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Featured, Lost Girl

Interview: Lost Girl’s Emmanuelle Vaugier drops by Mistresses

Emmanuelle Vaugier considers herself lucky. The Vancouver native has had the opportunity to play very different roles on projects north and south of the border whether it be The Morrigan on Lost Girl and cop Gabriela Del Toro on Republic of Doyle or Mia on Two and a Half Men and Det. Jessica Angell on CSI: NY.

Her latest role? Portraying Niko, a mixologist in a handful of episodes of Mistresses. Vaugier dished on her Mistresses gig, moving behind the camera and saying goodbye to Lost Girl for good.

The press release says you play Niko, ‘a tough and sexy mixologist at Wunderbar who becomes a thorn in Joss’ (Jes Macallan) side.’ Can you give me some more details?
Emmanuelle Vaugier: She’s a mixologist, so she’s at the top of her game. She has four tattoos. We don’t know much about her past going in. There are things that you discover about her that I can’t reveal that will come out later in an ‘Oh my God!’ moment. It was an ‘Oh my God’ moment for me too because I didn’t realize it until the episode script was on my desk. She’s dark, edgy and is used to getting what she wants and she’s set on getting Harry [Brett Tucker]. And that’s a problem for Joss.

Obviously a spot on a show’s regular cast is ideal, but does part of you enjoy dropping in to guest star on shows like Mistresses where you get to play in someone else’s sandbox for a bit?
Absolutely. It means that I can come in and am there for a short period of time and have fun. Then I leave and pick up a new character and do something new. However, the sense of being on a show and being there for the duration and being a series regular definitely has its upside. There is a family feeling and being in it for the long haul.

Could Niko return to Mistresses?
It’s left open-ended. It’s possible.

I’ve made lifelong friends on that show. That part of it sucks, letting go of that, but we had a good run.

You’ve been in lots of projects both north and south of the border. You’ve starred in genre projects like Lost Girl and Smallville and conventional stuff like Two and a Half Men and CSI: NY. It’s been a very exciting and varied career so far.
I’ve been very lucky that way. I’ve gotten to play a lot of different roles in different genres and a lot of actors don’t get to do that. There are more things that I do than others, but I’ve been blessed. It keeps things interesting and fun for me and keeps the creative juices flowing.

You were great in Republic of Doyle playing a Mexican detective.
[Laughs.] I remember having a conversation with Allan Hawco on the phone. I said, ‘Sooooo, how tied to the accent are you?’ I’d never done it and I knew it was going to be a challenge. We hired a dialect couch and really worked at it because it wasn’t an accent that was in my repertoire. In the States, if they want someone who is Latina, they hire a Latina and not me even though I look it. In Canada it’s different.

Let’s go from in front of to behind the camera. Do you have a hankering to write, produce and direct your own stuff?
I want to do more of that. Directing, not so much. But producing … I love the business side of things. I do have a passion and knack for that and I’d love to learn more about that process. Writing is something that terrifies me. I need to take a workshop or something. People say, ‘Well, just write.’ And I’m like, ‘But I feel like a dumb ass. I don’t know.’ I have all these books that I’m looking at and I’m coming up with all of these ideas with friends. It’s a process, but it’s a lot harder than people think. I don’t know what I’m doing, but I’m going to learn.

Lost_Girl

You’re very active on Twitter.
It’s really nice to have that direct access to your fans and be able to tell them what you’re doing and promote your career that way as well as having that human presence instead of being this person they see on television. They actually have a dialogue with you … jokes a sent around and moments are shared. I do a lot of conventions on my downtime thanks to Lost Girl and I’ve been able to meet people on Twitter in person, which is great.

Tell me about your charity, The Fluffball.
I’ve always been a huge animal person, and when it came to giving back and doing something for the community my thing was animals. I created The Fluffball and what we do it throw an annual cocktail event to benefit a different rescue organization every year. This year it’s The Animal Hope and Wellness Foundation, based in Los Angeles.

What have you got coming up that you can tell me about?
I just finished a movie in Victoria called Stranger in the House. And then Sept. 6 the final season of Lost Girl starts on Showcase.

How do you feel about the end of Lost Girl?
It was one of those special shows where the cast all got along really well. We hung out, we still see each other and keep in touch. Whenever one of us is in Toronto or L.A. we always make a point to get together and hang out or make dinner, drink wine and catch up. I’ve made lifelong friends on that show. That part of it sucks, letting go of that, but we had a good run.

Mistresses airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on CTV.

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Featured, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Preview: The Weapon Hunter blows history away

The best history lessons are those delivered with enthusiasm, excitement and, hopefully, without textbooks. That’s certainly the case of The Weapon Hunter, T+E’s latest series starring rock promoter/actor/military enthusiast Paul Shull, who traverses the globe on the hunt for the weapons and munitions that shaped the world.

