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Featured, Wynonna Earp

Wynonna Earp’s Alex Zarowny teases The Stone Witch’s debut

“I can say that The Stone Witch darkens the doorsteps of many characters. She will become super-prominent this season. We will definitely see more of that pink Lincoln.” Alexandra Zarowny wasn’t kidding: days after the writer and executive producer said it, The Stone Witch makes her first appearance during Monday’s new episode of Wynonna Earp, “Diggin’ Up Bones.”

Constance Clootie (Rayisa Kondracki), a.k.a. The Stone Witch, bursts onto the scene, turning heads and hinting at a very complicated relationship with Bobo Del Rey. Throw in faulty heating at the police station—causing several characters to doff their tops—and “Diggin’ Up Bones” becomes sweaty, sexy, bloody good fun. We spoke to Zarowny about what brought her to Wynonna Earp, who originally auditioned for the role of Agent Dolls and what’s to come for Nicole and Waverly.

How did you get involved in Wynonna Earp? Did Emily Andras have you in mind from the get-go if you were available?
Alex Zarowny: Emily and I had worked together for years on Lost Girl. We both had babies on that show and got to know each other really well and discovered we shared a very similar language, a very similar love of genre and keeping genre light and fun and fast and not taking itself too seriously or being too sullen. And because of that I think she felt I was a very natural fit. And she and I have developed an excellent rhythm when working together. The joke is that we share a brain sometimes. She can shorthand something to me and I can run with it. We can share some duties because sometimes I can predict where she wants to go with something. There is a great level of trust there.

Were you there from the beginning? Were you involved in the casting on Wynonna Earp?
Definitely. That was such an exciting, tumultuous time. There are so many actresses to choose from and I remember when we first saw Melanie’s [Scrofano] audition. Our jaws literally dropped because she was so different and fantastically wounded, but without having a chip on her shoulder because she was going to fight through it no matter what. She’s made Wynonna such an accessible character that way, as has Emily through her writing. Melanie picked up on that so fast.

And Tim Rozon was just … the second he spoke we were all like, ‘Clearly this is Doc.’

But Tim originally auditioned for the Agent Dolls role.
He did. We watched him auditioning for Dolls and we thought, ‘That’s Doc.’ He wasn’t doing the Southern accent or anything, but we said, ‘No, that’s Doc.’ Tim himself is a real gentleman and Doc is a real firecracker and as amoral as they come, but he’s a gentleman because he comes from a certain era. If you’re going to pay a woman for sex, you’re still going to open the door for her. Tim really brought that gentlemanly element to the role and it was something I was so excited about.

It was revealed that Doc isn’t sick anymore, but he’s not necessarily immortal.
Doc knows that he was given longevity and that his sickness was cured, but he was not promised immortality. Very under the radar he says he can still be killed by a knife of a gun. If he gets hit by a bus, yup, he can die, but he was given longevity and he doesn’t know what that means. Does it mean he’ll never mean he’ll get sick again? Probably. Does it mean there’s an end to his life? We don’t know. He was given this longevity be someone who is also very hard to pin down.

Was there ever a discussion that Doc might be immortal?
Yeah, definitely. And we might find out that he is, but I think for right now it makes things more interesting not knowing because that’s how life works. Nothing is ever written in stone until it is.

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Bobo Del Rey is fantastic and I’m giddy every time Michael Eklund is in a scene. You must have been having a ball seeing him recite your scripts.
I screamed so many times watching dailies. I probably screamed more with Bobo than with anyone else. The thing about playing a character like Bobo in a genre show is that it’s easy to go arch in expected sort of ways. Michael really takes it to a different place and made Bobo a kind of creature. Yes, he’s a revenant, but what kind of revenant? He’s playing a long game as well, along with many of the other characters. He’s crazy and dangerous, but he’s got a squishy, nougaty centre somewhere in there. Where that is, who put it there and who it belongs to—if anybody—we’ll find out eventually. I think, more than anyone, we get the sense that he was human and he was a different person. Through him, we really get the struggle of the revenant.

Let’s switch gears and talk about a relationship that’s really hit with the fans. It’s clear Officer Haught likes Waverly; what can you say about that pair?
Coming from Lost Girl, it’s an important part of storytelling that’s been on Emily and my plate for several years. When it comes to Wynonna Earp, why would you ever take it off the plate? It’s a part of our world and part of this world and it’s something we want to explore just like we explore myriad things. There are fans who are coming from Lost Girl to this show and it’s a bit of a tip of the hat them. We hear you and the stories that you want us to tell and dammit we’re going to tell them. As for the relationship itself, Nicole definitely knows what she wants and she wants a piece of Waverly. Waverly, because she is the Earp that stayed in town, I think she feels she’s had to represent the Earps in a  very different way than they’ve been represented which means she has to be the upright citizen. She’s been playing that role to the nth degree and playing it so well; I think she’s getting tired of it and re-examining what her role is and if it’s been truthful.

