Everything about 19-2, eh?

19-2, Featured

Tattiawna Jones talks Amelie’s journey on 19-2

It seems like no one on 19-2 is allowed to have nice things. After Ben Chartier revealed his secret spot away from the world to Amelie De Grace (Tattiawna Jones) and she recently saying “I love you” to him, her life was cut short. In typical brutal 19-2 fashion, Amelie died violently at the hands of Frank Ferney (Spiro Malandrakis), a recovering drug addict who blamed social worker Amelie for him not being able to foster his niece, Martine.

Now, with 19-2‘s season finale around the corner, we spoke to Jones about her role, her experience on the gritty Bravo drama … and her stand-up career.

Congratulations on your portrayal of Amelie. Sadly, I’m talking to you because she is no more. How did you find out? Did showrunner Bruce Smith call to tell you the news?
Tattiawna Jones: He did, and he was really great about it. I can’t imagine it was a fun call for him to make. ‘Hi, um, you’re getting fired and this is how it happens.’ [Laughs.] It wasn’t like that at all. He was so lovely and the 19-2 family is a group of artists that are there wanting to tell a good story. He said, ‘Amelie is going to meet her end, and this is how it’s going to happen and how it works into the story.’ I was super-excited and thought it was unbelievable. No one was going to see it coming. It gives 19-2 heart. It’s such a personal show and a personal story. Amelie dying in that way makes it even more personal. When I read the script, I’d felt like I had lost someone and that’s how I do feel when I watch 19-2.

I love to do action stuff, so the stunts were really fun and my screen partner was super-fantastic. In between action and cut was as terrifying as it should be.

Fans certainly didn’t see it coming.
I think it speaks to the courage of the writers. It’s something that I had overlooked as an actor; the people who live through these characters first are the writers. I got Amelie as a toddler and was able to grow her up a bit. The writers have to live through this first and are blamed [when something bad happens]. If a writer has the courage to do something like that for the sake of the story, they should be commended for it. That’s how I felt when Bruce called me up and when I saw [writer] Lynne [Kamm] on the set. It’s bravery to take people by surprise.

19-2_1

What about working with Spiro? Did you talk about the scene in advance? He had a tough job to do too.
He had a really tough job and I’m glad you said that. People often think the victim in the partnership has the tough job but his character is the abuser in this case and that is a tough job. You’re into all kinds of politics with our characters: man and woman, race politics, all kinds of politics at work. The writers want people to think and to look at their own sensibilities. We didn’t talk about it beforehand. We got on-set and are relative newbies in the stand-up comedy world, so we were talking about that beforehand. He was a pro and I never felt unsafe.

Did you do research in preparation for playing Amelie? Did you speak to social workers?
I did. Lynne really helped out a lot and gave me a bunch of information. I spoke to a couple of people that I knew, did some Googling. You have to do research if you’re going to play any kind of public servant.

It’s a tough job.
Oh my God, I couldn’t do it. I could never, never do it. I cannot believe the kinds of things these people go through. But also, it’s a thankless job. These people are underpaid and get no accolades and yet are doing good work at the ground level day in and day out. There are selfless and want something better for someone else.

What did you learn about your time on 19-2?
I learned a lot about how to make a really great piece of art and not let money stop that.

I have to ask you about your stand-up career. What’s the status of that?
It’s sitting at home. I’m scared to go back and work on it. I’m at the stage where I have a ton of material written and now it’s up to me to go to an open mike and go on at one or two in the morning like any other comedian ever in the history of comedians has and earn it.

Is stand-up something you’ve always wanted to do?
It’s something I’ve always wanted to do and been afraid to do. I’m kind of good enough at it that when I’m with my friends, but I’m not that good at it as a profession because I haven’t put the work in. Now I’m putting the work in and learning about the craft of stand-up comedy.

19-2‘s season finale airs Monday at 10 p.m. ET on Bravo.

 

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail
19-2, Featured

Investigations and more secrets on 19-2

Ben may have told Nick to walk away from the investigation into Kaz’s death, but we knew Nick would ignore his partner. Far from trusting anyone to find his cousin’s death, Nick does some digging on his own, uncovering plenty of secrets during “Rescue,” Monday’s new episode.

Nick investigates Kaz’s murder
Adrian Holmes deserves applause for his portrayal of Nick in the opening moments of “Rescue.” He’s literally haunted by his cousin’s death—there’s an all-to-brief scene in the home where the body was found—followed by him observing people laughing and playing in the sunshine while he, dressed in the black of mourning, aimlessly wanders the neighbourhood. That leads to him being introduced to Martine, a teenager stuck in the child welfare system, and a potential witness in Kaz’s disappearance. The only issue? Martine will work any angle to get out of her group home.

19_two2

Tyler struggles with sobriety
The affable, likeable Tyler—who has been off booze for months now—makes one little post-workout mistake that sends him into a spiral, culminating in a truly sad sequence of events. The scenes prove how difficult it is to shake addiction without help.

Ben is … happy?
Chartier’s work-life balance seems to be perfect. This being 19-2, I don’t expect that to last.

Audrey & the Rookie vs. bike thieves
The bad guys never stood a chance.

19-2 airs Mondays at 10 p.m. ET on Bravo.