Debuting Tuesday, the six-part series from Cream Productions (Wild Things with Dominic Monaghan) tracks Shull into the hills of B.C., where he meets friend Brook, who is in the final stages of completing a 1940s Achilles Tank Destroyer. After logging thousands of hours on rebuilding the rare piece, Brook needs a brake pad so the beast can roll in a Veteran’s Day parade.

Enter Shull, whose journey takes him to a Vancouver basement to pick through 40 years of collecting by a man named George; his collection of Second World War items includes helmets, uniforms and a rare Liberator gun that was dropped by the Allies into France to arm the Resistance. Then it’s on to Los Angeles to a seven-acre military outpost called Tankland. Still without a brake pad for Brook, Shull jets to Big Sandy, Arizona, for a machine gun shoot where he tries out a Browning machine gun and Pak 40 German anti-tank gun. The latter, a monstrous affair that shakes the hillside when it goes off, nets the following comment from our host:

“It’s like someone inserted a firecracker into my sinus cavity.” And it’s exactly that kind of remark that makes The Weapon Hunter such entertaining TV.

The program is a fascinating and immersive history lesson blending old war footage, choppy animation and Shull’s charm. The man with unique facial hair has a curiosity that comes through the screen; he loves this stuff and asks all the right questions to get interesting stories and tales out of his interview subjects.

Shull finds that elusive tank part for Brook, and discovers a lot of other cool stuff along the way.

The Weapon Hunter airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on T+E.

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Amazing Race Canada, Big Brother Canada, Canada's Smartest Person, Featured, Orphan Black

He Said/She Said: The Academy asked, we answer

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Join Greg and Diane every Monday as we debate what’s on our minds. This week, we pillage the polls at the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television’s Fanzone for some silly summer fodder.

She said:

The poll that caught my eye was “Which Orphan Black clone do you most identify with?” because come on, how can you watch that show and not think about whether you’re a Sarah, Alison, Cosima, or — god forbid — Helena or Rachel? (I love that one of the options in the multiple-choice poll is murderously unhinged Helena but not heartless power-hungry Rachel.) After all, how many brain cells did women burn discussing whether we were Carries, Samanthas, Charlottes, or Mirandas? (I’m totally a Miranda.)

I’m way too sane to identify with Helena,  much as I adore her, and my overdeveloped sense of guilt means Rachel is not in the cards. If she had any sense of guilt she’d have poked her own eye out long ago.

Alison was my least favourite clone at the beginning, but she’s grown to be a favourite as her defenses have dropped and the twerk-ready soul behind her starched appearance emerged. But identify with her? No, just an admiration that someone so seemingly straight-laced and OCD could be such a hot mess.

Cosima in all her quirky, brainy glory was always one of my favourite clones, but her hardcore-geek puts my geek-like tendencies to shame, and I could never pull off that hairstyle.

I’d love to be more like Sarah — tough as nails, never met an ass she wouldn’t attempt to kick, yet caring and vulnerable too — but I’m nowhere near as brassy and ass-kicky. Still, she’s the clone I most identify with partly because we’ve seen so much of the story through her eyes, but also because she has the strength to be the heroine of her own story while constantly being knocked off course by forces beyond her control. Her derailments just happen to involve a few more corporate conspiracies and homicidal villains than your average woman’s.

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He Said:

I decided to answer the pretty timely “Who’s your favourite Reality TV host?” because The Amazing Race Canada rolls out for another season on Wednesday. To judge the four in this category is a lot like what Diane went through to get to the bottom of the Orphan Black clone she most identifies with. Like the Leda clones, each of these hosts has a different personality to fit with the shows they head up.

Jon Montgomery would be my homer pick, a likeable dude who won an Olympic gold medal and then drank from a pitcher of beer to celebrate. He brings that affable attitude to The Amazing Race Canada each week, calmly and playfully explaining each challenge before and welcoming the pairs to the mat at the end of each episode. He even looks sad when a squad is eliminated. Jon’s job isn’t to command the stage, but to serve as a bridge between series and contestants.

Arisa Cox is big and brash, all smiles and personality. It’s a tough gig — she has to balance hosting Big Brother Canada with interviewing the eliminated players and playing to a live audience — but she pulls it off. I’m not a huge fan of BBC, but I appreciate with Arisa brings to the table every week.

Like Arisa Cox, Jessi Cruickshank has a lot to do as host of Canada’s Smartest Person. She has to interact with the contestants — most of them sporting huge egos — mug for the live audience, throw to stats man Jeff Douglas and talk straight into he camera at those playing the game at home. She has an infectious personality that can be a little overbearing — and her wardrobe causes me to scratch my head sometimes — but you need a high-energy person to handle the three-ring circus that is Canada’s Smartest Person.

My favourite? Andrew Younghusband, host of Canada’s Worst Driver. Worst Driver is just one of three Discovery shows Younghusband hosts (Don’t Drive Here and Canada’s Worst Handyman), but he’s at his best here. Equal parts TV host, therapist and no-nonsense friend, Younghusband doesn’t just revel in bad, bad drivers but goes lengths to educate them in what they’re doing wrong. Yes, Andrew gets frustrated with lunkheads to the point he’ll berate them on camera. Sure, those sidelong glances he makes at the camera is a silent mockery between he and the viewer. But he does it all with Newfoundland charm and you can’t help but love him for it.

