty
good. It’s usually about 75 or something like that so it
might be perfect weather for you. And I also just wanted to
ask, you know, it sounds like the invitation is open to come
back to Alphas. Is that something you’re happy about?
Summer Glau: Definitely. I just - I know that the show is
going to keep going and it’s going to be something I really,
really want to come back and continue working on. It’s a
fantastic storyline and I love working with the cast.
Jane Jaquil: Well cool. Thank you so much Summer. It’s
great to catch up with you.
Summer Glau: You too (Jane).
Operator: Thank you. Our next question is a follow up
question from the line of Jamie ruby of www.SciFiVision.com.
Please proceed with your question
Jamie Ruby: Hi again. So Summer if you were to do another
Syfy show besides Alphas what one would you want to be on
for the Syfy channel I mean?
Summer Glau: I would be on Skylar and Zoe’s Net Series. I’m
not going to pick another Syfy show. I just hope Alphas
brings me back.
Jamie Ruby: I hope so too. All right. And Bruce, is there
anything - in writing the finale, obviously when you write a
season finale kind of there’s more to it because you’re, you
know, getting up the story line. Was there anything you
found particularly difficult with working on that episode?
Bruce Miller: Absolutely. I mean writing a finale is
difficult because you feel like you’re writing the last act
to 12 other episodes. You’re not really writing an episode.
It’s hard to find something that holds it together.
And having, you know, the characters that we have you really
want those character stories to be completed or at least,
you know, put away for a few months until we get to come
back to them in a satisfying way.
But being able to bring Skylar back and being able to have
the scene that she’s talking about where the women are
talking and kind of bringing the human element into what
could have just been a bit action fest, made it a lot more
interesting and also a lot more fun to write just because
it’s more fun to write those things.
But really, you know, we have a very, very talented writing
staff. And even though my name is on the last episode that’s
not how things work in television it was certainly - it’s
like every other episode was a group effort by the entire
writing staff putting the story together and writing it.
And also just I mean every day on the set things change. You
move things around. You know the actors are creating the
roles and bringing them to life and bringing the moments to
life as they happen.
So that’s the best thing about television. And I think it
kind of gets misunderstood when there’s one credit that says
written by because it’s certainly not the way it happens in
real life.
I think that Summer and I sat at the table in the break room
of the set with all of the other women and rewrote the scene
that they were doing, from beginning to end. So that was as
much, you know, a community effort as anything else.
Jamie Ruby: Awesome. I think that usually makes it a good
show when everybody does that. So thanks a lot.
Summer Glau: Thank you.
Bruce Miller: Thank you.
Operator: Our next question is another follow up question
from the line of (Tim Holkland) of TVOvermind. Please
proceed with your question.
Tim Holkland: Hi. I have a couple of questions for Summer
but first for you Bruce, I’m one of the Warehouse 13 fans
that thought that the show really hit or really blossomed
when Allison Scagliotti joined the cast. And similarly, I
think that the show has really bloomed in a new way with
Erin Way.
And I was wondering if you could talk about her addition and
did you have specifically anything to do with her joining
the cast? And just what it’s been like with her now in the
mix.
Bruce Miller: Well I agree on both points. I think Allison -
I can’t pronounce her last year - Scags is what everybody
calls her. Allison Scagliotti was a terrific addition to
Warehouse, a great energy.
But when we were looking for someone - yes, and I definitely
- we came into this season looking to add another puzzle
piece just to have someone new come in who was interesting
and had an interesting ability.
But more than an interesting ability we wanted someone who
had an interesting downside and that their ability made them
live a certain way which was something we learned from the
guest stars that had worked well before, Skylar, being a
great example of someone who was great with machines and not
so great with people.
It makes for a very interesting, you know, I think our show
is much more about how people with super powers live their
lives rather than how - than about their powers. It’s, you
know, what is it like for Batman to make dinner? But Erin
was just we auditioned a lot of people.
There were a lot of people in the mix and Erin just bloomed
from the very beginning. She was, you know, she sparkles in
real life as much as she sparkles on screen. And I -
personally I don’t tend to go into casting sessions.
I try not to have a preconceived notion in my head because
it just reduces my options or ability to find someone cool.
But she just was terrific. And from the first time I saw her
read I felt like she brought that character to life.
And then the other thing that - and I’m sure Summer can
speak to this about working in television. The great thing
is that you have - she, you know, Erin does the character,
reads the scripts and then you get - I get to see the
footage and then you get to write the next episode.
And it’s influenced by the way she plays the character so
the character grows and changes and their arc is kind of
decided as a combination of what we think would be cool and
what Erin actually brings to the character.
So you’re not just writing in a vacuum, writing, you know, a
feature and then handing it over to someone else and they’re
shooting it. You’re writing and then getting feedback from
the actor and hearing their voice and how they play things.
