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Links: Orphan Black

From Michael Schneider of Variety:

Link: Orphan Black cast, crew reflect on genre-bending show’s strange trip
“It was the crazy Canadian clone show that could. But it really has become a pop culture-defining show. [It took] big storytelling swings, but it also had an emotional heart and depth to it…. It’s a rather rare mix of serious things, social provocation and wit. There’s something quite unique and brilliant about that.” Continue reading.

From David Wiegand of the San Francisco Chronicle:

Link: Co-star Garavis’ goodbyes to Orphan Black and all the clones
“It was very strange to leave behind five years of your life. Acting becomes very intimate, and you go through these emotions. So it’s very discombobulating afterwards to find the frequency of your relationships just as people.” Continue reading.

From Sarah Hughes of The Guardian:

Link: Send in the clones: Orphan Black, TV’s smartest show, is back
This clever Canadian import – an addictive blend of revenge drama and sci-fi thriller – is that rare thing on TV these days: a mythology-heavy plot twister with characters so well-crafted, and lines so intelligently written, that you genuinely, deeply care about what happens to them. Continue reading.

From Alicia Lutes of Nerdist:

Link: Orphan Black’s final season is the ending it deserves
Over the course of the previous four seasons, the series has managed to do what, before its premiere, felt largely un-accomplishable on television: make a thrilling, conspiracy-laden science fiction series—populated by a hero’s slate of fully dimensional female characters—that plays foil to the myriad issues facing women in our society today. Continue reading.

From Brian Truitt of USA Today:

Link: Tatiana Maslany looks back on five seasons of her Orphan Black clones
It takes most actresses several projects to get 11 different personalities on their resume. Tatiana Maslany just needed five seasons of a single TV series.

“Got it all done in one show. Now there’s no more characters to do!” the Orphan Black star says, laughing. Continue reading.

From Victoria Ahearn of The Canadian Press:

Link: Orphan Black’s final season caps a landmark show for Canadian TV
When Tatiana Maslany first stepped onto the Toronto set of “Orphan Black” in 2012, doubt crept into her mind.

“I was like, ‘How do we get through a season of this show?'” recalled the Regina native, who’s blown away audiences by playing multiple clones with vastly different personalities. “‘How do we do this, how do we pull this off, how do I embody these characters?’ It was just a moment-to-moment challenge.” Continue reading.

From Hermoine Wilson of The TV Junkies:

Link: Orphan Black: Evelyne Brochu tips her hat to Cophine shippers
“What I was most excited about was getting some answers, and I think the viewers will be super happy because there will be answers. But in terms of my character, I obviously wanted to know how Cosima and Delphine would end up and there’s going to be answers regarding that as well.” Continue reading. 

From Eliza Thompson of Cosmopolitan:

Link: Orphan Black star Tatiana Maslany on what to expect from the show’s final season
“We start on the island right where we left off last season, with Sarah mortally injured and crawling her way to some kind of safety. All of the clones are disparate and separate and trying to come back together. I think the whole story’s really about how individuals are stronger in groups. We’re stronger in communities.” Continue reading.

From Carli Velocci of The Wrap:

Link: Orphan Black showrunner credits Six Feet Under, The Sopranos for show’s existence
“We really dug into the hard cloning, but [also] coalesced the themes of nature vs. nurture and body autonomy and really realizing how deeply feminist the show had to be or else it would be missing a real terrific chance.” Continue reading.

From Jackie Hong of the Toronto Star:

Link: Orphan Black Season promises answers, though not always happy ones
“It’s a heavy show and it’s a heavier season than most, because we’ve got to get to a lot of answers and the answers aren’t necessarily always happy . . . (but) it’s time to get those answers. Like, how long can you string an audience?” Continue reading.

From Jeff Dedekker of the Regina-Leader Post:

Link: Tatiana Maslany will always have Orphan Black
“We’ve definitely explored a lot about identity and the science behind the cloning and that sort of stuff but there’s always more to do and there’s always more we could’ve done. But I’m really happy the series leaves an impact of questions and a legacy of characters and women’s stories that will inspire more. It exists within a bigger conversation about science right now, autonomy and the world.” Continue reading.

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Orphan Black: The cast and creators say goodbye

This is it, Orphan Black fans. The last dance. The final farewell. Or, as the production sheets said during filming of Season 5: Swan Song. This Saturday at 10 p.m. ET on Space, that beloved club of clones returns to the small screen for the last 10 episodes.

Earlier this year, TV, Eh was among a handful of media who were invited to the set for a super-secret tour guided by co-creator John Fawcett (I’ve included some images in this story) , got up close and personal with the experts on hair, makeup and wardrobe and locked in a few precious moments with Fawcett and Graeme Manson and stars Tatiana Maslany, Kevin Hanchard, Maria Doyle Kennedy, Jordan Gavaris, Evelyne Brochu and Kristian Bruun.

Here are the answers we got to the queries we gave:

Co-creators John Fawcett and Graeme Manson
What are you most proud of when it comes to Orphan Black?
John Fawcett: There are so many things. I think I’m most proud of the fact that this was a show that shouldn’t have gotten made in the first place. Nobody wanted to make it and the show is a bit weird. What Graeme and I had in our brains was a mashup and I don’t think there was a lot of conviction from anyone. It was a ludicrous premise that we somehow made a believable place and garnered enough support from the media and from fans that we could keep the thing going for five seasons. It’s been a really, really wild journey. Graeme and I were new coming into this. Tatiana was new. We had all worked in the industry before but this was kind of our first show. It’s been life-changing.

