From Bridget Liszewski of The TV Junkies:
Link: Wynonna Earp writer Brendon Yorke on how the past will haunt Wynonna and Doc
“Obviously, the Wynonna/Waverly sister relationship is the core of the show. But sometimes there are things Wynonna might want to talk about with someone who isn’t her sister. Maybe there are things she’s ashamed of having done that she can’t admit to Waverly, who is as tied up in the Earp curse as Wynonna is.” Continue reading.Â
From Bridget Liszewski of The TV Junkies:
Link: Wynonna Earp’s Tim Rozon on Season 2’s emotional experience
“Listen, nobody loves this show more than me, but at the end of the day, I care more about a human being. I care more about Melanie Scrofano than I care for the character Wynonna Earp, and I love Wynonna Earp. I didn’t even have that thought, so when I saw she had it and it all came out, I think it was a great sense of relief all around.” Continue reading.Â
Just how tight were lips on the set of Wynonna Earp during Melanie Scrofano’s pregnancy? So tight that Dani Kind read fake scripts when she was auditioning for the role of Mercedes Gardner.
“They wrote these fake sides for Mercedes … she was even named something else,” Kind tells us on the line from Toronto. “She was this character who owned a bar with her brother and her brother was this big sleaze. She ended up handing her brother his own ass.” And while we’d love to have seen that project come to light, we’re loving Kind’s real role on Wynonna, that of Mercedes Gardner. A fellow former bad girl of Purgatory, Mercedes has evolved from real estate baron to flesh-eating monster after being possessed. Now Mercedes and Beth (Meghan Heffern) have captured two of three seals, meaning the future of the world is in jeopardy.
We spoke to Kind about Wynonna Earp, the role of Anne, the wonderfully caustic, heartbreaking character she plays on CBC’s Workin’ Moms and … playing Tori Spelling’s stand-in!?
We were delayed a bit in our chat because you were going through some wig fittings. I guess that’s for Season 2 of Workin’ Moms?
Dani Kind: Yes! It’s crazy. It feels like it’s come around so fast. I got two months off working on Workin’ Moms and then I booked the Wynonna job. And then I got two months off from Wynonna and IÂ get to go back to Workin’ Moms.
I couldn’t let our chat go by without asking you about a credit on your IMDB page. It says you were a stand-in for Tori Spelling in Mind Over Murder?
[Laughs.] I was. I grew up in Ottawa and there is a production company there that just pumps out movies of the week. That’s kind of where I started. I got some parts and some lead roles. I was kicking around in Ottawa doing jobs and one of them was to be her stand-in for two movies. She asked me to come back for the second movie that she ended up coming and doing. She’s amazing. She was the coolest chick and has the greatest sense of humour. I know she has a whole celebrity image and stuff, but I was like, ‘I could hang with her.’ She has the exact same potty humour as me.
How did you score the role of Anne on Workin’ Moms?
I did a self-tape audition and then got a call that [creator and showrunner] Catherine [Reitman] had gone back to L.A. after doing some casting in Toronto. They asked me to do a callback Skype session with them in L.A., so I did another audition with them over Skype. Then, I flew out to L.A. to do a chemistry read. There were a bunch of women all reading for several parts. Then they called a few weeks later and said I’d gotten the part.
Did Workin’ Moms open the door for you to play Mercedes on Wynonna Earp or did you still have to audition?
I still auditioned. I went in to see casting, but the sides were totally different because everything was so locked down about Melanie [Scrofano] being pregnant. They wrote these fake sides for Mercedes … she was even named something else. She was this character who owned a bar with her brother and her brother was this big sleaze. She ended up handing her brother his own ass. I reamed him out during one scene and I felt great about the audition. The sides they wrote were so great. I got a call later saying I’d gotten the part, but I had no idea I’d be on as much as I’ve been on. I thought I’d only be on a couple of episodes.
It’s so awesome that you auditioned using fake sides.
I know! I got the [real] script and I was like, ‘Whoa, whoa, what’s happening?’ Also, for the longest time, Mel didn’t look pregnant. She’s one of those women who turn around and you’d like, ‘Wait, what?! You’re pregnant?!’ She was so stunning and her body is so petite. I actually had people on-set talk to me and some of them thought she was wearing a fake belly.
How ironic is it you’re on two shows featuring pregnant women?
I know! And, when I got pregnant, I was asked what I was going to do. Everyone is so scared they’re going to lose their jobs and careers. It’s so not the case.
Before Mercedes was possessed, I really liked her attitude and not caring what people thought of her.