And so certainly Erin’s sense of humor and her particular
sense of humor, her particular rhythm brings a lot to it.
But I don’t think we intended to kind of - I think the show
had plenty of spirit and humor and energy and we were just
trying to find someone cool to add into that mix.
It’s just the way you think about, you know, if I had a
group of people and I could throw someone in there who would
mix things up in the most interesting way and Erin just
seemed like a - that character seemed terrific with her
specific memory problem and her specific living in the
moment philosophy.
Tim Holkland: Right. Well the fans have seemed taken to
her overwhelmingly. Also, speaking of ingredients in the
mix, I thought Lauren Holly has added a lot. Assuming she
survives, is there a chance her character will become a
recurring character in future seasons as well?
Bruce Miller: Well she was a pleasure to work with. And
having kind of a scary senator was really I think an
interesting...
Tim Holkland: Yeah.
Bruce Miller: ...character, interesting kind of power
structure. I don’t know. I mean we love the character. It
was really interesting. I’m not sure whether we’ve played
the string out or not but I know that we had a terrific time
with Lauren and she had a terrific time with us.
So if, you know, it all goes back to the characters and the
story. If the characters lead us to a story where we’d like
to bring that bitch back that would be great.
Tim Holkland: All right, thanks. And for Summer, my
questions are all off topic but like firstly, you mentioned
Knights of Badassdom. And I was wondering if you could tell
us a little bit about the process of learning the live
action role playing and how does that differ from what
actors already do?
Summer Glau: Well we all went to LARPing school when we
first got to - when we first got to Spokane. All together we
learned the rules of the game and we would practice
together. And I had ideas about how I thought it was going
to be based on the martial arts that I had learned before
for other jobs.
But it was really different because it is a live action and
it’s created in the moment. So I kept wanting to make
choreography and we did create certain choreography just so
that no one got hurt.
Ryan and I would go over specific moves and memorize them so
that we would know, you know, when the sword was going to be
flying at our head instead of just a free-for-all. But it
was really, really exciting and interesting to see who was
the best at it and it was not me.
I was not the best at LARPing.
Tim Holkland: I read Peter Dinklage got that distinction.
Summer Glau: Oh, he’s amazing. He’s a wild man. You’ve just
got to - you have got to be fearless when you’re LARPing and
very creative and be able to think on your feet. So...
Tim Holkland: And now having - I’m sorry, go ahead.
Summer Glau: He’s amazing. You’ll see in the film that he
has prowess.
Tim Holkland: Having worked with Peter and also Lena
Headey before that do you have any interest in possibly
doing a guest role on their show Game of Thrones?
Summer Glau: Oh, I’d love to. I’m a huge Game of Thrones
fan. And they’re both phenomenal on the show. At Comic Con I
actually - I did have quite a fan moment when I saw the cast
walk by.
I got giggly and hyper and ran up to them and they looked at
me compassionately but wary because I got a little bit
overexcited. I love the show.
Tim Holkland: Well then speaking of Comic Con Nathan was
probably I don’t know, joking maybe but Nathan, Sean and
Jewel were at New York Comic Con this past weekend and he
mentioned, Nathan did, a possible animated revival of
Firefly as a TV series.
And that the cast would, you know, no power on Earth could
keep you all from re-voicing those characters. Is that
something that you would really want to do?
Summer Glau: Absolutely. I would take any opportunity to get
back together with my whole fam and keep telling the story.
I think we’d all love that. So who was there? It was Nathan
and Sean and Jewel?
Tim Holkland: Yeah. Reportedly...
Summer Glau: Oh.
Tim Holkland: ...that’s the only three but yeah, they made
it.
Summer Glau: Fun. That’s great. Yeah, I’d love to.
Absolutely.
Tim Holkland: Okay. And just before I let you go, one more
quick one. Syfy does their original creature feature movies.
Have you been approached to do one of those at all? And
would you?
Summer Glau: No, not yet. I - what is this?
Tim Holkland: Well, you know, the Syfy Original Movies
that they do for Saturdays - I thought perhaps that they
would do one starring you.
Summer Glau: Oh. I think that’s a great idea. No. I haven’t
been approached yet.
Tim Holkland: Well I look forward to them doing that. And
hopefully you would be able to accept. Thanks so much for
talking with us.
Summer Glau: Thank you.
Operator: We have a follow up question coming from the line
of Tony Terlato of Scifi Talk. Please proceed with your
question.
Tony Terlato: Hi guys. I have a question for each of you.
Bruce, you came over from a great show, Eureka. Have you had
a chance to reflect on some of the great TV and being part
of that team as you literally had to step into Alphas and
get to work?