Graeme Manson: We’re also all very proud of the fact we took this somewhat ludicrous sci-fi conceit, grounded it enough and imbued it with enough character that it became inspirational for so many young people, so many young women and that Tatiana and so many other women who work on the show kept the feminist themes of the show—identity, nature versus nurture, themes of diversity, inclusion—this is the fabric of the show and we were able to say important things on this crazy clone show. That’s something we’re all pretty proud of.

Did you always have the same final scene for the show in your heads from Episode 1 of Season 1?
John Fawcett: Graeme and I have had the same thing in our head from the very beginning. The process of making this show … there has been a very organic nature to it. Sometimes you absolutely know how things are going to go and often it doesn’t and it goes in a different direction. Our collaboration goes beyond just us. We have a much bigger collaboration because we have a very talented group of writers and really talented performers and we have a small family around us from the beginning and we’re very tight. The inspiration comes from all different directions. Things have altered, but have kind of stayed the same.

Season 5 will be a hair-raising ride

Jordan Gavaris and Maria Doyle Kennedy
Jordan, you said you grew up on Orphan Black. What did you learn about yourself as an actor and a person?
Jordan Gavaris: I learned I’m an activist. I learned that, if I wasn’t an actor I’d probably have gone to law school and probably working for the ACLU or in politics. What I learned more than anything is about the intersection between genders. I’ve been watching some very interesting artists over the years and the really, really great ones that everyone seems to celebrate culturally are these people who understood that gender is not real. David Bowie is a really good example. He got the intersection between masculinity and femininity, men and women. He figured out that women are great. And they always have been great. I’ve also learned a lot about leadership watching Tat. She moves through a business that is very much about aesthetic and it can be very oppressive. She is a unique paradigm when it comes to how she leads a set and there is a trickle down effect of her leadership. That perspective is what makes Orphan Black so unique. Her voice is in everything you see. Felix was such

Felix was such an exploration of all my feminine parts and I think it’s important to take the femininity to other characters that aren’t necessarily Felix or look like Felix or sound like Felix. They might be an attorney or doctor or whatever … I can bring what I discovered about my own feminity to them.

Are you taking anything from the set as a souvenir?
Jordan Gavaris: Oh yeah, I’ve gone full klepto. I’ve taken paintings, necklaces, cool pieces of costume. I’m stealing stuff.

Maria Doyle Kennedy: The only thing I want to take aside from my memories is this little wire bracelet. I think it’s the only thing I’ve had since Season 1 and I pretty much never take it off.

Kevin Hanchard
What are these final episodes going to be like for fans?

Kevin Hanchard: I don’t think we’re going for cheesy gotcha moments, it’s about the wonderful base and the wonderful story we’ve built and the tangents we’ve built from that. It’s time for the laser focus. It’s only 10 episodes, so it’s gotta go really quick. It builds to a head. I think fans will be happy.

Tatiana Maslany
Where did you put your Primetime Emmy?

Tatiana Maslany: My mom didn’t know it was in this box and she put a plant on top of it. It’s in a pretty chill zone.

Orphan Black airs Saturdays at 10 p.m. ET on Space.

Want to make Alison’s face lotion? Here’s the recipe!

 

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Link: Orphan Black creator promises more flashbacks in final season

From Dalton Ross of Entertainment Weekly:

Link: Orphan Black creator promises more flashbacks in final season
I think this season is really about freedom. It’s the final season and the clone sisters have to be all-in. Cosima is all-in to find a cure, to find her own cure, and the cure for the sisters. Sarah’s all-in, fighting and scrapping for everybody’s freedom. Helena’s all-in because she’s eight and a half months pregnant when we start. So if you take some stakes like that, it’s a very high-stakes season and it revolves around Helena’s pregnancy. It also revolves around Kira — we’re really going to get to the bottom of Sarah’s daughter this year. Continue reading.

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Link: Tatiana Maslany says shooting the final season of Orphan Black has been “Extremely Emotional”

From Ryan Roschke of PopSugar:

Link: Tatiana Maslany says shooting the final season of Orphan Black has been “Extremely Emotional”
“We’re five episodes into the last 10, and it’s been extremely emotional. I think, because of what’s going on in the world, it feels vital to be telling these stories. And, all of your clones are very much experiencing things that are related to all of this crap. They’re disparate, they’re separated, and they kind of have to come together.” Continue reading. 

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Link: Orphan Black actor Kevin Hanchard leads discussion on race and religion at UWindsor

From Tom Morrison of OurWindsor:

Link: Orphan Black actor Kevin Hanchard leads discussion on race and religion at UWindsor
Orphan Black actor Kevin Hanchard says he tries to advocate for his race in every role he takes.

The Mississauga-based actor returned to the University of Windsor, his alma mater, Tuesday afternoon to lead a discussion about race and religion in the performing arts as part of the school’s Humanities Week.

Hanchard, who portrays Detective Art Bell on the sci-fi clone series, said the race of his characters is always at the “forefront” of his mind. Continue reading.

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