Kacey Rohl – Fortunate Son

By: Lisa Steinberg

Q) How was your character Ellen originally broken down and what really drew you to who her foundations were?

A) Ellen was originally described as smart and pragmatic, but struggling to figure out who she is. I was drawn to the idea of the pull between the world of her family and forging new paths for herself, the wrestle of self-discovery and attempts at boldness and authenticity as a young woman in the 1960’s.

Q) “Fortunate Son” has so many layers interwoven that balances brilliantly empowerment, poignancy, turmoil, etc. What is it about the series and these themes that provoke and engage its audience all within each charged episode?

A) I hope that with each episode the audience engages with their own sense of empowerment within the turmoil of everyday life. I have a deep interest in the idea of opposites occurring at the same time, that even when things seemed turned upside down and out of sorts that that may be the time we know ourselves best. I think our series does a great job at pushing discomfort and difference towards compassion and love.

Q) What I love about “Fortunate Son” is it puts these fierce females front and center. They are not shrinking violets, and they are also layered with flaws and vulnerability. Why is it even more important these days we see these multi-dimensional type of female leads on screen?

A) The more complicated women we can see the better because that’s what women are. It’s important to know that all women are fierce, but that doesn’t mean they are without flaws – that a good woman isn’t necessarily a full-time virtuous women. That women can rule the world, but they’re going to make mistakes just like anyone else would. That being an empowered woman does not mean being an unchangeable woman. I think the more that we see that on screen, the more room we have for that in the real world. The nuanced area between A Good Woman & A Bad Woman.  A release from those ideas as our only options.

Q) Ruby and Ellen have this central conflict where they quite opposite, her mother is a radical and Ellen believes more in peace. What is it about the ties that still bind that really make an impression on each of these characters lives that also propel their evolving relationship dynamic?

A) I don’t think that Ellen would be as driven and passionate about the life she is building for herself without having Ruby as a mother. She got all of these fantastic qualities from her mother, whether she would admit that or not. I think over the course of season one we see Ellen start to notice the roots of her mother in her and stop fighting against them and Ruby starts to see how a little Ellen-style pragmatism couldn’t hurt her cause in the long run. They eventually start to see each other more & respect The corner the other is coming from instead of judging it.

Q) The show is set in the 60s – a truly tumultuous and divisive time. How does the setting at times feel like a character in itself?

A) I think whenever you have a period piece, it’s such a gift because you have a document of reference for the entire time. The 1960’s and, in particular the war in Vietnam, was some of the first times that the American people realized they couldn’t blindly trust their government to have their best interests in mind and the first time that America on a global scale fell from a grace a bit. I think that, in a very complicated way, our show has excellent timing in terms of highlighting how history can and will repeat itself.

Q) There is this breathtaking interplay we see between you and the incomparable Kari Matchett who plays Ruby. The energy you bounce off on another plays into the intense emotion that charges between the two. Can you talk about this fantastic tete a tete between you two that we see and how you two work so exceptionally off of one another?

A) Working with Kari is the dream in action. She is such a present and giving actor, so well prepared, so full of fantastically deep questioning that you can’t help but be pulled up to her level. It’s like stepping into a bubble with her. I love her deeply as a human being and we connect on so many core values as women in the world that Ithink that really shows. I feel immediately opened in her presence. She’s the best fake mom a gal could ask for.

Q) This is such a timely series being that even more so right now we are all so politically driven and divided, there is this feeling of the past possibly repeating itself. What do you hope this series shakes within people and resonates with them when they watch?

A) I hope this series acts as a call to action for people. A reminder, as I said before, that history can and will repeat itself. I hope it reminds people that political action is not something to be afraid of, that we’re all humans trying our best, that the way forward is not violence, but love. I hope people get involved in backing something they believe in, I hope people connect to their communities and I hope we inspire kindness and openness.

Q) How has your portrayal of Ellen really challenged and up’d your acting?

A) Playing Ellen has forced me to acknowledge and love my most Type-A personality aspects, it’s encouraged me to speak my mind more often than I did before and it’s made me a strange walking encyclopedia of 1960’s knowledge.

Q) Are there any other upcoming projects that you are working on or we will be seeing later in the year? 

A) Hopefully my next project is prepping for Season 2 of “Fortunate Son.” [laughs] I’m shooting a short film with Lev Lewis called Everyday’s Like This and you can might be able to catch me on the upcoming season of “The Magicians!”

Q) We have absolutely loved the chaos and comedy you have brought to The Magicians as Marina. And the writers seem to not be shy about surprising fans by bringing fan favorites back. With Marina off with her girlfriend and a new quest for the apocalypse to be foiled (amongst many other things), might we see Marina lend some magical hands at some point?

A) I can’t give away any spoilers because I would be cursed/smite /rubbed out, but a certain leather-clad bitch might make a rather cruel appearance. We’ll see. [winks]