You don’t see men apologizing for chicks that they’ve slept with. There is so much about male characters on TV that women have had to identify with for so long and now it’s being shown that, ‘No, we’re three-dimensional human beings who also sleep around and get drunk and have fun and it’s cool.’ It’s so refreshing and so great.
Is it a bit of a challenge to play a character enrobed in black with your face obscured? You have to use body language instead of your face.
I had a lot of questions for Emily as we were shooting and she was like, ‘I don’t know, I don’t know!’ I think that, per episode, I was finding her. We all were. As wardrobe was, as hair and makeup was. Thank God for my acting coaches because they really helped me. This is super-specific work and when you’re working in sci-fi, you have to ask questions and just try stuff out.
Is it important to have answers to questions when you’re playing a role?
I do, especially for a character who is as complicated as this one. And, especially because I thought I was playing Mercedes and would be playing Mercedes all season. And then I find out I’m a different character. I grilled Emily as much as I could, and that really helped. Workin’ Moms is a little bit different because I don’t have to but up Catherine’s ass about Anne because there is so much about Anne that I understand and love. And because Catherine has been so smart about the way she writes it, I can see all of the characters in her. And then it’s just about getting really personal with myself and asking the tough questions.
Let’s close out talking a bit about Workin’ Moms. Anne is such a wonderful, galvanizing character. She made a tough decision to have an abortion last season.
You do see abortion storylines on TV, but it’s a woman who is hard done by or finds herself in this situation. They’re never portrayed as anything positive, it’s always associated with some negative thing. What I didn’t know is that one of the top percentages of women who get abortions are married women with children. I didn’t know that. Catherine was so graceful about the storyline at the beginning of the season. She asked me about it and wanted to check in and see if I could represent it. I said, ‘Absolutely.’ The way she wrote it was so beautiful but also, ‘Yes, of course, this is a decision that [Anne and Lionel] would make together as a couple.’ It just made sense and I felt really proud to tell that storyline.
Did you feel like, when you were in production on Season 1, you had something special?
There were moments when a camera woman or someone in the props department would be emotional during a scene. There was stuff happening that, especially for a comedy, that felt really grounded. Everything felt so real and Catherine was so specific in her choices about cast and crew … it really starts from the top and trickles down. I want to do everything I can to make this dream of her what she wants it to be.
You were incredibly active on social media during Season 1 of Workin’ Moms.
I just think it’s cool if somebody tweets about the show. Some people ask me stuff … why wouldn’t I respond? People are being incredibly kind and are genuinely invested in it. We put a lot of work into the show—Workin’ Moms and Wynonna Earp—and I feel like that interaction makes a lot of sense.
Wynonna Earp airs Fridays at 10 p.m. ET on Space.
Season 2 of Workin’ Moms is in production now. Season 1 is being rebroadcast on Tuesdays at 9:30 p.m. on CBC.
Workin’ Moms images courtesy of CBC.
From Nivea Serrao of Entertainment Weekly:
Link: Wynonna Earp boss on what’s next for WynHaught
“I liked it being Nicole first because people are really interested in their relationship. And if that’s your jam, there’s some delicious stuff coming down the line. They didn’t have problems with each other and really liked and respected each other, but their relationship really changed once Wynonna found out that Nicole and Waverly were dating.” Continue reading.
From Bridget Liszewski of The TV Junkies:
Link: Wynonna Earp: Emily Andras talks “Whiskey Lullaby”
“Wynonna is literally a badass superhero, but at the end of the day she needs someone to help her, to cry with and to be like ‘I don’t think this is fair.’ Destiny has it in for Wynonna in a weird way, right? It’s the ultimate metaphor for being a woman in 2017 on some level. She never gets to make her own choices, yet every single day she gets up and is going to try to, and that’s my favorite thing about her.” Continue reading.
Not only did Caitlin D. Fryers have the pressure of writing her first Wynonna Earp script, but it was an important one. Friday’s “Whiskey Lullaby” followed up the revelation regarding Wynonna’s pregnancy with the fallout of that information when it’s revealed to the team. (Who do you think is the father? Vote below!)
And, with the Gardiner gals hunting down seals at a rapid pace, and the citizens of Purgatory put into dreamland by the Gardiners via Hypnos the god of sleep, Fryers had a lot on her plate. We got her on the phone to discuss everything that occurred, including that Wynonna-Dolls kiss and Doc’s heartbreaking message to Wynonna.
We had the huge reveal last week that Wynonna is pregnant. No pressure, but your first writing credit is the follow-up when the team learns she’s pregnant. I know writing for television is a collaborative process, but what did it mean to have your name on this one in particular?