That’s why he’s my favourite reality TV show host.

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Featured, Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell

The strange case of Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell

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strange.jpgTonight, Canadians finally get a chance to see the Canadian co-production Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell, which has already premiered in the UK and US.

Well, some Canadians get a chance to see it. Through some broadcaster slight-of-hand, only those east of the Manitoba-Ontario border who have access to Bell’s The Movie Network can see tonight’s double-header premiere.

While many of that network’s original series are shared productions with Corus’ Western Canadian Movie Central, this seven-part miniseries based on Susanna Clarke’s novel was originally intended for Bell’s Space channel, and Corus was not a partner. Sister networks Space or CTV may eventually see a second-window airing, or it may show up on CraveTV, but for now the show has been rendered invisible to my Western brethren.

From Vancouver I grudgingly admit it would be an uneasy fit on Space, though I can wish it were placed on Bravo instead. Fantastical, mystical, literary, dark and quirky, Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell is not in the mold of glossier genre shows such as Bitten or Lost Girl, and it’s not science fiction such as Orphan Black, Dark Matter or Killjoys. The writer Peter Harness and director Toby Haynes are both veterans of Doctor Who, but it’s not much like that series, either. In tone it’s not much like anything on television at the moment. It’s Harry Potter for adults, minus the bright colours and pacing. 

Set in 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars in England when centuries have passed since practical magic faded into the nation’s past, one magician remains: the reclusive and skillful Mr Norrell (Eddie Marsan). Soon Norrell is challenged by the brilliant novice Jonathan Strange (Bertie Carvel).

Only the first episode was available for screening, and it barely hints at what’s to come plot-wise, but it’s evident Marsan is a wonderful Norrell, peculiar and put-upon as he bristles at the rumours and assumptions about his powers.  He is reason alone to watch. Carvel as Strange has less to do in the first episode, but in appearance and character makes a good foil.

Partially shot in Quebec, this is one of those indiscernibly Canadian co-productions. Bell announced the scheduling less than two weeks before the premiere making it seem — never mind the network switcheroo and delay compared to the UK and US — like an afterthought.

But while the first episode is slow-going — atmospheric set-up more than gripping plot and character, with the women relegated to the far background — by episode’s end you’re sure to feel there’s magic to come. And if you live east of Manitoba, you just might be able to watch what’s to come, too.

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Dark Matter, Featured

Review: Back to Square One on Dark Matter

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“We’re back at Square One.” Indeed you are, Two, but viewers—and every member of the Raza—have some important pieces to the puzzle. If only they’d trust each other enough to share what they’ve learned.

Instead, One, Two, Three, Four and Five are keeping secrets while Six—the big, lovable oaf that he is—failed to clue in to what could be the key to what’s happened to them. Written by Joseph Mallozzi and directed by Amanda Tapping, Six’s major gaffe in Episode 4 occurred while he sat in the doctor’s office, waiting to have his burn looked at. An ad on the waiting room TV explained pods much like the one the Raza crew emerged from are used as a new way of vacationing. A person had a clone made of themselves and the clone went off on adventures in far-flung locations. Once the trip was done, the clone’s memories were uploaded into your own memory and the clone was sent to the scrap pile.

“Cool!” Six exclaimed to everyone in the waiting room, unaware One—and possibly more—of the crew are likely some advanced form of clone able to exist past the usual 72 hours.

One and Three learned a little more backstory from the man who identified himself as Jace Corso. Jace regaled his captives with his own story, explaining he was supposed to go on the mercenary run to the mining planet aboard the Raza but was waylaid by a raid and missed the boat. Jace saw someone just like him board the ship on his behalf so he dropped by the space station to wait for the Raza to re-supply. And while Three is convinced One is the only clone around, I’m thinking there are more to be revealed in the coming weeks.

Four also got a personal peek into his own life, learning the ring in his bedside table was apparently taken off his dead father, Emperor Ishida, after he was murdered by his son … a son identified as Four.

Meanwhile, ladies’ night out with Two and Five turned deadly when their success at gambling (Two has a gift for cards and Five for the shell game) led to the pair being pulled aside a threatened by the casino boss. In a flurry of arms and legs, Two killed everyone in the room and the gals fled back to the ship.

So, to recap: One and Three are keeping the Jace Corso info to themselves, Two and Five aren’t talking about the casino murders, Four murdered his father and Six is a lovable lug.

The plot thickens.

Notes and quotes

  • Nice to see that, even in the future, we still have to take a number to see a doctor.
  • “Stupid is catching.” — Three
  • Who else thinks One and Three should star in their own buddy comedy?
  • In Three’s defence, I don’t know what mercurial means either.

Dark Matter airs Fridays at 10 p.m. ET on Space.

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