Jesse Rath – Supergirl

By starrymag | October 21, 2018

By: Maggie Stankiewicz

 

 

Q) Superhero television shows have gotten a reputation for their long work hours. How did you adjust to going from guest star to series regular for Supergirl’s fourth season?

 

A) You know, it was pretty crazy when I first started because the first episode I was in was a very heavy-Brainy episode. There was a lot of stuff for me with the dream world and the real world. I was in the A and B storyline, so there was a lot of material and I was in the blue makeup for both of those. I started off right in the thick of things. Not having to be in blue makeup all the time in kind of nice, so it’s actually less hectic than when I first started. There’s still a lot of work and we’re there every day working on something. If I’m not shooting, there’s some fitting or some read through or a makeup test that needs to get done. It’s all so much fun though, that it doesn’t feel like work.

 

Q) Brainiac-5 is a character whose history dates all the way back to the 1960’s. Did you do any old-school comic book readings to prepare for stepping into his extraterrestrial shoes?

 

A) A lot of the older comics are harder to get my hands on, but at the CW Studios in Burbank they have a library of books. After I did my read through they brought me down to their collection of books and trade paperbacks. It was like the Lion King – “Whatever the light touches is yours,” and I was able to take my pick of Legion books, and even some that weren’t Legion related. So, I have a ton of books that aren’t necessarily from the Silver Age, but luckily there’s tons of information on the history of Brainiac that I found and was able to do research on. There was also the Smallville stuff and the cartoon, which I really enjoyed the cartoon. So, I was just immersing myself in all things Brainy. There’s so much information out there. I’m still learning more about the character and reading the books and taking recognition from people, at any given moment I’m reading something new. There’s always something to learn.

 

Q) Brainiac-5 and Brainiac have been portrayed very differently throughout the years. Did you look back on any past interpretation of these characters to prepare? James Marsters as Brainiac is a contemporary example and most likely set the precedent for how Brainy shouldn’t act.

 

A) It was mostly stuff from the comics and the cartoon, but I am familiar with James Marsters’ Brainiac. I watched Smallville so I knew of his performance. You know, whenever I read a scene I’m always looking for an opportunity to inject some sort of homage or comic book reference in there. I haven’t really pulled anything from Smallville yet, but I am aware of it and there are certain things I want to do and the right moment hasn’t come up yet. It’s always something in the back of my head. I love looking for opportunities to hold myself the way he did or say something the way he did. What I find fun is that we are building our own mythology, so something I said in that first episode of Season 3 with Melissa [Benoist] in the dream state – there might be something there that I can call back to later. It becomes an ongoing joke – the way I say something, or the way I caught that pillow, I might try to replicate that in another scene. We try to make our own canon of little mannerisms or just the way he is. I try to make that a through-line throughout my performance. I don’t know if anyone other than myself will notice it, but maybe one day I’ll tell you all the secrets and tricks on what’s been done!

 

Q) Brainiac-5 is known for his superior intelligence. Do you find it difficult to remember the particularly complex lines required of a 12th level intellect?

 

A) Absolutely. I think it’s funny that the way the show proves that he is smart is having him recite these long decimal numbers and what they don’t realize is that me, a first level intellect, has to do all of that in real life. I find that I need to say the line a thousand times at home before I get to work just so I can say it. The lines are tongue twisters that no person in their right mind would choose to speak, so I need to train my tongue to speak like that in order for me to say the lines coherently. It’s a struggle, but it’s fun and I feel like I’m getting better at it. Or worse, who knows. We’re making it through the day.

 

When we shot that first episode I remember I had to say this long number. I think I was saying, “Out of all the four-million, two hundred thirty-six thousand, six hundred and twenty-three versions of this meeting.” I said this long number and our script supervisor came up to me after and said, “It’s actually four-million, two hundred thirty-six thousand, six hundred and thirty-four.” I was just like, “Are you kidding me? No one’s going to care!” But we are sticklers for this stuff so they make sure I say it right.

 

Q) You had a long running stint on Defiance and a handful of other Sci-Fi/Fantasy projects. What is it about this genre and the characters that you connect with?

 

A) It’s funny that it’s worked out that way. I’ve always been a huge fan of sci-fi television and genre television. My mom is a big sci-fi/comic book nerd, so I grew up watching Buffy and Star Trek: Next Generation and Sliders and these types of shows through osmosis. I became a huge fan of that stuff and I’ve always been. It’s just funny that art imitates life, or the other way around, that I found myself working on these types of projects. Those are the types of role and projects that I’m most attracted to and maybe that’s why I get those roles. Maybe they can tell how excited I am to do ‘em. The universe works in mysterious ways and I found myself lucky enough to work on projects like that. I don’t know what it is about me that screams “Alien!” But I’m down for it. I like playing an alien. I am very ethnically ambiguous in real life and so I’ve played a lot of different races in movies and television, so it’s appropriate that I play an alien. Sometimes it’s the only thing people see me as. They’re like, “Alright, we can’t figure out exactly where he’s from so we’ll just say he’s an alien.” It’s a lot of fun for me and I’m happy with it.

 

Q) Supergirl’s fourth season recently premiered. Do you have any words of wisdom on how fans can prepare for what is to come?

