By: Lisa Steinberg
Q) Fans have expressed their love for Laura’s facial expressions. Was that something you added to the character?
A) There were just so many weird and wacky things that were happening around me in every episode. I think I was just taking that all in and reacting to what happened, letting my face do its thing. It’s been pretty funny to see the .gifs of those reactions!
Q) What has been your reaction to seeing your facial expressions?
A) I think it is hilarious, actually. This whole Twitter and Internet thing has really been freeing in a way because I have no control how people are going to react and what people are going to screencap of me. I think the ability to laugh at yourself is so important and I have been like belly laughing at some of the faces that I have seen of myself!
Q) What are some of the things you do in order to get into Laura’s mindset?
A) I remember reading a quote by Ryan Gosling that was something like, “All of my characters are me and I just turn up the parts of myself that are them and turn down the parts that aren’t.” I think that really rings true for me and how I go about acting. So, a lot of my prep work for Laura and for the show was trying not to do too much and then trusting that when the cameras rolled I really stayed on focus with what Laura needed and who was around her. I think there are a lot of similarities between Laura and myself. Most of the prep work was getting out of my head, getting out of my own way and letting it be.
Q) Was it more difficult for you to embody the Dean or deal with the possible loss of Carmilla?
A) Definitely, definitely being possessed by the Dean. That was the episode I was most nervous for by a long shot! I’m not entirely sure why. Other than episode one, I was really nervous for Episode One because it was jumping in and getting used to that world. I just loved the episode with the The Dean so much and I think I had some expectations about how I wanted it to go. So, that was definitely one I was nervous for, but also one of the best ones to shoot. I think I wanted to draw a little bit from Carmilla to play the Dean because that is who she was raised by as a vampire. There was layering in that without being too on the nose. There were a lot of tricky little things in the scene.
Q) What do you think of the response the series has garnered?
A) The response has just been so, so positive. The cast is so insanely talented and I still can’t get over that the production was able to find these insanely wonderful actors and have them all in the same room at the same time. It’s a dream come true! I’m glad everyone else thinks so, too! I’m just so happy that everyone is having such an amazing, positive response to it. That’s what you want as an actor, you want fans to love what you do and that’s been overwhelming and wonderful.
Q) A lot of time we get some inferences from Laura’s comments, like when she muses that JP and LaFontaine were dating. What do you think fans should infer into what Laura infers?
A) Honestly, I don’t even know the plot line for Season 2 yet and I am just as in the dark as the fans are and I love that! I love that I get to experience the show as a fan as well. So, the mystery is not lost on me either! You think they are just these four minute episodes, but there is actually so much going on that it is easy to miss things that go on. I think that’s why people watch it multiple times!
Q) What do you think are some of the standout, underlying themes of the show?
A) One of my favorite things about the series is there are all these romantic elements, but that is not the main focus (in my opinion). It’s a story about a girl whose innocent view of t he world is shattered. She isn’t resigned to that fact, that the world isn’t as good or as fair as she thought. She doesn’t become jaded by it. She fights against it. Then, on the flip side, she is also forced to step outside of her comfort zone. Through that, she realizes there is a lot of good and beauty within that chaos. I think that is such an important story about growing up. We feel like our life needs to go down this one very specific path and that’s not how life really works. I think it’s people finding their way in that and fighting for what they want and what they believe in. Also, it’s them realizing they can’t control everything and there is a lot to learn from veering off course.
Q) What are some of the more compelling aspects of the “Hollstein” relationship?
A) I think they are both very different people. I think because of that, they are really good for each other in that sense. But at the same time, there are a lot of growing pains within that as well. I think they have a lot to learn from each other. I’m curious to see what is going to happen in Season 2 knowing how Silas University works and that world works, I am sure there are going to be many conflicts they face together. It will be interesting to see how they exist with each other within that conflict.
Q) Laura has become one of the great standout characters because she kept fans guessing throughout the season about her feelings for Carmilla. How do you feel about playing an LGBTQ character on a series with such a wide range of different characters within that spectrum?
A) I’m really proud! I love that the show is so positive about it, as well. You don’t see any of the characters being ostracized about it. In a way, it’s so the opposite of what happens on other shows. Their sexuality isn’t the thing that is sticking out about them. It’s the norm. I think that is so refreshing and that it is so wonderful to see! Because it is not the main focus, it kind of underlines it is a normal thing. It’s not what they are struggling with or dealing with. They are dealing with all the other crazy shenanigans going on. It ends up being the norm of the series, which I loved. I think people relate so much to what they see on screen. If we see people only being ostracized or only struggling with that question it can mirror that in real life. You think it maybe should be more of a struggle and obviously it is, but I love that there is such a positive spin on it in this case.
Q) The dorm room seems to play a character on it’s own. How do you think it played a role in the show?
A) It’s so true! That room was amazing! It was unreal! It was such a gift that it didn’t feel like a set. It was like an actual room in an actual house that we filmed in. It made the magic come alive for me even more. Then, the art department did just such an amazing job with it and there were so many of Laura’s personal things around it that it became this safe space. It felt like you were stepping into another world when you came into the room, which was awesome. And I think people could tell that as well.
Q) It’s so surreal that you really do feel like you’re a student at Silas University! You’re at the party. You feel like this wonderful voyeur who gets to be a student and not just a fly on the wall.
A) That’s so amazing! I love that! That’s how I want to watch things, especially as an actor growing up that is how I read books. I submerged myself in those worlds so much. So, it’s so amazing to be a part of something that other people are having that reaction to.
Q) I loved the season finale! Viewers were given so much, but also received more questions. When you read the script, what were some of your initial thoughts?
A) After Episode 36, when I originally read it I was on the edge of my seat! When I read Episode 34, I one hundred percent thought Jordan [Hall] had killed off Carmilla and I was devastated. I became so invested in the story and the characters that I didn’t know what was going to happen. When she came back in Episode 36, let’s just say there were a lot of tears as I read that in my bed. I have no idea what is going to happen next either. So, we’ll see!
Q) What are some of your hopes or what are you most excited to see in Season 2 of “Carmilla?”
A) Oh my goodness! Honestly, I’m just as excited what is in store as all the fans are. I have no idea. The writers are so brilliant, creative and funny. If it’s anything like Season one, it will be weird, wacky, absurd, hilarious and really entertaining! So, I don’t think I want to make any predictions because I’m just so excited to see what the writers hand to me. Obviously, I think one of my favorite things about the show is the friendship dynamic to all of them and this wonderful group of people. I’m mostly excited to see all of our crazy interactions with each other.
Q) What are some of the experiences or some things that you have taken away from being a part of the series?
A) Well, I got Twitter for the first time since the series has exploded. It’s been really, really wonderful to read all the really positive comments that people are sending my way. And I think one of the things that I love the most is Laura has all these nerdy and weird things and people love that about her. If anything, that’s just helped me feel braver in letting the goofy parts of myself be shown. I think the fans are relating to that as well. I think this wanting to be yourself and let it be seen in the world and have it embraced, I think that is one of the most positive things that have come out of the series, seeing it in myself and fans as well.
Q) What is it that you have learned and gained from being a part of the show?
A) I think that just the fandom itself has just been this positive place. I would have loved to have had the Creampuff Nation with all the shows that I loved watching growing up. I think it’s so great to have a place where everyone can love the show as much as people do and share that with each other. I feel like there is a really connectedness that is happening of people all over the world who have never met and are struggling with the same things or embracing the same things as everyone else. That’s been really, really wonderful to see.
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