The Stone Witch has been mentioned a few times and we got a glimpse of that pink car. What can fans expect from that storyline as the season rolls on?
They can expect some delicious storytelling. I can say that The Stone Witch darkens the doorsteps of many characters. She will become super-prominent this season. We will definitely see more of that pink Lincoln.

Wynonna Earp airs Mondays at 9 p.m. ET on CHCH.

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Featured, Masterchef Canada

Astronaut Chris Hadfield blasts on to MasterChef Canada

The devil is, as they say, in the details. And, on a night when the home cooks were flying high after a visit from Colonel Chris Hadfield, it was Terry who came crashing down to earth and exited MasterChef Canada.

Terry was humble in his defeat, admitting fault after he and Shawn mixed up the filling in one hors d’oeuvre, and tearfully said goodbye. It was unfortunate to see Terry eliminated that way because it was a plating issue rather than one of taste. And Terry’s elimination was another instance of a plan backfiring on the contestant who set it up. Matthew stunned everyone (including himself, I think) by winning the Mystery Box challenge after Col. Hadfield and the resident judges deemed his smoked salmon parfait to be the best of the bunch constructed of space age ingredients. Matthew, who was awarded immunity for the week, paired up his competitors, putting Jeremy with Mary to slow her down and Shawn with Terry to help them out. Instead, Jeremy and Mary won the tag team and the other two faltered.

I must say it was pretty cool to see Col. Hadfield appear in Sunday’s new episode “Out of this World.” Not merely there for his star power, Hadfield helped taste and judge the plates and interacted with the home cooks while offering insight into how meals are prepared in space: a needle injects lukewarm or hot water into the plastic packets to rehydrate the contents.

As for the Elimination Challenge, I was impressed the home cooks were able to plate all 15 bites, let alone anything that would taste good. There were miscues when it came to mirroring the example set out by the judges, but nothing major. At least, not until the wrong filling was put in Terry and Shawn’s coronets. Now, with just six homes cooks remaining, it really is anyone’s season to win now that Terry is not longer in the hunt.

Next week, Mary and Jeremy are team captains for a Restaurant Takeover that, if evidenced by Alvin’s yelling, is tough for everyone.

MasterChef Canada airs Sundays at 7 p.m. ET/PT on CTV.

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Featured, Motive

Comments and queries for the week of April 29

Five reasons we love, and will miss, Motive

I really loved watching Motive. What a great show!! The story, plot … Motive was fantastic. The cast and acting superb all-around and put together great! Why is it being cancelled? What a shame. —Angela

Debbie Travis finds the sweet life in OWN’s La Dolce Debbie

I viewed the six episodes of La Dolce Debbie on OWN Canada. I watched them over and over again! They were excellent and I thoroughly enjoyed them. I only wish that the number for each one was given to designate the sequence of the six episodes accurately. Such a brilliant idea: a villa for women to get recharged. I have been to Tuscany and it is a magical place. If I were younger, I would be applying for a week at Debbie’s villa. Congratulations Debbie for all your success and to a supportive, good husband! —Naomi

Jennifer Valentyne exits Breakfast Television Toronto

I was shocked to hear that Jennifer was fired from BT! We met her about three years ago and I had my little granddaughter with us. She was so nice, very friendly and Frankie Flowers was also there! We will miss you and your big smile and how you were so happy every morning, which was always good to see, especially when we always see bad things or hear about things that are not important! Never lose that Jennifer, it’s always better to be happy! We need more happy people in this world! Good luck on your next journey and thank you for your mornings! —The Wilson family

Got a question or comment about Canadian TV? Email greg@tv-eh.com or via Twitter @tv_eh.

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Featured, Houdini & Doyle

Global’s Houdini & Doyle uses historical friendship to solve spooky crimes

Truth is often stranger than fiction. That’s certainly the case when it comes to Harry Houdini and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s friendship. Turns out the master magician and escape artist was buds with the creator of Sherlock Holmes. The pair was on opposite sides of the paranormal—Houdini debunked the spirit world while Doyle embraced it—a conflict that eventually broke their alliance.

Their closeness in those early days are the focus of Global’s boisterous new series, Houdini & Doyle, with Michael Weston as Houdini and Stephen Mangan as Doyle. Co-created by David Hoselton and David Titcher and executive-produced by the duo along with David Shore, Houdini & Doyle—debuting Monday, May 2, at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Global (and Fox in the U.S.)—finds the pair teamed and working for the Scotland Yard in 1901 on cases involving the supernatural. Rebecca Liddiard is Constable Adelaide Stratton, the force’s first female constable and the men’s wrangler of sorts.