 

A) If you’ve seen everything, then you’re prepared. I know that the crossover is coming up – so make sure you’re up to date on all the shows in the Arrowverse so you’re up-to-date on all the characters and what everyone’s talking about when it comes to episode 8 or 9. If you’ve seen Season 3, you’re pretty set. If you haven’t, you might see Brainy and say who the hell is this guy talking so weird – but that being said, I think someone who hasn’t seen the show can jump in and enjoy. In shooting it, we try to tell ourselves that this could be someone’s first episode and I think that was the case with the comics too. You could pick one up and immediately enjoy it, so that’s important to us. Be prepared, watch some recaps online. If you’re not prepared, don’t stress. We have a new season with new adventure, just tune in and you’ll be fine.

 

Q) Can you tell us a little bit about the tones and underlying themes of Supergirl’s fourth season? We know that the anti-alien movement is growing stronger – what does this mean for the gang and the dangers they’ll be facing?

 

A) This season is different because in other seasons the threat was very clear, usually just one person or a Big Bad Guy to defeat by the end of the season. In this case, it’s a little different because the enemy isn’t so clear. It’s this growing fear that’s amongst the people of National City, so it’s harder to find who the enemy is. The enemy could be anyone, it’s this feeling, it’s this fear of the unknown. It makes for a really interesting season because the problems of our season could be everywhere amongst your friends, so it’s less about one specific bad guy and more about the idea of hope versus fear.

 

Q) How might Brainiac serve as an asset to the DEO and alien-kind? Will he encounter any conflicts straddling this line of humanity?

 

A) Yeah! As you’re watching you’ll discover how useful Brainiac can be in certain situations. His superpower is his super intellect and last season we saw moments where he uses that power to go inside people’s minds and that stuff. But, without giving too much away, you’ll see some moments this season where you’ll think, “I didn’t know he could do something like that!” I’m not going to shoot fireballs out of my hands or anything like that, but it will be cool to see interesting and new ways to use his super intellect. He’ll definitely come in handy at the DEO. I don’t want to spoil anything, but he will be handy. He’ll also be very disruptive and annoying to a lot of people. That’s the main crux of the character. He’s very smart, but too smart for his own good. When he came with the Legion last year they were used to him and knew how to handle him and were trying to brace others for his larger than life personality. Without the Legion friends by his side, it’ll be a struggle at first. It might take some getting used to for everyone to find their rhythm with him. That was part of the fun this season.

 

Q) What I love about Supergirl is that it doesn’t shy away from addressing topical issues. It weaves the fantasy of the universe with morsels of our current political landscape. Did you pick up on any touches or nods this season?

 

A) Absolutely. I think this whole season without being so obvious about it mirrors certain things happening within our world today. It definitely tackles issues like racism and xenophobia and the fear of the unknown. It looks at the idea of being afraid of what you don’t understand.

 

Q) We see the core group frequenting the alien bar. Will we get to see Brainiac-5 trying to assimilate with the others in that environment?

 

A) Yes, you will. [laughs] You will. There are some fun and light moments to look forward to. Yep, yep, yep!

 

Q) How much will we see of Brainiac and Lena teaming up together next season, and what are you most looking forward to? We saw him mainly working with the Super Squad, will he be expanding his social circle?

 

A) He will. I will have some scenes with Lena (Katie McGrath) that I really enjoyed. Brainiac has a respect for Lena. He learns how smart she is and it’s fun to play those scenes. I think it’s interesting because here they are, these descendants of classic villains, yet they are on the lighter side of things. They fight for the good guys. It’s fun to think of it like that. I really enjoy shooting with Katie. She’s great. Honestly, it’s become such a blur, I can’t remember which episodes things are in, but early on there will be some great scenes between Brainy and Lena.

 

Q) What are some awkward encounters we can expect to see for Brainiac in this upcoming season?

 

A) Oh my god! Every scene. Every scene of his is awkward. It’s always an awkward scene with Brainy. He’s just an awkward guy. Very socially awkward. Yeah, that’s his whole thing. He’s oblivious to that. He’s oblivious to how awkward he’s coming across. He thinks he’s very smooth. There’s plenty of great socially awkward scenes that he is just not aware of at all.

 

Q) One thing that sets Supergirl’s writing apart is the way it pushes boundaries, keeps viewers on their toes and tugs at their heartstrings all at the same time. When you read the season four scripts, what really stood out emotionally and connected for you?

 

A) I always try to think about what the underlying message is within scenes. It’s fun for me to get a scene and then try to play against that scene. If he’s saying one thing, I can play it thinking that maybe he means the opposite. Those scenes were fun, especially the ones with Brainy and Winn (Jeremy Jordan) and Kara. Brainy and Mon-El (Christopher Wood) scenes are great, too. He butted head with Mon-El a bit. He tricked him in a way to bring him back in time because he knew how he would react through the simulation tests. We shot a couple different versions of this scene I had with Chris. It was fun to have Chris play it frustrated. It’s really fun for me to play against the lines. I always try to do that, and the lines are perfectly written that way. We have great writers. The writers help craft the character of Brainy because it’s so hard for me improvise him. I try to improvise for him, but it’s really hard. Because he’s a level-12 intellect, every line he says is very smart and it’s hard to ad lib that. Everything I say is written out that way. When you read it off the paper, the voice just comes out. That’s something to look forward to. There are tons of great scenes with a lot of underlying sentiment between the lines.