Bruce Miller: Yeah. Eureka was a spectacular experience and
luckily I, you know, was able to bring over some of the
people from that show so some of that family came along with
me here. You know, it’s - I just reflect back on it with
great, you know, I’m very thankful.
Most shows when they end - just end, you know, you find out
some time in between seasons that it’s not coming back and
you don’t get a chance to end it the way we were lucky
enough to get to end the story of Eureka.
And Jaime Paglia and I, Jaime was the original creator, and
we co-show ran it for a number of years. But he was able to
tie up those story lines that he had been working on for so
long.
So mostly I look back on it with great, you know, real
affection and I’m really grateful that it was able to move
along the way it did. And the - it was a real - it was a
blessing. And Syfy did such a terrific job with the show in
letting it be its odd, quirky self.
And, you know, the only shattering regret I had is that we
never had Summer on.
Tony Terlato: And speaking of Summer, I have to really
commend you on your voicing Supergirl in
Superman:Apocalypse. What was that like for you to take on
the Girl of Steel and did you have any preconceptions of how
to play her?
Summer Glau: I did. But it was - well I had an idea of what
it was going to be like, the experience in general.
Voiceover is really, really different than filming and I was
nervous about it. I didn’t know what it was going to be like
to be in the room by myself.
But I had the most amazing coaches and it was a very
addicting experience to strip away everything but my voice
and paint the pictures that way. It was a really, really
good exercise for me as an actress and I - they pushed me
quite a bit.
And I didn’t - I did things that I didn’t know that I could
do. I did things that I didn’t feel comfortable doing. And I
think that’s always very exciting for artists in general. So
I thought oh, I want to keep doing this because I’m really
learning and challenging what I’m comfortable with.
You know, being in a room and just, you know, I’m going
crazy and really getting to scream at the top of your lungs
and then, you know, she has to be able to convey all of
these different emotions just through her voice.
And so I - when I saw the final product I - sometimes -
there were times when I didn’t even recognize my voice. It
was really, really cool.
Tony Terlato: Well it was great and it was great that you
did the Origins story. And I really have to commend both of
you for the work you’re doing on Alphas. The show is lucky
to have both of you and to bring your talents to it.
Summer Glau: Oh, thank you.
Bruce Miller: Thank you so much.
Stephen Cox: This is going to be our last question for the
afternoon.
Operator: Okay, then. Ladies and gentlemen there will be no
further questions for today.
Stephen Cox: No. We can take one more.
Operator: Oh, you can take one more?
Stephen Cox: Yeah.
Operator: Okay. Our final question - sorry for the
confusion. Our final question comes from the line of (Mark
Spile) of SciFi Pulse. Please proceed with your question.
Mark Spile: Hi guys. Thanks for taking my call. I’m lucky
I squeaked in there. I missed a little bit of the interview
so I apologize if this has been asked. First off, Bruce,
when you introduced Kat to the cast what was the thinking
process of introducing a new character, especially with
those abilities?
I thought almost for a moment that you might replace Nina
with her but that didn’t happen. So I was just kind of
wondering what, you know, why you went into that season
thinking let’s add another cast member.
Bruce Miller: Well, you know, we went over a little of this
before but the idea that, you know, there are Alphas out
there in the world made us feel like you really wanted to
get to know them more deeply and not just as an adversary
every week.
So bringing someone new in, there was never any intention to
replace anybody. And Laura Mennell who plays Nina, you know,
has done such spectacular work this year, just astonishing
and very difficult work. Her character was stretched and
bent and still had to be sympathetic.
And she did a spectacular job. But I think that when we
brought in Erin, you know, we were just looking to put
something into the dynamic of the team that would change,
energize, bring out different new things in both Rosen and
in the rest of the team.
And also I found that having someone who really, really,
really wanted to be there just was - because just from a
personal point of view I had been such a fan of the show.
And when the second season came around and I was lucky
enough to get the phone call to join the team over here
that’s the way I felt.
And so you kind of wanted someone to represent that point of
view of someone being incredibly excited to join up with
this group of people. So I guess there was a little bit of,
you know, Erin representing a very small version of me.
She’s a very small version of everyone.
Summer Glau: She’s really tiny.
Bruce Miller: She is. She’s wee. But it was - it - I think
the point of view for me was always you want to throw
someone in who’s real, genuine and interesting and have
everybody react the way their characters would react.
And have it be, you know, once we made the decision about
what she was like and once we kind of got the idea that it
was going to be interesting, you know, certainly I don’t try
to think much past that. You don’t want to plan how the
character’s going to play out with the other people.
You want to see who they have chemistry with, who they seem
to, you know, rub the wrong way. And her relationship with
Malik Yoba who plays Bill Harken, just was from the very
beginning so warm and, you know father/daughter that that,
you know, came to the forefront from the beginning.