“Adelaide Stratton was a real person in history,” Liddiard says during a press day put on by Global and producers Shaftesbury. “This character is a little more fiction than accurate.” The Toronto-based actress, who teaches Creative Performance at Ryerson University, dug deep into the stories of women of the time period—like poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning—who were career-driven when most couldn’t be. She adds that old guard view of women not having a spot in the workplace, especially the police force, is reflected in what her co-workers say.

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Rebecca Liddiard and Stephen Mangan. Image courtesy of Global.

Monday’s first case, “The Maggie’s Redress,” quickly introduces viewers to the trio—Houdini performs his water-based escape act and relishes his celebrity, Doyle is trying to move on from his Holmes stories—when Adelaide is assigned them as a tag along after a murderous ghost is reported running rampant in a convent.

There’s plenty to like from Houdini & Doyle. Lavish sets, dark corners and rich wardrobe choices add colour while the scripts and performances provide swaths of humour as the main characters’ personalities emerge. Houdini is serious about exposing the mediums stealing money from citizens intent on communicating with departed loved ones, but takes great pleasure in poking fun at Doyle. Doyle is a typical stiff English gent of the time, educated and respected certainly, but with an Achilles heel: he yearns to speak to his wife. Adelaide, meanwhile, often finds herself shifting her beliefs, unsure of whether the crimes committed have basis in science or spirits.

“She tries to stay focused on the information,” Liddiard explains. “‘Here’s a dead body: what are we going to do about it?’ She’s very grounded and keeps the other two grounded as well.

“These guys are so smart, they take it to the next level with the witty banter,” she continues. “Often Adelaide is stuck in the middle, having it thrown back and forth and saying, ‘Guys, let’s just do our work!’ But she gets her digs in too.”

Houdini & Doyle airs Mondays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Global.

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Featured, Slasher

Slasher’s latest suspect/victim: Christopher Jacot’s Robin Turner

Robin Turner has been through a lot on Slasher. First, The Executioner chased him down Waterbury’s darkened streets and slashed his arms open. Then the serial killer murdered Robin’s husband, Justin, via poisoning—after first sending flowers to the bedridden Robin. But as Christopher Jacot—the man behind Robin—says, if it wasn’t for great writing, we wouldn’t care about him, or any other characters, in the first place.

In our fourth instalment, we spoke to Jacot about what makes for a good horror script and his extensive work as a voice actor.

You’ve been in some pretty interesting and diverse projects. Eureka, Degrassi, Murdoch Mysteries, Rogue and a bunch of voice work as well like Beyblade.
Christopher Jacot: I have. I’ve also done Johnny Storm in Fantastic Four: World’s Greatest Heroes.

Do you like doing voice work?
I do, it’s interesting. It’s not something I wanted to do, necessarily, it just sort of happened. I think they were looking for voice actors to kind of expand the group because at the time it was pretty small. That said, I do it, but I’m still not in that voice group. It’s a lot tougher to do than you think it would be. I remember that Marvel would be on the line while I was recording Johnny Storm and the script would say, ‘throw a fireball seven feet,’ and I would be like, ‘Unnhh!’ And they would say, ‘Um, no, that sounded like four feet.’ And then I’d go, ‘Unnnhhh!!’ and they’d say it sounded like 10 feet. And that’s why I think the community is so small; it’s crazy what you have to be able to do and the actions you have to create with your voice.

When you see footage of a voice actor working, their whole body is into it.
You are doing everything possible in the room … but trying to keep your head close to the microphone.

Let’s talk about your Slasher character, Robin. Tell me about him.
Robin and his husband, Justin, are the two entrepreneurs of the town. They’re adding the urban element to Waterbury. Justin has bought up a lot of the property, so we kind of own a lot of the town. That has a positive and negative effect. We’re generally accepted by the town, but there is another side; the side of ignorance. I’m the real estate agent who comes in and sets Sarah up with the gallery, and we become really close. We develop a nice bond and become the only people that we can trust.

The show in constantly moving and changing based on who dies, who is the potential murderer and who is in prison for it. The victims, the suspects, it’s a constant circle of moving chairs.

As an actor, you know who the killer is. Does who it is make sense?
I was surprised, but it totally makes sense. I telling Aaron when I was first cast, ‘It’s awesome to read something that’s essentially an eight episode novel.’ It’s cool to go from beginning to end and really sort of binge-read a show. The minute you suspect someone, it changes, and you have no clue what to expect.

It must be nice to be on a show that keeps the viewer thinking. It’s easy to fall into horror tropes.
You can have the archetype of the quintessential horror films—and if you look at them they all follow in some regard—but what makes it good is how fleshed-out the character are. How much we invest in them and that’s what I think is wonderful about what Aaron wrote. He really got into the complexities of a character. Robin, as much as he presents himself as having a flair for the dramatic in the beginning, really ends up diving into so many different emotional landscapes. Therefore, the audience becomes emotionally invested in the story and what happens to people.

Shitty things are going to happen to people.

Slasher airs Fridays at 9 p.m. ET on Super Channel.

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