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail
19-2

Link: 19-2’s Adrian Holmes is at home on the streets of Montreal

From Bill Brownstein of the Montreal Gazette:

Link: 19-2’s Adrian Holmes is at home on the streets of Montreal
“It’s been a great journey. I started in the business when I was quite young. My first job came when I was 17. There was so much shooting going on in my back yard in Vancouver, and I was lucky enough to be one of the chosen to make a career out of it. And I haven’t looked back.” Continue reading.

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail
19-2, Featured

Season 3 of 19-2 returns with questions and power struggles

1 Comment

I go into every episode of 19-2 with an uneasy feeling. Over the last two seasons, showrunner Bruce M. Smith has proven that the next tragedy to befall the squad is mere moments away.

No story is one-note. There is always a chain reaction to an incident, and that’s the case with Monday’s return when what seems to be a simple blown van tire turns into multiple life or death situations. Here’s what we can tell you about “Burn Pile”—written by Smith—without giving everything away.

The squad makes changes
Bear is still the acting Sergeant, Dickie the rookie has been paired with Tyler—leading to some very funny scenes—and J.M. is on indefinite leave with pay after assaulting Justine. Also, as part of an initiative to regain the community’s trust, every officer must do foot patrol and bike patrol.

Let the backstabbing begin
Maxim Roy told us Episode 1 would feature masks coming off and huge betrayals, and she was right. With the task force—investigating why Houle’s crimes weren’t discovered sooner—looking for someone to blame, Isabelle and Gendron begin an intricate game of chess neither wants to lose.

New players join the fray
The investigation into Houle’s case and what happened to Kaz gives 19-2 the opportunity to introduce new characters. Among them: Insp. Elise Roberge, from Internal Affairs; and Charlie Figo, a local baker with ties to the mob. Both use manipulation to their advantage.

Ben comes up with a whole new meaning for the term “table it”
And Amelie is a big help.

19-2 airs Mondays at 10 p.m. ET on Bravo.

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail
19-2, Featured

Maxim Roy teases 19-2’s “huge betrayals” in Season 3

Maxim Roy may only appear in two episodes of 19-2 this season, but she makes the most of it. The Quebec native says Monday’s return episode is full of backstabbing and huge betrayals, and viewers will be shocked by the actions of some squad members.

We spoke to Roy about what’s next for Isabelle Latendresse following the death of Sgt. Julien Houle, and the relationship she has with Commander Gendron.

I’m so glad 19-2 is back, especially after Season 2’s finale with Sgt. Houle’s storyline. We needed to come back and have some closure.
Maxim Roy: I think everybody is. It was such a dramatic ending and every character on the show is so affected by that storyline. You didn’t see it coming and I think the audience was pretty shocked.

I thought Season 2 was pedal-to-the-metal and there wasn’t really any time to let up and take a breath.
Oh, really? I thought Season 2 was lighter than the first season. There were a lot more dramatic scenes that were cut out, so maybe that’s why I see it as being light. There were a lot of scenes that didn’t make the cut and they kept lighter moments. I think they were afraid of being too dramatic … that’s my opinion on it, but it was supposed to be even more dramatic. [Laughs.]

Well, there was the rookie cop having sex in the restaurant bathroom and the paintball fight had its moments of levity.
These are pretty dark characters. That’s what’s great about the show; everybody has their secrets, their own demons that they deal with and they try to put them aside on the job, but it doesn’t always happen. The show is more about the human drama of these people than the police work. They become intertwined, of course, but it’s more about them.

Masks are going to come off. You think somebody is good and realize they’re awful. It’s going to keep people on their toes.

Now, the press release for Season 3 says you return to ‘guest-star’ as Isabelle. Is this a case of the producers deciding to soft-pedal Isabelle’s story a bit, or did you have other commitments and couldn’t play a full-time role?
That was their decision. What happens to Isabelle is pretty shocking in the first episode, and then I can’t say anything … until the 10th episode people are going to be shocked.

Oh no…
But in a good way! Well, I don’t know if it’s good or bad, but people are going to be shocked. This season is intertwined with the fourth season … we need a fourth season to see what happens because there is a big climax.

How many episodes is Isabelle in this season?
Two.

I better not end up having to talk to you again because Isabelle has been killed off.
I don’t die.

What can you tell me about Isabelle and the characters she interacts with? It looked like Commander Gendron was moving in on her, which was creepy and gross.
[Laughs.] I love that you describe it as creepy, because that’s what I think too. Bruce [Ramsay] is such an adorable guy. When we shot the pilot, I didn’t like him. I thought, ‘He’s gross, I don’t even want to stand beside him.’ I didn’t know Bruce at all, but he was so good in his character that I thought, ‘Who is this creepy dude that they’ve hired?!’ But that’s Gendron. Then I got to know Bruce and I fell in love with him. He is the funniest guy and he created this odd, surprising, slimy guy.

People are going to hate him even more in Season 3, I can say that. Especially in the first episode. There is a lot of backstabbing, and huge betrayals all over the place. Masks are going to come off. You think somebody is good and realize they’re awful. It’s going to keep people on their toes.

19-2 airs Mondays at 10 p.m. ET on Bravo.

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail