Russell T Davies: Torchwood Touches a Nerve
“We are coming.”
If you’ve been watching BBC America, you’ve seen the promos for Torchwood: Children of Earth. That chilling voice over — Jack, Gwen and Ianto in a panic state. All those dead eyes staring back at you! It’s Torchwood’s creepiest monsters ever — kids!
“They just touch a nerve,” says Torchwood creator Russell T. Davies. “A threat to our children gets a primal reaction out of all of us. But beyond that, I think we can be scared of our kids, too. That they can seem unknowable, unreachable - that’s why a gang of young hoodies can seem more unnerving than an adult gang of thugs.”
It’s a story Davies has been wanting to tell for ages and finally he was given the opportunity when the BBC agreed to a five-part Torchwood mini-series instead of the normal run.
“Underneath the sci-fi and the aliens, there’s something very relevant to the world, I hope. The way we sit in the west, and watch footage of atrocities in different countries, and imagine it’s all so far away, and so impossible here. Which is a nice, comfy lie we tell ourselves. That was the heart of it. I wanted to tell a story in which civilization snaps, in which we turn on ourselves, in which nothing is safe. Plenty of people live like that, on this planet. In this story, it’s Britain’s turn.”
But writing an epic five-part mini wasn’t an easy job, even for a pro like Davies.
Duvall and Guillory on the Virtues of Virtuality
June 26, 2009 by Cynthia
It’s been more than a year since we began talking about this far-reaching new project by Battlestar’s Ron Moore. As early as May of 08, snippets of information about the intriguing characters reached the web as casting sides were dolled out to actors auditioning for the roles.
There was the ship’s therapist who was using a reality show as a means of getting the crew to open up. A married couple who like to have sex in unusual places, a ship’s doctor who himself is dying and the first gay couple in space.
Then casting was completed and some people, like the folks at Futon Critic got a first look and they liked what they saw. By December, though, things were looking rocky and word of a retooling began to circulate around the web.
Finally, in May of this year, we were told that Virtuality would be a movie event on Fox. With that, all hopes of the show going to series were dashed.
It’s been a long wait, folks, but the time has come. Ron Moore’s Virtuality airs tonight on Fox and so the stars Clea Duvall and Sienna Guillory sat down with reporters to talk about, this much talked about, project.
The Challenges of Warehouse 13
June 23, 2009 by Cynthia
Last week, I was on a very lengthy conference call with the people behind Warehouse 13. Lengthy, because these guys bantered like brothers and sisters. There were so many jokes and barbs flying between Exec Producers Jack Kenny and David Simpkins and stars Eddie McClintock and Joanne Kelly, I don’t know how the transcriptionist kept it all straight! They were a delight to listen to and I’ll be giving you the highlights as we head toward the premiere of Warehouse 13 on July 7.
First up, producer Jack Kenny talks about the challenges of breathing life into Warehouse 13.
“Any new series involves similar challenges, you know, where are we going to go, are we going to arc out the first season or is each episode going to be individual? What [are we] learning about these characters and these people.
John Barrowman Talks Torchwood: Children of Earth
June 19, 2009 by Cynthia
It’s once more into the breach, as John Barrowman slips into his great coat and takes off after another alien threat in Torchwood: Children of Earth. It’s technically the third season, but this time around it’s merely a five-part mini. Still, John’s excited about bringing Captain Jack back to TV in another thrilling adventure.
Q: How is Torchwood: Children of Earth different from the previous seasons?
Barrowman: This storyline is one of the darker Torchwood storylines. Every time you turn a corner you don’t know what’s going to happen. And when you watch episode one you’re going to want to see two, and when you’ve seen two you’ll want to see three. You’re just going to want more and more and more. The new threat faced by the team takes on a sinister theme, using the children of Earth as a conduit. And anything that involves children doing stuff they are not supposed to be doing is creepy!
Q: Jack, Gwen and Ianto have had to deal with so much these past two years. Where do they go from here?
Ten Minutes with Supernatural’s Misha Collins
May 4, 2009 by Cynthia
It’s been nearly a year since we were introduced to Supernatural’s first angel in residence, Castiel. With his unblinking stare and deep, humorless voice, he’s been guiding Dean Winchester down a biblical path that’s leading them all straight into the ultimate maelstrom known as the apocalypse.
But when the director yells cut, Castiel falls away and in his place stands the witty and charming Misha Collins, fitting in on the Supernatural set as if he’d been there since day one.
Listen in as Misha Collins talks to me about body swaps, the fear of God and his recent dual role as both Castiel and the human vessel he calls home.
Cyn: Last week’s episode “The Rapture,” was a total tour de force for you, wasn’t it? How hard was it to play two different characters in the same episode?
Misha: It was a challenge on a couple of levels. I needed to really flush out a distinct character [for Jimmy] that was going to have different physical, vocal, and personality traits so that there was going to be a clear distinction between him and Castiel. It was a challenge to stay on top of exactly where I was in the story, because there were flashbacks and different arcs for each of the characters, so there was a lot going on that required me to be attentive. It was interesting and I enjoyed it. Maybe next season I could ask Eric to let me play all the characters . . .
Cyn: Well, the fans have been bugging Eric Kripke for a body swap episode. So maybe one of the Winchester boys could change places with Castiel.
Misha: Oh, that would be fun. That would be a great opportunity to mock one another.
Supernatural as Star Wars in Truck Stop America
February 6, 2009 by Cynthia
What do Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi have in common with Sam and Dean Winchester? More than you might think. Supernatural creator Eric Kripke once referred to the show as “Star Wars in truck stop America,” but the connection actually goes deeper — down to its very roots. Wanting to explore it more, I found the perfect person to discuss it with — she’s Star Wars: The Clone Wars scribe Julie Siege who also happens to be a story editor on Supernatural.
“When I talked to Eric Kripke about doing this interview, he said, ‘Oh absolutely, our boys are compared to Han Solo and Luke Skywalker, often.’ Then, as I started thinking about it more, I was struck by all the similarities.”
Maybe not so surprising, when Julie realized that both of her “bosses” had worshiped at the same alter.
“When George [Lucas] was developing the very first [Star Wars] movie, way back in the seventies, he was, to a greater or lesser degree, a student of Joseph Campbell,” says Julie. “My boss now, Eric Kripke, has Joseph Campbell’s “The Hero With a Thousand Faces” on his bookshelf.”
Even Jared Padalecki, who plays Sam Winchester on Supernatural, has mentioned his passion for Campbell’s “Hero’s Journey.” Given this history, it’s safe to assume that it’s no coincidence that Mary Winchester’s maiden name is Campbell.
Still, the roots of Campbell’s works and thus the stories behind both Star Wars and Supernatural go back even further.
“It all goes back to the Greeks,” says Julie. “It’s the very cornerstone of storytelling, the universal nature of that battle of good versus evil.”