And although Ryan who plays Gary, they get along splendidly
in real life, the character - she just - something about her
just rubbed the character the wrong way and it was terrific
from the very beginning. He looked a scathe at her so we
just played with that as well.
But it does - it comes from the cast, it comes from the
actors, it comes from how they read their characters and we
just kind of go with that. They bring so much to the table.
We write our little 7th grade Christmas pageant dialog and
they just bring it to life.
Mark Spile: Well great. She’s been a great addition. And
for Summer, with your character being able to build all
sorts of things do you get the impression like the things
they have you build they could really work or is it just a
bunch of random stuff?
Summer Glau: What do you mean maybe they could work? Of
course they work.
Mark Spile: Well...
Summer Glau: I put them together myself.
Mark Spile: Well I mean like - oh, you know, like MacGyver
they were always - MacGyver used to do all of these crazy
things and at least they could play it off, you know, maybe
it could work.
But - and also I noticed like with your character it seems
like she can - they play with like her being able to
visually see it, you know, the blueprint and everything of
it too. Are you - I guess are you at all gadgety at all or
is this like a completely different type of character you’ve
ever played before?
Summer Glau: Well I think I’m a pretty good actor because I
really can barely - I can barely program my garage remote.
I’m very gadget challenged. So it’s really fun for me when I
put on my Skylar clothes and I go on set, I really pretend
like I’m, you know, in control and like I know what I’m
talking about.
And I definitely work - it’s funny, our - the man who puts
together most of my props is named (Skylar) too. And I spend
a lot of time under his supervision and guidance so that he
can help me get really comfortable with my inventions so
that I can really feel like I have a relationship with them.
Because they’re always amazing but I don’t - it doesn’t
always come naturally to me. I’m always amazed. Like I’m on
set and they hand it to me and say so this is what you
built. And then I always take it apart so I know how to put
it together and then we’re practicing that over and over
again.
Mark Spile: Yeah. Yeah, I bet that would be tough.
Bruce Miller: I think it ties back really interestingly in
what Summer was saying about her dance background. I think
she brings the same physicality to that part of her
character which is really interesting.
Because, you know, even though I was on set and I know - I
remember her saying, you know, asking me what voltage meant
for some like - some lighting dialog which was really great.
But then when I see the scene I really buy that she
understands it.
So asking the questions she really - she gets the answer,
absorbs it and really puts it into the character. But she’s
right. She’s a, you know, a great actress but I think in
being not gadgety helps her bring, you know, she asks the
questions so she really does understand.
I think kind of being gadgety would take that away from her.
I think that Summer’s natural curiosity allows her to be a
better Skylar. And if she kind of felt like there was
nothing there, that was interesting, or nothing there to
explain to the audience it wouldn’t be as interesting.
But if you watch the way she does things physically that’s
one of her strengths as the character, is just the way she
kind of looks at the world in a physical way. And I think
that probably comes from her dance background to a certain
extent.
Mark Spile: Great.
Summer Glau: Thanks Bruce.
Mark Spile: Well I look forward to seeing it. I don’t know
from the beginning did you guys tease anything about what
the finale’s going to be about? Did you say anything or can
you say anything?
Summer Glau: What do you think Bruce?
Bruce Miller: It’s going to be great. But really to tease it
up, everything that you think we never actually go there, we
go there. So all...
Mark Spile: Okay.
Bruce Miller: ...the stuff you think oh, they don’t really
do that on television, we’re actually going to do. So I
think it’s - it comes - it’s incredibly surprising and
unpredictable.
And the fact that it really kind of takes everything that we
set up from the year and actually, you know, takes it on and
pulls it ahead and sets up an amazing, you know, season
finale and an amazing season 3.
Mark Spile: Well great. Well I look forward to watching it
and I thank you guys for speaking with me.
Summer Glau: Thanks.
Bruce Miller: Thank you.
Stephen Cox: That concludes our call for today. Thank you
all very much for joining us. A special thank you to Summer
and Bruce. Make sure you tune in next Monday, October 22nd
at 8:00 pm for the season finale of Alphas.
And also, there should be screeners hitting all of your
desks before the end of the week for a special preview of
the episode. Thank you all very much again for coming and we
hope you enjoyed it.
Summer Glau: Thanks everyone.
Bruce Miller: Thank you everyone.
Operator: Ladies and gentlemen that does conclude the call.
We thank you for your participation and ask that you please
disconnect your lines.
END
Back to the Main Articles
Page
Back to the Main Primetime TV Page
We need more episode guide recap writers, article
writers, MS FrontPage and Web Expression users, graphics designers, and more, so
please email us
if you can help out! More volunteers always
needed! Thanks!
Page updated 1/14/13
    
|