Claudia Doumit – Timeless

By: Jamie Steinberg

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

A) I produced and acted in Adam & Eve, which was a debut play from a friend of mine Blake Lewis. He is a brilliant writer and director. He wrote and directed it. It was so much fun. It was a satirical play on the creation story. It was an amazing process and so well written and a hilarious cast. It was my first time producing so that was actually a living hell. I turned out really great and it was such a good piece. I can’t wait to work with those people again. Then, a month before that I shot an independent film called Dude also starring Lucy Hale. I played a character named Jessica who was kind of the rival for Lucy’s character. She was the girl from the other high school who was basically a bitch to Lucy’s character. For that role, she was a soccer player. I’m kind of naturally athletic so I told him I could play soccer (as all us actors do when we are asked if we can perform any talent). It worked out great and got some help from my friends. That was a lot of fun. It was great shooting that!

Q) How was Jiya was originally described to you on “Timeless?”

A) The character of Jiya, the way I read her was as someone who is damn good at her job and is determined. The way I read it also was Jiya was kind of someone who doesn’t really have a personal life or her personal life is very private. She definitely separates her personal and professional life. That alone drew me to the character because I think when you find someone who represents such a strong demeanor on the surface or is very invested in their work, I immediately want to know what their personal life is like. I immediately want to know what is behind that. That is the way Jiya was represented to me initially.

Q) What do you find challenging about the role?

A) I think what I find challenging about playing Jiya is that sometimes I think she doesn’t know where she fits into all of this. In the regard that she does really go through changes. Even though she doesn’t leave the lab and is in present day along with characters like Connor Mason (Paterson Joseph) and Agent Christopher (Sakina Jaffrey), they do get effected by everything that is happening around them. They do understand what is at stake and the severity of each mission and the situation they are all in. I think that Lucy (Abigail Spencer) has experienced it directly with losing her sister in the pilot, but I think that everyone is well aware of what is at stake and how dangerous this all is. I think the challenge with Jiya is she is constantly trying (and this is a struggle with a lot of them) to keep their cool. I think Jiya’s biggest challenge is to remain collected when things are actually effecting her. She tries to remain at a distant and keep her professional life and private life and her emotions out of it. Keep working. This is what you do. I think it is hard to be in these situations when such personal things happen and to still remain objective.

Q) How much do you think Mason has told her about Rufus’s hidden mission?

A) ZERO! [laughs] He hasn’t told her anything. Mason and Jiya have a very, very different relationship than Mason and Rufus (Malcolm Barrett). Rufus is his closest employee – maybe even his closest friend. Rufus is like a son to Mason. That’s how I see it. That’s how it appears. I don’t think Connor Mason reveals a lot to anyone. So, I think Jiya would be the last person he would reveal things to. I think as the show progresses that Mason and Jiya become closer and connected because of the circumstances since they are immediately involved in the missions. Mason hasn’t revealed anything to her, in my opinion.

Q) There is a romance blossoming between Jiya and Rufus. What is it about Rufus that attracts her?

A) Jiya and Rufus’s relationship definitely shifts from where you saw it in the pilot. There are different dynamics than how we first found them. Even just as a person, from the pilot episode, I thought that Jiya sees Rufus is just as committed to his work as she is. So, I think there is a familiarity there and she appreciates that and respects the hell out of that. I think it is hard to find another person like that who just kind of speak the same language. Even though they have barely talked in the beginning and probably worked together 24/7 they have said so little I think they understand each other. I think that’s what Jiya finds interesting about Rufus.

Q) What kind of backstory does Jiya have on the time traveling missions? Do you think she wishes she could join their efforts?

A) If you are working on building a time machine and you are not interested in jumping in it when it is built you are an insane person. [laughs] So, I think she would definitely want to jump in that thing! Anyone would! It is just so incredible! It is definitely something that would have crossed her mind. It is something that is completely out of this world and something so magical that she was a part of creating. She has been there since its inception. She has seen it through as has Rufus and as has Connor Mason. I think it would be crazy for her not to want to get in that thing and take it for a ride.

Q) What do you think it is about “Timeless” that has made it a fast fan favorite show?

A) I think “Timeless” has that perfect dynamic of an action packed ride mixed with the drama of real life mixed with the fantastical world of sci-fi. I really just think it is such an adventure each week. It takes you out of this realm and it really dives into what it is exploring that week – whatever historical period it is. It just keeps you and you are with it every step of the way because something is always happening. I think that’s amazing that a show can do that and that a show has the ability to touch on so many things.