Caitlin D. Fryers: It was really special. I felt very blessed, and it was a big vote of confidence for Emily [Andras] to have entrusted me with this episode. I just sort of put myself into Wynonna’s shoes and had fun with it. It was scary because I think people had a lot of questions. We’re trying to get the balance of Wynonna still has to be this kick-ass demon hunter, but man she has a lot of emotions that she has to deal with. Trying to find that balance between those moments and still making her this powerful woman was both daunting and a lot of fun.
I wondered what pregnancy would mean for Wynonna diet-wise. She doesn’t eat or drink the best stuff; now we have her trying to keep her edge while drinking tea.
Part of the comedy is that this woman has to suddenly cut that out from her diet and be very careful about what she puts in her body. Obviously, she’s going to make some mistakes. [Laughs.] There are a lot of moments for comedy and also showcases this other side of her relationship with Waverly. Waverly is already very careful about what she eats and we’ve seen that throughout the season. Now we’ll see Waverly being the mother figure to Wynonna.
It is fun; will that be a story arc through this season?
It definitely continues and there is a nice back and forth where Wynonna is protecting Waverly and Waverly protects Wynonna. It really is a show about their relationship and the way that these sisters protect and help one another. A strong woman doesn’t mean a woman who doesn’t make mistakes.
What about Wynonna’s physicality? She can’t get into fist fights and get thrown through walls anymore.
That’s a terrifying thought for her. Now she’s fighting for two and has to look after herself and the stakes are really raised. But we still want her to be a fighter and she learns some tricks and techniques that I think will be fun for fans to see her do. She has to use her head and think about this extra person. But also, there were lots of moments where Wynonna could step back from what she was about to do and she doesn’t because that’s Wynonna. She finds a different way of handling things.
I wondered how you would explain Wynonna showing her pregnancy. Having the Gardiners force Hypnos to put Purgatory to sleep was a great way to have time elapse and have Wynonna showing.
Thank you!
Was that something you came up with or was it broken in the room?
We had sort of created this villain already and then this episode came up and I said, ‘Is this a way that we can sort of accelerate things using and adjusting this villain’s powers to sort of like a dream state?’ But, Wynonna being the heir and her body being magic, she and her child don’t follow the rules. The spell doesn’t work exactly the way Hypnos expected and we were able to use that to allow us to show Melanie and have Melanie be more free.
Let’s talk about Black Badge breaking up. Does this free the team up to do what they want because there is no one to report to?
For us, as writers, we thought, ‘What would it mean to each of these characters if you suddenly remove their safety net but also this sort of overhanging threat?’ We see what Dolls feels all of a sudden. But, at the same time, they’re going to be asking questions constantly. Is Black Badge really gone? Where did they go? What does this mean? Even though they’re gone, the spectre of Black Badge is still hanging over our team.
Those Gardiner sisters have got two of the three seals and are well on the way to concluding their plan.
They’ve definitely got momentum, which is terrifying. They’re really delicious characters. We had a lot of fun coming up with these villains. Dani Kind really brought a humour to her character that just really works. It’s almost more scary when your villain is quipping as she eats you. [Laughs.] That was fun.
I loved the fact that Dolls got to smile this episode.
Oh, my goodness. That doesn’t hurt, right? We were just sort of ready to explore what would happen to Dolls if he didn’t have the restrictions that he himself imposed on himself. And also, as writers, we just like to have the drama between Doc and Dolls. The bromance/frenemies story is very entertaining and any time we can stir that up we try to.
There was a lot of energy crackling between Dolls and Wynonna during that kiss.
Yes. Their relationship and chemistry on-screen is wonderful but also a little bittersweet. Every time these two get close something comes up and we get to see the ways Dolls handles that and it hurts. You can tell that it hurts him and that’s another side we haven’t seen.
The vibe that I’m getting is that Dolls thinks the baby is his.
I think there are a lot of questions…
That’s just me as a viewer and fan watching. I think Dolls thinks the baby is his and that Doc thinks that Dolls is the father too.
That’s interesting. That’s good. We want you to have no idea and I think there are a lot of questions surrounding this baby.
I also translated Doc’s note, ‘I’m all in,’ as meaning he supports her even if the baby is Dolls’. Fans are going to have a lot of fun with this.
The power of that moment is that Doc loves Wynonna is his reaction to this is not to ask questions and not to poke and prod and demand answers. It’s just to offer his commitment to her. When I watched Melanie’s reaction, as Wynonna, to that note I almost lost it because she gives us that moment because it’s very powerful for their relationship.
What can you tell me about next week’s episode?
It’s a really fun script. Dolls and Jeremy have some really hilarious moments … and that’s all I’m going to give you. It’s a great episode.
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Wynonna Earp airs Fridays at 10 p.m. ET on Space.
Images courtesy of Bell Media.
