Christina Marie Moses – Containment

By: Lisa Steinberg

Q) What are the recent projects that you are working on?

A) I guest starred on the TV show “Rosewood” and I have a movie that is hitting the independent circuit now and it is looking for distribution. It’s really cute and I hope we can get it picked up as it is getting good reviews.

Q) Please tell us the premise for “Containment” and about your character Jana Mayfield.

A) A viral outbreak happens at a hospital in Atlanta so they issue an urban quarantine. There is not a lot of time for people to go home or gather their belongings. You are either inside or outside. Families and relationships are torn apart. I’m one of them that gets torn a part because I work and live inside the cordoned area. I was supposed to move in with my boyfriend Alex (David Gyasi) that day, but then I have a panic attack. So, instead of moving in I go to work and realize I made a mistake. By that time, it is too late though. I’m on my way to go to his house and everything just happens so I have to go back to my office. Jana grew up in group homes and had a fairly troubled upbringing getting passed around. She has managed to do well for herself and she is very tech savvy. She works in data recovery and is really great at what she does. She loves being able to work in solitude and this is the one thing she can control in her life. She tends to keep people at arms length, but inside I think she desires to be more open and friendly, yet she doesn’t know how. We may see her evolve over time. I think the virus brings that out in her.

Q) How do the dynamics with Jana shift over the season?

A) First of all, she was supposed to move in with her boyfriend and is on the fence because of her fear with intimacy. We see her caring deeply for people, but it is too risky so it is just easier for her to take care of herself and do her own thing. She is stuck in the cordoned with her best friend who also grew up in group homes. She has to help her and she has her coworkers there. There are people she runs into, as well. All the while she is trying to survive to get back to her boyfriend somehow. She realizes she needs people to survive and maybe enjoys helping people. So, it is overcoming her need for separation and survival realizing she actually needs people to survive. That is what is so great about this story, you don’t know what is going to happen or who you are going to become in such a scary and heavy time of uncertainty. So, it really brings out the best and the worst and we kind of flip-flop between that.

Q) Was there anything you added to your role that wasn’t originally scripted for you?

A) That’s a great question. I think I added a little bit more of a vulnerability that might be more transparent. It’s kind of subjective sometimes, but in terms of a major plot point – no.

Q) The show reminds me a lot of “Fear The Walking Dead” and “The Walking Dead.” How does it distance itself from these kinds of shows?

A) I would say the main difference is that “The Walking Dead” is science fiction and this is more science fact. “The Walking Dead is post-apocalyptic and ours is kind of in the midst of what could be an apocalypse. The differences is there is no such thing as zombies, but we have life threatening viruses that take over huge parts of our population. So, this could very much happen on American soil. The similitudes are the stories though with the triumphs and the letdowns.

Q) Are there moments that you are most looking forward to fans seeing?

A) I can’t say more than “yes.” Actually, there are quite a few. We have really nice twists and turns in the show and there are three instances in particular where I am excited, scared and thrilled to see what the audience thinks.

Q) You are a part of social media. Are you looking forward to the fan feedback you will be receiving and will you be live tweeting or sharing any behind the scenes pictures?

A) Yes, I would like to live tweet as it airs and be able to engage with our fans with what they think is going to happen next or what we could have done differently storywise. I would like to engage in a dialogue with the fans. I think it would be really fun to watch it with the fans and discuss it. Yeah, in terms of behind the scenes stuff, I can try and go back and put some pictures up there. I definitely have to try and improve my social media game, for sure. I’m definitely looking forward to that.

Q) What was it like working with the writers and Julie Plec?

A) We have a great team and they are wonderful writers. They are very open to collaboration. If we have any questions, we can email them and then we can talk to get some clarity. If there is one line that maybe doesn’t work for my character, they are super open to discuss that. Then, sometimes it is just a matter of having that conversation and reworking it. So, we are very, very fortunate. I don’t know if that happens often. Julie is just a master of creating wonderful, human stories that are fun to play, complex and dynamic and the characters and the stories themselves. She has assembled a great team of people who can handle that, acting wise and with the writers and directors. She is great at just getting people who are awesome humans, in general, so we managed to vibe and work together really well. So, it becomes a creative family. It was an incredible experience. We’re really lucky.

Q) Who would you like to have worked with more on the show?

A) I actually worked with David Gyasi as my boyfriend Alex. It would be great to have had more scenes with him. Then, I would have loved to work with Kristen Gutoskie. We don’t get to work together at all. She’s at the hospital and I’m at my office so we don’t meet. But I do hear about her and I really respect her work. She has become a really good friend of mine so that would have been fun. I would have loved to work with Claudia Black as well because we became good friends too and I love her work. She is just such a powerhouse. It would have been really fun to speculate if she was the good guy or the bad guy and Jana being stuck on the inside. There could have been a dramatic scene that would have been fun.

Q) What have you taken away from your experiences working on “Containment?”

A) So much! Just what an honor it has been to work with such professional talented hardworking writers, directors and entire crew. From crafting to grips, everyone on set was just such a joy. They worked hard. Julie assembled a great team of hard workers. We work hard and play hard. So, that was just an incredible experience. And everyone was just really excited. I think the show really inspired people. They really believed in the show so everyone was excited to come to work every day. I love the story so much. I love that we get to tell such a beautiful story of survival, loss and fear and really discovering who we are in these times of crisis. Maybe you never thought of yourself as a hero, but maybe you are discovering yourself as a hero. Maybe you are meeting people and helping people. Maybe you wanted to be that person, but you were afraid and ended up relying on people. I find the gray area in the complex neuroses of humanity to be really beautiful. We have some really beautiful stories to tell and I’m just really proud of that. And I love Atlanta! I love that we got to shot there, there was great food and lots of trees!