Marni Van Dyk – MsLabelled

By starrymag | December 8, 2015

By: Lisa Steinberg

 

 

Q) What is your favorite aspect of Bee?

 

A) What I like most about Bee is that she plays by her own set of rules. When everyone around her thinks all is lost, she doesn’t it see it that way. She believes she will get what she wants and that tends to prove true, whether things fall into place or she wrenches them there. She also always plays with her elbows out. She’s tough and rarely lets herself get pushed around, even if she risks being disliked. I like that.

 

Q) Bee has had some strained interpersonal relationships with the MsLabelled staff, are there any fences that will be mended?

 

A) The muse is “amenable”– said no one, ever. Listen, Bee’s abrasive and bossy, but she respects the designers’ work and deeply loves and appreciates fashion. Even though she seems to keep everyone at arm’s length, that is their common ground. She’s the type of person who will both fight you to the death, but also fight to the death for you. When it comes down to it, the team at MsLabelled is a dysfunctional fashion family who need each other, and she is an intrinsic part of that.

 

Q) Looks like BeeNanna is getting closer. Is this relationship something convenient since Bee likes attention or something more substantial?

 

A) My mom always says, “People come into your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime.” I don’t think either of them saw it coming necessarily and I don’t know if it will be the greatest love story ever told, but I don’t think it’s superficial either. They found each other when they were both beat up and vulnerable and they helped put each other back together again. I think it’s an unlikely match, but there is a tenderness there, and they are going to see where that leads them…

 

Q) Is there anything that you have added to the role that wasn’t originally scripted?

 

A) Adding to the original script goes beyond improvising a line here or there. I think with every character, when actors step into their roles and breath life into them, they add their energy to what is scripted and that mixing is the essential magic. A different actor would give it a different energy.

 

Q) Can you talk about working with director Zoe Robyn, what was your experience like and what did kind of guidance did she give you?

 

A) Zoe [Robyn] is the type of director you wish you could work with always– thoughtful, wise, calm and very cognizant of what the needs and priorities are of those around her. That is of particular importance with “MsLabelled’s whirlwind shooting schedule. Zoe sits at the eye of that storm, as if we were doing a fraction of that, giving everyone in all departments (art, camera, wardrobe, producers and us actors) her constructive time, always leading with collaboration in mind. Actors need a lot of space and support to think and move and she is generous with her time, always happy to talk through something and encouraging us to explore and experiment.

 

Q) You’re a part of social media, how is it getting instant fan feedback after the episode?

 

A) The social media aspect of the show is the absolute best. My favorite part is reading through the YouTube comments after an episode goes live, seeing the hilarious gifs fans pull out of the show and the art they create and tag us in on Twitter.

 

Q) What moment this season really surprised you the most and why?

 

A) There are a lot of surprises this season. The story keeps twisting and turning, which is one of my favorite things about this season’s arc. That said, I’d have to say what really surprised me was the BeeNanna love story! I was just as floored when I first read the scripts as fans were when they reacted to it in the episode. I actually almost missed it and had to go back because I wasn’t expecting it either and thought I read wrong!

 

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

 

A) What I take away from working on “MsLabelled” is to be ambitious and create community with the stories you tell. There is a real sense of play, fun and curiosity on the set of the show and that really opens everyone up to do their best work. It’s amazing to see a community both grown from and form around that. As actors, we were given the opportunity to really jump headlong into very big characters, which is a great gift. All work should be just so. I hope there is more truth than poetry to that.

 

Q) What has been your favorite behind the scenes moment from filming?

 

A) There was a funny moment on set this season when we were shooting the scene where Bee crawls out from under the desk and she and Anna (Sara Hennessey) make eyes at each other for the first time. I had laid right on the ground underneath the desk and the camera for the entire scene as that was the easiest way to film it, but hadn’t really informed anyone on the production team, except perhaps Zoe. It’s a pretty long scene and I shifted because the floor was cold and suddenly I saw one of the producers Stephanie [Ouaknine] wave-miming at me very concerned and confused as to what I was doing. It was late in the day and I think she thought I had lost it, as actors have been known to do…So, I think I just mouthed that it was “part of my process,” which of course didn’t help her confusion, but I found it funny. Once I crawled out and into the scene, she caught on that I had not in fact lost my mind. I was just “acting.”

 

Q) What can you tease about the season finale? 

 

A) What I will say is that if there is something you should take away from the finale it is that you should always read and redline your contracts! Everyone at MsLabelled learned that lesson this season…Also, a fur trimmed Santa cape paired with thigh-high black stiletto boots is a very spicy holiday look. Perhaps you should try it. Thanks to Jessica Mary Clayton, “MsLabelled’s” costume designer/stylist/visionary extraordinaire, for that stroke of genius.

 

 

My handles:

Twitter: @marnivandyk

Instagram: @fridapanek

Watch the last three episodes of Season 2 of “MsLabelled” on VerveGirl TV on YouTube