Aaron Chartrand – Carmilla

Q) Will has been a bit missing in action lately. Towards the end of the season, will we get to see more of his redeeming qualities?

A) I can’t reveal anything that is going to happen, but I will say that it is funny. Will is kind of made out to be a bit of a bad guy, but he does have a lot of redeeming qualities. The thing is that his moral compass is pointed in a bit of a different direction than Laura’s. So, I don’t think he is necessarily a bad guy. He thinks he is doing it for the greater good, just like Laura does. I think some of his redeeming qualities are that he is a sensitive guy and he is fun, wild and passionate. He just sort of looks at things differently. I guess overall, if there is something that stands out as a respectful thing, is that he is very loyal.

Q) What have been some of your favorite scenes to film?

A) I think my favorite scene to film was when I got to shoot episode twenty-one with Natasha and Elise. That’s when I sort of sneak in and try to grab Laura. I untie Natasha. It was a lot of fun and a lot of action.

Q) Was the fight scene something you coordinated with Natasha?

A) Oh yeah! It’s funny because we did a script reading recently at the Canadian International Television Festival. We did a live-reading of our scripts, which was different from what we shot. Sometimes you get on set and things just change. You can’t do everything that you planned to do or you think of things that will work better. We definitely had to plan what we were going to do. She punches me in the face and Elise punches me in the throat. We had to coordinate that. We had a day of rehearsal where we ran through all of that and the steps. Spencer Maybee, the director, pulled us aside separately and gave us both directions. On the day that we shot it was really interesting because we all knew what we were doing and we rehearsed so that it was safe, but there were some surprises because we each had a direction that we were supposed to run with that none of us had shared with each other.

Q) Were you given any backstory about Will to know why he was a part of the movement?

A) I was in contact with Ellen Simpson, co-developer and series story editor, before we started shooting to find out more about him. With the first block of episodes, I just didn’t know that much about the guy because I hang around in the back. She gave me a full backstory of details about Will so I could sort of invest myself in it more, which is great because it gives me a chance to connect with the guy and relate to the guy. I think I do that with all of my roles. Even if it is not in the writing, I sort of invent things in my head that would make sense in the script. For example, when I shot episode twenty-one, it wasn’t written in the script that Will has knowledge that Carmilla is maybe helping Laura out, but I sort of invented for myself that I knew that she was in love with her. So, I invented things that I felt would sort of help me going into the scene as if I’m trying to prove it, which is the reason why he grabs Laura and sort of pets her in front of Carmilla. Ellen gave me an amazing backstory and I also made some stuff up to motivate myself in the scene.

Q) What do you think it is about the show that has made it so popular?

A) I think “Carmilla” is so popular because the viewers really get a lot in each episode. The amount of story progression I think is really amazing considering the time limits we have on each episode. It’s so interactive! I love that there is a Twitter account for the series and that people are always updating stuff and always adding things about what is happening at the university when we are not watching. It feels real because of that. They have really built this world that is taking place now. We can interact with it if we choose. I think there are a lot of reasons why it is so popular, but I think one of the reasons is it is so interactive. You can participate in it and that for me really does it!

Q) The episodes are quite short. What do you take away from your experience working on them?

A) Being a part of the project in itself is really inspiring. It’s amazing to be able to work with such inspiring women. Most of our team are women and that’s amazing! I’ve been on a lot of sets are mostly men. I think it is great that there are starting to be more shows which have a cast that are mainly women. That is really inspiring to work with such amazing women, actors and film makers. I came away from that with a lot of positive experiences and relationships. I met some really great people who work very hard and are wonderful at what they do. When you go in for jobs, you hope that is going to happen, but it doesn’t always happen. When it does happen, it’s gold! Also, when it comes the timing we have to shoot them it sort of stretches you as an actor. With the amount of time, sometimes you only get one or two takes. It really forces you to trust the people around you and trust yourself as an actor. I think it stretched me out and forced me to be more consistent as an actor with my work.

Q) Since you are a part of social networking, how has it been receiving instant fan feedback when the episodes come out?

A) Amazing! I really like it. I’m new to Twitter and just getting the hang of it. Everyone is really welcoming and I love how excited all the fans are! I like it because there is direct contact between the fans and the cast and crew, which is really cool. I think it has been positive for the show. What “Carmilla” has to offer is that we are really in touch with our fanbase and we interact with them. If you are on Twitter, you get more of a story to “Carmilla’ then if you are watching just on YouTube. You can follow all the character accounts that way and see what what everyone is saying. You can get more in depth with them. I think that’s really cool.

Q) The dorm room, itself, seems almost to be a character. Talk about the role it plays on the show.

A) The room seems like a character because it has a lot of character. We were really fortunate with the people on set who were making it and dressing it. They are responsible for that. It’s really cool to be on the set. A lot of the time I am creeping in the background and going through people’s stuff. The room is kind of like a character because it does give you something to play off. When you step into that room and you are about to shoot, it makes you feel one hundred times more in the scene. Whenever I watch the show, I think, “If only the walls could talk…” There are so many things happening! I always wish the characters could see what the walls saw! A lot does happen in the room. I think it is cool that Smokebomb has been able to capture such an interesting series in one room. That is not easy to do. Maybe the room is the audience…The room is a character as it is sort of watching everything that happens.

Q) With the last episode looming over us, is there anything we can share or let fans know about what to expect?

A) I’ll say that they are really good. I was there when they were shot. I just want to say thank you very much to everyone who has watched the show and supported the show. It wouldn’t have been made possible to finish the season without them. The last episodes are really, really good so don’t miss them!

Q) What are your hopes for Season 2 of “Carmilla?”

A) I feel like there are a lot of possibilities for the show to go. I’m sure whatever it is will be even better than the first season! I feel like there is only room to grow. Everyone on set is really good at what they do and they will only get better by working together.